A client is admitted to a psychiatric unit with the diagnosis of catatonic schizophrenia. Which of the clients neurotransmitters should a nurse expect to be elevated?
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A
Serotonin
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B
Dopamine
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C
Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)
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D
Histamine
The best way to answer the question is Dopamine.
A. Serotonin
This reflects a related idea, but it fits best when the idea in “Serotonin” addresses a different mechanism or priority than the one emphasized by the stem The wording does not track the stem’s main cue, so selecting it would shift the nurse away from the most precise interpretation or priority.
B. Dopamine
This aligns with the concept that The nurse should expect that elevated dopamine levels might be an attributing factor to the clients current level of functioning. Dopamine functions include regulation of movements and coordination, emotions, and voluntary decision-making ability. Need: Physiological Integrity Linking neurotransmitter patterns to symptom clusters supports medication teaching and monitoring, including expected therapeutic effects and side-effect vigilance. From a nursing standpoint, this selection guides assessment and interventions toward what is most clinically meaningful in the moment—risk reduction, safety, accurate appraisal, and support for adaptive coping.
C. Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)
This reflects a related idea, but it fits best when the idea in “Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)” addresses a different mechanism or priority than the one emphasized by the stem The wording does not track the stem’s main cue, so selecting it would shift the nurse away from the most precise interpretation or priority.
D. Histamine
This could seem tempting if the idea in “Histamine” addresses a different mechanism or priority than the one emphasized by the stem The wording does not track the stem’s main cue, so selecting it would shift the nurse away from the most precise interpretation or priority.
Conclusion
What separates the best choice from the rest is specificity: the correct option addresses the exact mechanism, stage, or principle described. The other answers relate to nearby ideas, yet they miss the question’s focal point or misapply the concept to the situation.