Question

A nurse working on an inpatient mental health unit is caring for a client who has bipolar disorder and is experiencing mania. What should the nurse prioritize in the client's care?

1) Assessing the client's vital signs
2) Administering antipsychotic medication
3) Encouraging the client to engage in physical activity
4) Providing a quiet and calm environment

Answer 1

For a client with bipolar disorder experiencing mania, the nurse should prioritize creating a quiet and calm environment as an immediate step, while medication and other treatments are important aspects of the long-term management plan.

Step-by-step explanation:

When caring for a client with bipolar disorder who is experiencing mania, the nurse should prioritize providing a quiet and calm environment. This helps to reduce stimuli and can potentially decrease the intensity of manic symptoms. While assessing vital signs is always important in nursing care to ensure client safety, the immediate environmental needs ought to be considered first in this scenario to directly address the manic state. Antipsychotic medication, such as classes of antipsychotics including clozapine and risperidone, and other treatments like mood stabilizers, psychotherapy, electroconvulsive therapy, deep-brain stimulation, or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, may be part of the long-term management plan for bipolar disorder and are usually prescribed and monitored by a physician or psychiatrist.