A middle-aged parent goes to the emergency room for symptoms of dizziness,
headache, and suicidal ideation. The nurse assesses the patient for substance use,
employment, child-rearing stressors, relationships with coworkers, recurring physical
symptoms, and marital problems. The nurse is:
1. Failing to focus on the seriousness of the primary presenting problem.
2. Establishing rapport that will decrease the likelihood of suicide.
3. Doing more than the nurse’s share of the interdisciplinary assessment.
4. Formulating a holistic”interactional assessment needed to interpret clinical data.
Answer:
A 70-year-old client is being evaluated for dementia. Assessment indicates the client is
able to recall childhood memories and some recent events, has poor self-care skills, and
cries much of the day. What is the appropriate diagnosis?
1. Depression
2. Dementia
3. Delirium
4. Grief reaction
Answer:
A client previously treated for insomnia with flurazepam (Dalmane) is being switched
to eszopiclone (Lunesta). How would the nurse explain the benefits of the newer
nonbenzodiazepines as compared to the benzodiazepines for the treatment of insomnia?
1. Benzodiazepines do not induce sleep.
2. Nonbenzodiazepines lead to more withdrawal.
3. Nonbenzodiazepines trigger a rebound effect.
4. Nonbenzodiazepines do not produce as much hangover effect.
Answer:
The client is taking a medication to help cope with EPSEs but can not remember the
name of the medication. The nurse would give the client information about which of the
following medications that the client is receiving?
1. Risperidone (Risperdal)
2. Duloxetine (Cymbalta)
3. Loxapine (Loxitane)
4. Benztropine (Cogentin)
Answer:
The nurse would expect a client who is exhibiting the vegetative signs of depression to
have:
1. Constipation and insomnia.
2. Helplessness.
3. Hopelessness.
4. Suicidal ideation and a plan.
Answer:
Which of the following would indicate to the nurse that fluoxetine (Prozac) is effective
for the client with major depressive disorder?
1. The client remained up all night discussing negative life situations with the nursing
staff.
2. The client ate 100% of breakfast and lunch and ate 25% of the evening meal the past
two days.
3. The client remained in the room reading and watching listening to music 90% of the
day.
4. The client slept 60% of the night while remaining in bed from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.
Answer:
Massage with aromatherapy is useful for persons diagnosed with:
1. Alzheimer’s disease.
2. Mania.
3. Acute psychosis.
4. Dementia.
Answer:
The nurse is writing a care plan for a client with schizophrenia. Which of the following
interventions demonstrates that the nurse is working from the Medical model?
1. The nurse will ask the client to identify responsible ways to manage delusional
material.
2. The client will learn about the therapeutic effects of medications.
3. The nurse will teach the client appropriate social behaviors in group and one-on-one
interactions.
4. The client will learn techniques that will interrupt hallucinations.
Answer:
When collecting family interactional data, the nurse knows to ask:
1. “How do the actions of your family worsen your symptoms of schizophrenia?”
2. “Since you have been in the hospital, who is taking care of your children?”
3. “How often do you shop for nutritional items for your family?”
4. “What do you buy when you shop at the local market?”
Answer:
A client, divorced for one year, has recently had crisis counseling. The client has begun
to take classes at the community college and has enrolled the children in day care.
These new actions could be referred to as:
1. A response to stress.
2. A situational crisis.
3. A turning point in life.
4. A maturational crisis.
Answer:
The nurse finds that the client with a somatoform disorder has physical symptoms, but
there is no evidence of physiologic disease. The client may have decreased amounts of
serotonin and endorphins, causing the client to experience an increased sensitivity to
pain. This explanation of the client’s symptoms is based in:
1. Communication theory.
2. Humanistic theory.
3. Biologic theory.
4. Genetic theory.
Answer:
The nurse is presenting an in-service on dissociative disorder. The nurse knows that
which of the following is most often used to explain the occurrence of dissociative
disorder in psychiatric clients?
