Hypnotic drugs are used to treat:

Appeared in: OSSSC Nursing Officer-2021

Explanation

Hypnotic drugs, also called sedative-hypnotics, are a class of drugs that depress the central nervous system (CNS).
Their primary function is to induce sedation and sleep.
They are prescribed for various sleep disorders, most commonly for the short-term treatment of insomnia.
Examples include benzodiazepines (like diazepam) and non-benzodiazepine 'Z-drugs' (like zolpidem).

Option A: Psychosis is a severe mental disorder involving a disconnect from reality. It is managed with antipsychotic medications, which work primarily on dopamine and serotonin pathways, not hypnotic drugs.
Option C: Narcolepsy is a condition of excessive and uncontrollable daytime sleepiness. A hypnotic drug, which causes sedation, would dangerously worsen this primary symptom.
Option D: Parkinsonian disorders are movement disorders caused by a deficiency of dopamine. Treatment aims to increase dopamine levels in the brain.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Pharmacological use of hypnotic drugs as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
A key nursing responsibility is patient education on sleep hygiene as a first-line, non-pharmacological approach to insomnia.
Nurses must monitor patients on hypnotics for adverse effects such as daytime drowsiness, dizziness, impaired coordination, and signs of dependence or tolerance.
It is crucial to assess the patient's sleep patterns before and during therapy to evaluate the drug's effectiveness and the need for continued use.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the core term in the question: 'Hypnotic drugs'.
Recall the definition of a hypnotic drug. The root 'hypno-' relates to sleep.
Evaluate each option based on this definition.
Option A (Psychosis) is treated with antipsychotics.
Option B (Sleep disorders) directly relates to the function of inducing sleep.
Option C (Narcolepsy) is a disorder of too much sleepiness, so a sleep-inducing drug would be contraindicated.

Concept Tested & Keywords

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E6 Pharmacology Nurses Shanbhag 3e p. 135-137

E6 Kaplan Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry-2022 (pp 1-3768 of 3768) p. 1622-1624

E6 Pharmacology Nursing Lilley 11e Part 1 p. 280-282

Practise the full OSSSC Nursing Officer-2021

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.