Assessment of impulsivity among psychiatric inpatients

• Published in: Journal of psychosocial nursing and mental health services Vol. 40; no. 6; pp. 30 - 35
• Main Author: FISH, Karen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Thorofare, NJ Slack 01.06.2002; SLACK INCORPORATED
• Subjects: Adaptation, Psychological; Behavior; Biological and medical sciences; Borderline personality disorder; Coping; Disruptive, Impulse Control, and Conduct Disorders - complications; Disruptive, Impulse Control, and Conduct Disorders - diagnosis; Disruptive, Impulse Control, and Conduct Disorders - epidemiology; Humans; Impulsivity; Medical sciences; Mental disorders; Mental Disorders - complications; Mental health; Nurses; Organization of mental health. Health systems; Patients; Planning; Psychiatric-mental health nursing; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Social psychiatry. Ethnopsychiatry; Suicides & suicide attempts; United States; North America; America; Human; Psychiatric hospital; Evaluation; Impulsivity; Violence; Mental health; Health service; Suicide; Psychiatric nurse; Risk factor; Strategy; Coping; Self destruction; Occupational role; Social behavior disorder; Public health
• ISSN: 0279-3695; 1938-2413
• DOI: 10.3928/0279-3695-20020601-10

Routine assessment of impulsivity and accompanying coping skills is essential for planning care and appropriate management of patients identified as impulsive. Impulsivity can be defined in many ways, and many perspectives exist. Impulsivity is associated with several adult psychiatric disorders. In an inpatient psychiatric setting, nurses are more likely than members of other disciplines to encounter impulsive behavior due to the amount of time spent in direct patient care. As the primary caregivers in hospitals, nurses are responsible for the management of impulsive individuals. It is critical for treatment plans to incorporate interventions specifically targeting impulsivity.