1. Psychosocial theories
2. Biological theories
3. Genetic theories
4. Physical theories
Answer:
An 83-year-old male client, who was recently admitted for a dementia workup, has
been striking out at nursing staff. His wife, who is terribly upset by his recent behavior,
states, “I just don”t understand what has gotten into him, he used to be so kind and
gentle.” The nurse’s best response for explaining the etiology of violent behavior is
which of the following?
1. The disease process associated with dementia causes a person to become violent.
2. Scientists have linked violent behavior to the genetic mutation of a specific Y
chromosome.
3. The renowned psychoanalyst Freud says that it is instinctive for humans to express
depression in aggressive ways.
4. There is no simple explanation for aggressive behavior, but research suggests it is
caused by a combination of biologic and psychosocial factors.
Answer:
A 24-year-old client with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) tells the nurse that he plans
to have a surgical procedure that will affect his appearance. The nurse understands that
this plan is an effort to:
1. Suppress intrusive thoughts.
2. Deal with multiple physical complaints.
3. Treat associated depression.
4. Cure the imagined defect.
Answer:
Which statement indicates the psychiatric”mental health nurse understands the basic
principles of symbolic interactionism in working with clients?
1. “Clients with mental disorders are unlikely to understand the personal meaning of
their experiences.”
2. “I try to avoid interventions that ignore the personal meaning of experiences to my
clients.”
3. “Clients with altered brain chemistry need frequent reassurance that they should not
worry about their condition.”
4. “After my first year of working in mental health, I was able to develop standardized
interventions for clients with the same diagnoses.”
Answer:
Which of the following statements would not be accurate regarding the dopamine
hypothesis?
1. Typical antipsychotic medications cause fewer extrapyramidal side effects than
traditional antipsychotic medications.
2. Atypical antipsychotic medications block serotonin and dopamine.
3. Numerous types of dopamine receptors have been found to exist in varied regions of
the brain.
4. Positive symptoms of schizophrenia respond more readily to traditional antipsychotic
medications than the newer atypical medications.
Answer:
The client reports difficulty remembering at home whether the client took the
medication or just thought about taking the medication. Which of the following
strategies would be most helpful for the nurse to suggest?
1. Obtaining and using a pill box
2. Wearing a rubber band to remember
3. Repeating the need to take the medications routinely
4. Putting the pill container near the breakfast table
Answer:
Which of the following statements would be most important for staff to consider when
planning delirium management for a client?
1. Provide education for family members as needed
2. Decrease all stimulation in the client’s room
3. Ask the family to involve the client in all conversations and interactions
4. Sensory deprivation and overstimulation can worsen symptoms
Answer:
Which of the following groups is more accepting of the way they look which may serve
as a protective factor against the development of eating disorders?
1. Asian Americans
2. Homosexual males
3. Latino women
4. African American women
Answer:
A client is admitted to the hospital after being found in a car on the side of a bridge with
complaints of having a heart attack. Following extensive tests, it was found the client
did not have a heart attack. The client most likely was having:
1. PTSD.
2. Transitory cardiac symptoms.
3. A panic attack.
4. Suicidal feelings.
Answer:
Which of the following statements best reflects the nurse’s comprehensive
understanding of medical”psychobiologic theories?
1. Psychobiologic explanations of mental disorders do little to decrease the stigma
associated with mental illness.
2. Individuals suffering from emotional disturbances have complex personalities that
require changes in their motivation and willingness to comply with treatment.
3. Mental disorders rarely respond to physical or somatic treatments.
4. Mental disorders have characteristic structural, biochemical, and mental symptoms
that can be diagnosed, run a characteristic course, and have a particular prognosis for
recovery.
Answer:
Prior to intervening with an adolescent projecting anger on the nurse, the nurse should:
1. Encourage the adolescent to engage in reflection.
2. Engage in introspection to examine how he/she reacts to others when they are angry.
3. Organize the rapid response team due to the aggressive action.
4. Enlist an adolescent peer to intervene with the adolescent.
Answer:
The major difference between bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder is that in
bipolar disorder there is:
1. Suicidal ideation.
2. Only one week of symptoms.
3. A mania component.
4. No history of depressive feelings.
Answer: