Nursing a Patient with Paranoid Schizophrenia - Assignment Example

Patients with paranoid schizophrenia are highly suspicious of their environment, always being on the lookout for lurking dangers where none really exist. In order to make the patient in question drink the required volume of water every day, the caretaker must come up with strategies that take into account the fragile and unpredictable state of mind of the patient. If the patient suspects that the water given to him is poisoned, it would be a good idea to take a sip of water before the patient’s eyes, so that he is reassured of its palatability.

Since water is an essential intake for the patient, the caretaker might have to repeat this exercise several times over the course of a day. While it might be cumbersome and annoying at first, there are good chances that the patient grows less suspicious of the water as days go by. In that scenario, the hard work put in by the caretaker in the initial period pays off later. Since the schizophrenic patient cannot make a distinction between what is real and what is imagined, it is probable that he misunderstands and misattributes the actions and intentions of those around him.

The particular case where the patient believes that the nursing staff is conspiring to kill him can be really difficult to handle and can so easily get out of control. The patient may even act upon his beliefs and may act aggressively toward the nursing staff as a way of defending himself.