Question

A nurse is assessing a client who has a borderline personality disorder. Which of the following findings should the nurse expect?

A) Consistent and stable relationships
B) Impulsive and self-damaging behaviors
C) Fixed and rigid thought patterns
D) Lack of emotional responsiveness

Answer 1

A nurse assessing a client with borderline personality disorder should expect to find impulsive and self-damaging behaviors as a key symptom, rather than stable relationships or a lack of emotional responsiveness.

Step-by-step explanation:

When assessing a client who has borderline personality disorder (BPD), a nurse should expect to find impulsive and self-damaging behaviors. These behaviors are a hallmark symptom of BPD and reflect the client's struggles with emotion regulation, self-image, and interpersonal relationships. In contrast to stable relationships, individuals with BPD often experience intense and unstable interpersonal relationships. Their thought patterns, while sometimes rigid, are more characterized by rapid shifts rather than fixed and unchanging. Additionally, emotional responsiveness in BPD is typically heightened rather than lacking, with a propensity for intense emotional reactions to environmental triggers.