In preparing for the treatment of a client only on carbamazepine (Tegretol), the nurse
plans for which of the following?
1. A client with auditory hallucinations
2. A client with mood instability or convulsions
3. A client with memory deficits
4. A client with alcohol withdrawal or delusions
Answer:
A client describes being depressed, out of control, and unable to make decisions. Upon
assessment, the nurse determines that the client has recently experienced a fire at home
in which many important files as well as family mementos were destroyed. Many things
that were not totally burned were water damaged. The nurse knows that identifying the
origin of the crisis:
1. Motivates the client and family to take significant action in relationships.
2. Promotes an increased opportunity for interventions to be effective.
3. Decreases communication with significant others.
4. Assists with identifying the level of grief.
Answer:
The staff are discussing the competency of a client who was recently involuntary
admitted to the unit. Which of the following statements about competency is
inaccurate?
1. Competency is affected by client compliance with treatment.
2. Competency is a medical determination made by the client’s physician.
3. A guardian is appointed to make decisions on the person’s behalf when the client is
determined to be incompetent.
4. A competent client means the client can make reasonable judgments and decisions.
Answer:
An adolescent client is being verbally abusive toward staff and is refusing to comply
with the unit’s rules. The first action is to:
1. Separate the client from other clients.
2. Administer a PRN medication.
3. Tell the client the behavior is unacceptable.
4. Ignore the client as the behavior is part of the illness.
Answer:
When in the course of treatment with an antipsychotic medication would the nurse be
most likely to assess tardive dyskinesia?
1. Within 72 hours of initiation
2. After long-term use
3. Within 48 hours of initiation
4. After three or more weeks of treatment
Answer:
Which of the following statements is true regarding financial roadblocks to mental
health care services for people over the age of 65?
1. Medicare covers inpatient but not community mental health services.
2. Medicare Part D provides simple options for prescription coverage.
3. Medicare provides little coverage for long-term care services.
4. Medicare offers low copayments for most psychotropic medications.
Answer:
When discussing indicators of emotionally disturbed children or children with
disruptive behavior disorders with a group of student nurses, the psychiatric nurse states
that one of the best indicators of emotionally disturbed children is that they have
difficulty:
1. Seeking out peers.
2. Digesting a balanced diet.
3. Interpreting internal stimuli or external cues.
4. Following rules and norms of behavior.
Answer:
The nurse is assessing a depressed child who was referred by the elementary school
nurse. What is the best approach to use when assessing the child’s socialization?
1. “Tell me about the friends you enjoy being with.”
2. “So you spend a lot of time with your friends?”
3. “You seem like a person who would have a lot of friends.”
4. “How many friends do you have at school?”
Answer:
A nurse observes an acutely psychotic client scratching at his arms with his fingernails
until his arms bleed. When asked what is happening, the client states he is trying to let
the evil spirits out of his body. He is easily redirected by the nurse, but resumes
scratching when the nurse leaves his side. The nurse orders 1:1 supervision of the client
to keep him from harming himself. Which principle of bioethics was applied in this
situation?
1. Justice
2. Fidelity
3. Beneficence
4. Veracity
Answer:
The nurse is working with a male client undergoing psychiatric rehabilitation. Which of
the following actions by the client exhibits reaching a goal of rehabilitation?
1. Eating only one meal per day and drinking many energy drinks
2. Refusing to take prescribed medications
3. Doing his own laundry
4. Having his mother go grocery shopping for him
Answer:
To complete a cognitive assessment during a sexual history, the nurse would ask:
1. “How has your religion influenced your sexual values and behaviors?”
2. “What are the negative aspects of your own sexual functioning?”
3. “What are your partner’s concerns about current or future sexual functioning?”
4. “What concerns do you have about your future sexual functioning?”
Answer:
A recent study about suicide risk based on the cultural worldview of African-American
and European-Americans shows that:
1. Resilience gives individuals more reasons to live.
2. Difficulty communicating and the ability to integrate new and old information is the
reason for suicidal behavior.
3. Constriction of thought, a dyadic event, and/or increased communication skills give
individuals more reasons to live.
4. High parental conflict is the reason for suicidal behavior.
Answer:
A client is experiencing delusions and appears to be frightened. Which of the following
actions are appropriate nursing interventions?
Standard Text: Select all that apply.
1. Validate the client’s feelings in response to altered perceptions.
2. Inform the client that their delusions and hallucinations are just bad dreams.
3. Assure the client that the nurse does not experience delusions or hallucinations.
4. Provide reality testing.
5. Keep the client physically safe.
Answer:
To intervene effectively with clients with somatoform disorders, it is essential that the
nurse:
1. Help the client express a decreased degree of comfort regarding physical symptoms.
2. Encourage the client’s expression of feelings symbolically through physical
symptoms.
3. Address client anxiety at a later time.
4. Recognize and understand the client’s self-perception as demonstrating an inability to
cope.
Answer:
Self-awareness is an important aspect of nursing practice in any specialty. Which of the
following questions would the nurse ask to build self-awareness when working with
child psychiatric clients?
Standard Text: Select all that apply.
1. “What don”t I like about this child?”
2. “How can I use this opportunity to learn more about myself?”
3. “What am I learning about myself as I work with this child?”
4. “How do I avoid working with the parents?”
Answer:
While reviewing therapeutic communication techniques, a nursing student made a list
of “things not to do or say to a client.” Which of the following comments should be on
the student’s list?
1. “How do you feel about being discharged today?”
2. “What happened when you quit taking your medications?”
3. “What are your concerns about your living situation?”
4. “Why do you think you will never get well?”
Answer:
The nurse has been working with a depressed client for several months. Which of the
following signs would indicate that an ineffective working relationship has evolved
between the client and the nurse?
1. The client’s sense of relaxation and confidence with the nurse
2. The nurse’s and client’s sense of commitment to addressing the client’s problems
3. The nurse’s sense of the client’s severe dysfunction that cannot result in client growth
4. The nurse’s sense of making contact with the client
Answer:
The nurse is caring for a client who repeatedly talks about the role of spirituality in
curing depression. Which approach best demonstrates the nurse’s acceptance of the
client?
1. Listen to the client in a supportive manner.
2. Share opinions regarding the role of spirituality in daily life.
3. Encourage the client to consider other curative factors.
4. Ignore the client’s focus on spirituality.
Answer:
Which of the following best describes the information the nurse will use to construct a
nursing care plan?
1. A mental status examination
2. An intake assessment and reason for admission
3. A psychiatric history and mental status examination
4. A detailed psychiatric history
Answer:
A 40-year-old client was brought to the emergency room after a motor vehicle accident.
The client had been drinking alcohol and the client’s blood alcohol level was 0.12 g/dl.
The client reports a family history of alcoholism and tells the nurse, “It is hopeless; I
am a drunk just like the rest of my family.” The nurse knows that the client’s risk for
alcohol abuse:
1. Will determine the client’s response to treatment.
2. Can be modified through abstinence and behavior change.
3. Is high based on the client’s age.
4. Is low based on the client’s alcohol level.
Answer: