When a client returns to the clinic after one month on buspirone, which outcome would indicate that the medication is effective?

The effectiveness of buspirone, an anxiolytic medication, is primarily evaluated through improvements in anxiety symptoms. In this context, when a client is taking buspirone, a significant therapeutic outcome would be a reduction in anxiety-related symptoms, which can include physical manifestations such as rapid heartbeats, along with the subjective experience of anxiety itself.

The presence of no rapid heartbeats or anxiety suggests that the medication has successfully managed the physiological and psychological aspects of anxiety. This reflects the medication’s primary role in treating generalized anxiety disorder by easing both the mental and physical symptoms associated with anxiety.

Other options do not directly relate to the specific effects of buspirone on anxiety. While the absence of thought broadcasting, delusions, or paranoid thoughts may indicate an overall improvement in mental health, they more commonly pertain to other conditions like psychosis rather than anxiety. Similarly, reporting no alcohol withdrawal symptoms relates to substance use rather than the primary effects of buspirone. Thus, observing no rapid heartbeats or anxiety directly supports the medication's purpose in alleviating anxiety symptoms and confirms its effectiveness in this client's treatment.