PSYCHIATRIC-MENTAL HEALTH NURSING
10TH EDITION
• AUTHOR(S)SHEILA L. VIDEBECK
TEST BANK
UNIT 1 — CURRENT THEORIES & PRACTICE
1)
Reference: Ch. 1 — Introduction — Mental Health vs. Mental
Illness
Stem: A 24-year-old college student presents to the campus
health clinic complaining of persistent low mood for six weeks,
difficulty sleeping, and dropping grades. Mental status exam
shows reduced eye contact, slowed speech, and poor
concentration. As the psychiatric-mental health nurse
performing the first assessment, what is the best nursing
action?
A. Diagnose major depressive disorder and arrange immediate
,psychiatric hospitalization.
B. Conduct a focused biopsychosocial assessment including risk,
functional impairment, and stressors.
C. Reassure the student that this is normal stress and advise
more sleep and exercise.
D. Prescribe an antidepressant and schedule a follow-up in two
months.
Correct answer: B
Rationale — Correct (B): A focused biopsychosocial assessment
is the appropriate initial nursing action to differentiate between
transient stress and a treatable mental disorder, evaluate safety
(risk of self-harm), functional impairment, and identify supports
and stressors. This approach aligns with Videbeck’s emphasis on
comprehensive nursing assessment as the foundation for
planning care.
Rationale — Incorrect (A): Making a formal diagnosis and
hospitalizing immediately is premature without assessment of
severity, safety, and functioning. Diagnosis is a collaborative
clinical decision.
Rationale — Incorrect (C): Minimizing symptoms as “normal
stress” may miss a treatable condition and undermines
therapeutic trust.
Rationale — Incorrect (D): Nurses do not independently
prescribe; initiating medication without collaborative evaluation
and medical authorization is outside scope.
,Teaching point: Begin with a systematic biopsychosocial and
safety assessment before diagnostic or treatment decisions.
Citation: Videbeck, S. L. (2025). Psychiatric–Mental Health
Nursing (10th ed.). Ch. 1.
2)
Reference: Ch. 1 — Mental Health and Mental Illness —
Diagnostic Considerations
Stem: A nurse in community mental health sees a 45-year-old
immigrant whose presentation includes somatic complaints and
sleep disturbance. Family describes symptoms using culturally
specific idioms. The nurse suspects an affective disorder but is
uncertain. Which nursing action best supports accurate,
culturally sensitive diagnostic formulation?
A. Use the DSM criteria strictly and document only the checklist
items that fit.
B. Ask the patient to explain the meaning of symptoms in their
cultural terms and include cultural formulation.
C. Assume somatic complaints indicate a medical rather than
psychiatric problem and refer only for medical tests.
D. Ignore cultural expressions and focus on standardized
screening scores alone.
Correct answer: B
Rationale — Correct (B): Eliciting the patient’s explanatory
model and including cultural formulation ensures culturally
, sensitive assessment and improves diagnostic accuracy,
consistent with Videbeck’s guidance on cultural factors in
mental health.
Rationale — Incorrect (A): Rigidly applying DSM criteria
without cultural context risks misdiagnosis and overlooks
culturally bound symptom expression.
Rationale — Incorrect (C): While medical causes should be
considered, assuming a purely medical etiology without
psychiatric exploration may delay needed mental health care.
Rationale — Incorrect (D): Relying solely on standardized scores
without cultural interpretation can miss meaningful information
and reduce validity.
Teaching point: Integrate the patient’s cultural explanation of
illness into diagnostic and treatment planning.
Citation: Videbeck, S. L. (2025). Psychiatric–Mental Health
Nursing (10th ed.). Ch. 1.
3)
Reference: Ch. 1 — Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders — Use in Nursing Practice
Stem: During interdisciplinary team rounds, a family asks why
the clinician used DSM-5 diagnoses instead of describing their
loved one’s behavior. How should the psychiatric-mental health
nurse respond to best educate and support the family?
