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Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing Sample Questions

1. To evaluate whether patient teaching for coping skills has been effective, the psychiatric and mental
health nurse asks an adolescent patient to:

consider the outcomes objectively.

keep a written journal.

perform a return demonstration.

set measurable goals.

2. A patient who was admitted yesterday with an adjustment disorder and depressed mood has not left
his or her room. The psychiatric and mental health nurse's most appropriate approach at meal time today
is to respond:

“I will bring your tray to your room, if it will make you more comfortable.”

“I will walk with you to the dining room and sit with you while you eat.”

“Where would you like to eat your meal this noon?”

“You will feel better if you go to the dining room and eat with the others.”

3. A 17-year-old, female patient with anorexia nervosa has just been released from the hospital. To
facilitate recovery at home, the psychiatric and mental health nurse instructs the family to:

discourage the patient from sneaking food between meals, by unobtrusively reducing her access to
the kitchen.

encourage the patient's interest in menu planning, food magazines, and cooking lessons, by leaving
information and materials around the house.

inform the patient that she is expected to join in routine family meals and clear the dishes after
dinner, even if she does not eat.

permit the patient to eat her meals privately in her bedroom to discourage family preoccupation with
meals.

4. A patient is admitted to the inpatient unit with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. The patient has had
episodes of school absenteeism, withdrawal from friends, and bizarre behavior, including talking to his or
her "keeper." The psychiatric and mental health nurse's most appropriate response is to:

acknowledge that the patient's perceptions seem real to him or her, and refocus the patient's
attention on a task or activity.
encourage the patient to express his or her thoughts, to determine the meaning they have for the
patient.

ignore the patient's bizarre behavior, because it will diminish after he or she has been given the
correct medication.

inform the patient that his or her perceptions of reality have become distorted because of the illness.

5. Nursing staff members at a community mental health center are formulating an outpatient treatment
plan with a 30-year-old patient with schizophrenia. A major consideration is that:

the patient will likely need weekly supportive treatment for life.

the patient will require a referral for vocational rehabilitation services.

the patient's contact with the center will diminish as he or she becomes stable, but the patient will
continue to need support.

the patient's contact with the center will gradually decrease until his or her therapy can be terminated.

6. A supervisor observes inconsistency in the psychiatric and mental health nurse's behavior toward a
patient; the nurse is unreasonably concerned, overly kind, or irrationally hostile. The most appropriate
explanation is that the nurse is displaying:

countertransference.

empathic resonance.

negative transference.

splitting behavior.

7. During an initial patient interview, the psychiatric and mental health nurse begins by asking the patient
to describe his or her:

current situation.

feelings about the current situation.

personal history.

thoughts about the current situation.

8. In which circumstance is a breach of patient confidentiality appropriate?

A supervisor inquires about the patient.

The family inquires about the patient without his or her knowledge.
The patient appears sincere in threatening to harm another person.

The patient has participated in illegal activity.

9. A short-term goal for a patient with Alzheimer's disease is:

improved problem solving in activities of daily living.

increased self-esteem and improved self-concept.

optimum functioning in the least restrictive environment.

regained sensory perception and cognitive function.

10. A 23-year-old patient with borderline personality disorder reports a frequent desire to cut him- or
herself and insists that only a specific psychiatric and mental health nurse can help the patient. The
nursing care plan for the patient includes:

allowing the patient to choose the nurse assigned to him or her.

decreasing the patient's stimuli.

holding frequent, interdisciplinary staff meetings to provide consistent care.

providing one-to-one suicide precautions.

11. Older adults have reached Erikson's developmental stage of ego integrity, when they:

acknowledge that one cannot get everything one wants in life.

assess their lives and identify actions that had value and purpose.

express a wish that life could be relived differently.

feel that they are being punished for things they did not do.

12. A patient states that unit staff members have been avoiding him or her since an attempt to self-
mutilate. The psychiatric and mental health nurse's most appropriate response is to:

apologize for the staff's behavior.

explain that feelings of rejection are typical after self-mutilation.

listen, redirect the patient to his or her feelings, and explore the issue with the staff.

report the matter to the nurse manager.


13. When planning inpatient psychotherapeutic activities for a patient who has antisocial personality
disorder, the psychiatric and mental health nurse:

focuses on group, rather than individual, therapy.

provides a permissive atmosphere, so the patient feels a sense of control.

provides an organized, structured environment.

recognizes that the disorder is characterized by social withdrawal.

14. According to family systems theory, removing the "identified patient" from the environment most likely
causes the:

patient to decompensate, due to the loss of his or her support system.

patient to significantly improve, often with minimal or no additional therapy.

remaining family members to decompensate, as evidenced by new, dysfunctional behavior.

remaining family members to lose motivation and withdraw from therapy.

15. A patient who is admitted to the psychiatric unit with a diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder
spends a significant amount of time during the day and night washing his or her hands. On the third
hospital day, the patient reports feeling better and more comfortable with the staff and other patients. The
psychiatric and mental health nurse knows that the most appropriate nursing intervention is to:

acknowledge the ritualistic behavior each time and point out that it is inappropriate.

allow the patient to carry out the ritualistic behavior, since it is helping him or her.

collaborate with the patient to reduce the amount of time he or she engages in ritualistic behavior.

ignore the ritualistic behaviors, and the behaviors will be eliminated due to lack of reinforcement.

16. Which factors are associated with the development of post-traumatic stress disorder?

Anxiety and low self-esteem.

Distorted and negative cognitive functioning.

Excess serotonin and norepinephrine levels.

Severity of the stressor and availability of support systems.

17. A selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor targets which part of the brain?
Basal ganglia.

Frontal cortex.

Hippocampus.

Putamen.

18. To obtain an accurate medication list and assess a new patient's understanding of medications, the
psychiatric and mental health nurse:

asks about the patient's current medications, herbs, home remedies, and over-the-counter drugs.

asks the patient to provide medical records of the medications taken in the past.

instructs the patient to list medications and describe how the medications are taken.

relies upon the medical record, rather than asking the patient.

19. The psychiatric and mental health nurse knows that the patient's spouse clearly understands the side
effects of lithium carbonate (Eskalith), when he or she says:

“I should call the doctor if my spouse shakes badly.”

“I should make sure my spouse drinks as much water as she or he can.”

“My spouse must remain on a salt-free diet.”

“When the lithium level is 1.6 mEq/L, my spouse can go back to work.”

20. A school-aged patient with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is displaying disruptive behaviors at
home. The psychiatric and mental health nurse modifies the treatment plan for the social domain, by
advising the patient's parents to:

establish eye contact before giving directions.

initiate a point system, to reward the patient for appropriate behavior.

instruct the patient to work on one homework assignment at a time.

maintain a predictable environment in the home.

21. After taking an antidepressant for about a week, a patient reports constipation and blurred vision, with
no improvement in mood. The psychiatric and mental health nurse informs the patient:

“It takes approximately two to four weeks for depression to lessen, and side effects usually diminish
over time.”

“Stop the medication immediately and contact your primary care physician.”
“You should contact your doctor. The doctor may need to change your medication.”

“You should schedule an appointment with your ophthalmologist.”

22. A patient is being discharged after spending six days in the hospital, due to depression with suicidal
ideation. The psychiatric and mental health nurse knows that an important outcome has been met when
the patient states:

“I can't wait to get home and forget that this ever happened.”

“I feel so much better. If I continue to feel this way, I can probably stop taking my medications soon.”

“I have a list of support groups and a crisis line that I can call, if I feel suicidal.”

“I have to leave here soon, if I want to make it to the shelter before they run out of beds.”

23. When developing a lecture series for nursing home residents, the psychiatric and mental health nurse
considers which factor to be the primary barrier to learning?

Decreased bodily functions.

Information processing impairments.

Lack of interest.

Lack of patience.

24. When screening families for post-traumatic stress disorder following a major natural disaster,
psychiatric and mental health nurses are practicing which type of disease prevention?

Primary.

Secondary.

Tertiary.

Universal.

25. When a research study is based on a small sample size, the findings may:

be statistically significant, but will be less generalizable than if the sample size had been larger.

be statistically significant, but will not be clinically significant.

not be statistically significant, because the research design was quasi-experimental, instead of
experimental.

not be statistically significant, because the research was poorly conducted.


Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing Sample Questions

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You have made the following errors


Question 1
The right answer was perform a return demonstration.

Question 2
The right answer was “I will walk with you to the dining room and sit with you while you eat.”

Question 3
The right answer was inform the patient that she is expected to join in routine family meals and clear the
dishes after dinner, even if she does not eat.

Question 4
The right answer was acknowledge that the patient's perceptions seem real to him or her, and refocus the
patient's attention on a task or activity.

Question 5
The right answer was the patient's contact with the center will diminish as he or she becomes stable, but
the patient will continue to need support.

Question 6
The right answer was countertransference.

Question 7
The right answer was current situation.

Question 8
The right answer was The patient appears sincere in threatening to harm another person.

Question 9
The right answer was optimum functioning in the least restrictive environment.

Question 10
The right answer was holding frequent, interdisciplinary staff meetings to provide consistent care.

Question 11
The right answer was assess their lives and identify actions that had value and purpose.

Question 12
The right answer was listen, redirect the patient to his or her feelings, and explore the issue with the staff.

Question 13
The right answer was provides an organized, structured environment.
Question 14
The right answer was remaining family members to decompensate, as evidenced by new, dysfunctional
behavior.

Question 15
The right answer was collaborate with the patient to reduce the amount of time he or she engages in
ritualistic behavior.

Question 16
The right answer was Severity of the stressor and availability of support systems.

Question 17
The right answer was Frontal cortex.

Question 18
The right answer was asks about the patient's current medications, herbs, home remedies, and over-the-
counter drugs.

Question 19
The right answer was “I should call the doctor if my spouse shakes badly.”

Question 20
The right answer was initiate a point system, to reward the patient for appropriate behavior.

Question 21
The right answer was “It takes approximately two to four weeks for depression to lessen, and side effects
usually diminish over time.”

Question 22
The right answer was “I have a list of support groups and a crisis line that I can call, if I feel suicidal.”

Question 23
The right answer was Information processing impairments.

Question 24
The right answer was Secondary.

Question 25
The right answer was be statistically significant, but will be less generalizable than if the sample size had
been larger.

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