Exam Review
- How can the mental health nurse best advocate for individuals with mental illness and prevent stigmatization?A)By emphasizing that all people with mental illness can eventually be curedB)By emphasizing the creativity and freedom that accompany a mental illnessC)By tactfully correcting misperceptions about abnormal behavior and mental illnessD)By informing people that most mental illness is actually a manifestation of substance use disorder
- When assessing patients at a mental health clinic, how should their current level of overall functioning be judged?A)A continuum from mentally healthy to mentally unhealthyB)The rate of both their intellectual and emotional growthC)The degree of conformity of the individual to society’s normsD)The degree to which an individual appears logical and rational
- What best explains the importance of epidemiology in understanding the impact of mental disorders?A)Epidemiology predicts when a specific psychiatric client will recover from a specific mental disorderB)Epidemiology provides a thorough theoretical explanation of why specific mental disorders occurC)Epidemiology helps explain research findings about the neurophysiology that causes mental disordersD)Epidemiology is the study of patterns of disease distribution and determinants of health within populations
- A single parent is experiencing feelings of inadequacy related to work and family since one teenaged child ran away several weeks ago. The parent seeks the help of a therapist specializing in cognitive therapy. What intervention will the psychotherapist introduce?A)Discussing ego statesB)Helping the patient identify and change faulty thinkingC)Negatively reinforcing an undesirable behaviorD)Focusing on unconscious mental processes
Exam Review
- A nurse uses Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to plan care for a psychotic patient. Which problem will receive priority?A)Needs to be taught about medication action and side effectsB)Reports feelings of alienation from his family and friendsC)Is reluctant to participate in unit social activitiesD)Is hearing voices telling him to protect himself from others
- A nursing student says, “Little of what takes place on the behavioral health unit seems to be theory-based.” A nurse educates the student by identifying which is a common use of Sullivan’s theory on the inpatient psychiatric unit?A)Structure of the therapeutic milieu of most behavioral health unitsB)Assessment tools based on age-appropriate versus arrested behaviorsC)Frequent use of restraint and seclusion for behavior modificationD)Use of the nursing process to determine the best sequence for nursing actions
- On the basis of current knowledge of neurotransmitter effects, a nurse anticipates that the treatment plan for a patient with memory difficulties may include medications designed to do what?A)Decrease dopamine at receptor sitesB)Inhibit GABA productionC)Prevent destruction of acetylcholineD)Increase dopamine sensitivity
- Which of the following side effects is associated with the blockade of attachment of norepinephrine to alpha-1 receptors?A)Orthostatic hypotensionB)Increased psychotic symptomsC)Severe appetite disturbanceD)Hypertensive crisis
Exam Review
- A patient prescribed a muscarinic-receptor blocker will require assessment for what side effect?A)Dry mouthB)Orthostatic hypotensionC)PseudoparkinsonismD)Gynecomastia
- A patient is taking a first-generation antipsychotic medication. What should the nurse teach about the drug’s strong dopaminergic effect?A)To arise slowly from bedB)To report muscle stiffnessC)To chew sugarless gumD)To increase dietary fiber
- Which neurotransmitter is associated with the hallucinations, delusions, and bizarre behavior seen in schizophrenia?A)SerotoninB)Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)C)DopamineD)Acetylcholine
- Which neurotransmitter has both muscarinic and nicotinic receptor subtypes?A)SerotoninB)AcetylcholineC)DopamineD)Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)
Exam Review
- A patient presents with anxiety, increased heart rate, and fear. The nurse suspects the activation of which neurotransmitter?A)HistamineB)AcetylcholineC)GABAD)Norepinephrine
- How does a psychiatric nurse best implement the ethical principle of autonomy?A)Intervening when a self-mutilating patient attempts to harm selfB)Exploring alternative options with a patient regarding medicationsC)Suggesting that two patients who are fighting be restricted to the unitD)Staying with a patient who is demonstrating a high level of anxiety
- “I’m concerned whether we are behaving ethically by restraining one patient to prevent them from self-mutilating while placing another patient on one-on-one supervision to prevent them from self-mutilating.” Which ethical principle most clearly applies to this situation?A)JusticeB)AutonomyC)FidelityD)Beneficence
- After teaching a class about the rights of persons receiving mental health services, the nurse determines a need for additional discussion when the group wrongly identifies which as a right?A)Freedom from restraints or seclusionB)Refusal of treatment during an emergency situationC)Access to one’s own mental health records upon requestD)An individualized written treatment plan
Exam Review
- Several nurses are concerned that agency policies related to restraint and seclusion are inadequate. Which statement about the relationship of substandard institutional policies and individual nursing practice should guide nursing practice?A)The policies do not absolve an individual nurse of the responsibility to practice according to professional standards of nursing careB)In an institution with substandard policies, the nurse has a responsibility to inform the supervisor and leave the premisesC)Agency policies are the legal standard by which a professional nurse must act and therefore override other standards of careD)Interpretation of policies by the judicial system is rendered on an individual basis and therefore cannot be predicted
- A nurse works with a patient to establish goals/outcomes. The nurse believes that one outcome suggested by the patient is not in the patient’s best interest. What is the nurse’s best action?A)Remain silent and add the suggested outcome to the planB)Formulate a more appropriate outcome without the patient’s inputC)Explore with the patient possible consequences of the outcomeD)Educate the patient that the outcome is not realistic
- Your patient sometimes forgets to eat. In which part of the nursing care plan would the nurse expect to find this statement: “Offer snacks and finger foods frequently”?A)InterventionB)Planning/GoalsC)AssessmentD)Diagnosis
- After assessing the patient and formulating the nursing diagnoses for a plan of care, what is the next action a nurse should take?A)Determine the goals and outcome criteriaB)Design interventions to include in the plan of careC)Implement the nursing plan of careD)Complete the spiritual assessment
Exam Review
- At one point in an assessment interview, a nurse asks, “Does your faith help you in stressful situations?” What assessment topic does this question fall under?A)Coping strategiesB)Religious affiliationC)Educational backgroundD)Culture
- Which of the following speech patterns is an example of tangential thinking?A)Involuntary, excessive continuation or repetition of a single response or ideaB)Has a lack of a logical relationship between thoughts, making the speech vague, diffuse, and unfocusedC)Overproductive speech which rapidly moves from topic to topic with a tenuous logical link between topicsD)Provides a lot of unnecessary detail, never returns to the central point, and never answers the question
- Which principle should guide the nurse in determining when to use silence during a patient interview?A)Patients withdraw if silences are prolongedB)Nurses are responsible for breaking silencesC)Silence can provide meaningful moments for reflectionD)Silence helps patients know that what they said is understood
- A patient with paranoia states, “The state is monitoring us through the listening devices hidden in this room. Be careful what you say.” Which response by the nurse would be most therapeutic?A)“You have lost touch with reality, which is a symptom of your illness.”B)“It sounds like you’re concerned about your privacy.”C)“The government is prohibited from operating in health care facilities.”D)“Let’s talk about something other than the government.”