NU 673
Psychiatric Mental Healthcare I
Latest Midterm Exam Review
(With Solutions)
2026
1
,1. Multiple Choice
A 32-year-old patient with schizophrenia reports auditory hallucinations
commanding self-harm. Which is the most appropriate immediate
nursing action?
A) Administer PRN antipsychotic medication and observe closely
B) Encourage the patient to share their hallucinations openly
C) Place the patient in one-on-one observation and initiate suicide
precautions
D) Provide reassurance that the voices are not real
Answer: C
Rationale: Command hallucinations to self-harm indicate high suicide
risk; immediate safety precautions including close observation are
necessary.
2. True/False
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is effective primarily by altering a
patient’s subconscious impulses.
Answer: False
Rationale: CBT works by identifying and changing maladaptive thought
patterns, not by altering subconscious impulses directly.
3. Short Answer
Name two key neurochemical systems involved in the pathophysiology of
Major Depressive Disorder.
Answer: Serotonin and norepinephrine
Rationale: These neurotransmitters modulate mood and motivation, and
their dysregulation is implicated in depression.
4. Matching
Match each psychiatric disorder with its core characteristic:
2
, a) Bipolar I Disorder
b) Borderline Personality Disorder
c) PTSD
Unstable interpersonal relationships and affective instability
Manic episodes with possible psychosis
Re-experiencing traumatic event with hypervigilance
Answer: a-2, b-1, c-3
Rationale: Bipolar I involves mania; BPD involves emotional instability;
PTSD involves trauma re-experiencing.
5. Fill in the Blank
The medication ________ is a mood stabilizer commonly used to treat
acute mania in Bipolar Disorder.
Answer: lithium
Rationale: Lithium is a first-line mood stabilizer with evidence for efficacy
in mania.
6. Multiple Choice
Which laboratory test must be regularly monitored in a patient receiving
clozapine?
A) Liver function tests
B) White blood cell count (ANC)
C) Renal function panels
D) Serum sodium
Answer: B
Rationale: Clozapine can cause agranulocytosis; ANC must be closely
monitored.
7. True/False
A patient exhibiting flat affect and anhedonia is more likely presenting
3
Psychiatric Mental Healthcare I
Latest Midterm Exam Review
(With Solutions)
2026
1
,1. Multiple Choice
A 32-year-old patient with schizophrenia reports auditory hallucinations
commanding self-harm. Which is the most appropriate immediate
nursing action?
A) Administer PRN antipsychotic medication and observe closely
B) Encourage the patient to share their hallucinations openly
C) Place the patient in one-on-one observation and initiate suicide
precautions
D) Provide reassurance that the voices are not real
Answer: C
Rationale: Command hallucinations to self-harm indicate high suicide
risk; immediate safety precautions including close observation are
necessary.
2. True/False
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is effective primarily by altering a
patient’s subconscious impulses.
Answer: False
Rationale: CBT works by identifying and changing maladaptive thought
patterns, not by altering subconscious impulses directly.
3. Short Answer
Name two key neurochemical systems involved in the pathophysiology of
Major Depressive Disorder.
Answer: Serotonin and norepinephrine
Rationale: These neurotransmitters modulate mood and motivation, and
their dysregulation is implicated in depression.
4. Matching
Match each psychiatric disorder with its core characteristic:
2
, a) Bipolar I Disorder
b) Borderline Personality Disorder
c) PTSD
Unstable interpersonal relationships and affective instability
Manic episodes with possible psychosis
Re-experiencing traumatic event with hypervigilance
Answer: a-2, b-1, c-3
Rationale: Bipolar I involves mania; BPD involves emotional instability;
PTSD involves trauma re-experiencing.
5. Fill in the Blank
The medication ________ is a mood stabilizer commonly used to treat
acute mania in Bipolar Disorder.
Answer: lithium
Rationale: Lithium is a first-line mood stabilizer with evidence for efficacy
in mania.
6. Multiple Choice
Which laboratory test must be regularly monitored in a patient receiving
clozapine?
A) Liver function tests
B) White blood cell count (ANC)
C) Renal function panels
D) Serum sodium
Answer: B
Rationale: Clozapine can cause agranulocytosis; ANC must be closely
monitored.
7. True/False
A patient exhibiting flat affect and anhedonia is more likely presenting
3