A. Explain that DSM terms are labels that help clinicians
organize symptoms and guide treatment, while emphasizing the
10TH EDITION
• AUTHOR(S)SHEILA L. VIDEBECK
TEST BANK
UNIT 1 — CURRENT THEORIES & PRACTICE
1)
Reference: Ch. 1 — Introduction — Mental Health vs. Mental
Illness
Stem: A 24-year-old college student presents to the campus
health clinic complaining of persistent low mood for six weeks,
difficulty sleeping, and dropping grades. Mental status exam
shows reduced eye contact, slowed speech, and poor
concentration. As the psychiatric-mental health nurse
performing the first assessment, what is the best nursing
action?
A. Diagnose major depressive disorder and arrange immediate
,psychiatric hospitalization.
B. Conduct a focused biopsychosocial assessment including risk,
functional impairment, and stressors.
C. Reassure the student that this is normal stress and advise
more sleep and exercise.
D. Prescribe an antidepressant and schedule a follow-up in two
months.
Correct answer: B
Rationale — Correct (B): A focused biopsychosocial assessment
is the appropriate initial nursing action to differentiate between
transient stress and a treatable mental disorder, evaluate safety
(risk of self-harm), functional impairment, and identify supports
and stressors. This approach aligns with Videbeck’s emphasis on
comprehensive nursing assessment as the foundation for
planning care.
Rationale — Incorrect (A): Making a formal diagnosis and
hospitalizing immediately is premature without assessment of
severity, safety, and functioning. Diagnosis is a collaborative
clinical decision.
Rationale — Incorrect (C): Minimizing symptoms as “normal
stress” may miss a treatable condition and undermines
therapeutic trust.
Rationale — Incorrect (D): Nurses do not independently
prescribe; initiating medication without collaborative evaluation
and medical authorization is outside scope.
,Teaching point: Begin with a systematic biopsychosocial and
safety assessment before diagnostic or treatment decisions.
Citation: Videbeck, S. L. (2025). Psychiatric–Mental Health
Nursing (10th ed.). Ch. 1.
2)
Reference: Ch. 1 — Mental Health and Mental Illness —
Diagnostic Considerations
Stem: A nurse in community mental health sees a 45-year-old
immigrant whose presentation includes somatic complaints and
sleep disturbance. Family describes symptoms using culturally
specific idioms. The nurse suspects an affective disorder but is
uncertain. Which nursing action best supports accurate,
culturally sensitive diagnostic formulation?
A. Use the DSM criteria strictly and document only the checklist
items that fit.
B. Ask the patient to explain the meaning of symptoms in their
cultural terms and include cultural formulation.
C. Assume somatic complaints indicate a medical rather than
psychiatric problem and refer only for medical tests.
D. Ignore cultural expressions and focus on standardized
screening scores alone.
Correct answer: B
Rationale — Correct (B): Eliciting the patient’s explanatory
model and including cultural formulation ensures culturally
, sensitive assessment and improves diagnostic accuracy,
consistent with Videbeck’s guidance on cultural factors in
mental health.
Rationale — Incorrect (A): Rigidly applying DSM criteria
without cultural context risks misdiagnosis and overlooks
culturally bound symptom expression.
Rationale — Incorrect (C): While medical causes should be
considered, assuming a purely medical etiology without
psychiatric exploration may delay needed mental health care.
Rationale — Incorrect (D): Relying solely on standardized scores
without cultural interpretation can miss meaningful information
and reduce validity.
Teaching point: Integrate the patient’s cultural explanation of
illness into diagnostic and treatment planning.
Citation: Videbeck, S. L. (2025). Psychiatric–Mental Health
Nursing (10th ed.). Ch. 1.
3)
Reference: Ch. 1 — Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders — Use in Nursing Practice
Stem: During interdisciplinary team rounds, a family asks why
the clinician used DSM-5 diagnoses instead of describing their
loved one’s behavior. How should the psychiatric-mental health
nurse respond to best educate and support the family?
A. Explain that DSM terms are labels that help clinicians
organize symptoms and guide treatment, while emphasizing the
