A Psychiatric Nurse Is Teaching a Patient About an Antidepressant

Multiple Choice

A psychiatric nurse is teaching a patient about an antidepressant medication. The nurse tells the patient that therapeutic effects may not occur for several weeks. The nurse understands that this is likely the result of:

A) changes in the brain as a result of prolonged drug exposure.
B) direct actions of the drug on specific synaptic functions in the brain.
C) slowed drug absorption across the blood-brain barrier.
D) tolerance to exposure to the drug over time.