NURS 222: Anxiety Disorders & Stress Response - Advanced Quiz 2026
|WCU
1. A patient experiencing a panic attack is hyperventilating and states, ‘I feel like
I am going to die.’ What is the nurse’s priority intervention?
A. Administer a PRN dose of Lorazepam immediately.
B. Stay with the patient and use short, simple sentences.
C. Teach the patient deep breathing exercises for future use.
D. Ask the patient to describe the triggers of the attack.
Answer: B
Rationale: Safety and presence are priorities during a panic attack. Using short, simple
sentences is necessary because the patient’s perceptual field is severely narrowed.
2. According to Hans Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS), in which
stage does the body’s resources become depleted, leading to physical or mental
illness?
A. Alarm stage
B. Exhaustion stage
C. Resistance stage
D. Adaptation stage
Answer: B
Rationale: The exhaustion stage occurs when the body’s attempts to resist a stressor are
unsuccessful, leading to resource depletion and increased vulnerability to illness.
,3. A client with Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is prescribed Buspirone.
Which statement by the client indicates an understanding of the teaching?
A. ‘I should take this only when I feel a panic attack coming on.’
B. ‘This medication is highly addictive, so I should be careful.’
C. ‘I need to avoid aged cheeses and red wine while on this medication.’
D. ‘It will take 2 to 4 weeks for me to feel the full effect of this medication.’
Answer: D
Rationale: Buspirone is a non-benzodiazepine anxiolytic that is not used PRN; it requires
several weeks of consistent use to achieve therapeutic levels and has no addiction
potential.
4. Which neurotransmitter is primarily targeted by Benzodiazepines to produce
a calming effect?
A. Serotonin
B. Dopamine
C. Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)
D. Acetylcholine
Answer: C
Rationale: Benzodiazepines potentiate the action of GABA, an inhibitory neurotransmitter
that slows down neuronal activity in the brain.
5. A patient with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) spends two hours each
morning washing their hands. What is the most appropriate initial nursing
intervention?
A. Lock the bathroom door to prevent the ritual.
B. Tell the patient that their hands are clean enough.
C. Schedule the patient for group therapy during their ritual time.
D. Allow the patient enough time to perform the ritual initially.
Answer: D
, Rationale: Initially, the nurse should allow time for rituals to prevent a spike in anxiety.
Stopping rituals abruptly without a replacement coping mechanism can cause panic-level
anxiety.
6. A nurse is assessing a client for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Which
of the following is a ‘negative alteration in cognition and mood’ associated with
this disorder?
A. Hypervigilance
B. Exaggerated startle response
C. Recurrent distressing dreams
D. Persistent inability to experience positive emotions
Answer: D
Rationale: The inability to experience positive emotions (anhedonia) is a cognitive/mood
alteration. Hypervigilance and startle response are arousal symptoms, and dreams are
intrusive symptoms.
7. Which level of anxiety is characterized by a narrowed perceptual field where
the individual can only focus on the immediate task at hand but can still follow
directions?
A. Moderate
B. Mild
C. Severe
D. Panic
Answer: A
Rationale: In moderate anxiety, the perceptual field narrows, but the individual can still
process information and learn with assistance/direction.
|WCU
1. A patient experiencing a panic attack is hyperventilating and states, ‘I feel like
I am going to die.’ What is the nurse’s priority intervention?
A. Administer a PRN dose of Lorazepam immediately.
B. Stay with the patient and use short, simple sentences.
C. Teach the patient deep breathing exercises for future use.
D. Ask the patient to describe the triggers of the attack.
Answer: B
Rationale: Safety and presence are priorities during a panic attack. Using short, simple
sentences is necessary because the patient’s perceptual field is severely narrowed.
2. According to Hans Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS), in which
stage does the body’s resources become depleted, leading to physical or mental
illness?
A. Alarm stage
B. Exhaustion stage
C. Resistance stage
D. Adaptation stage
Answer: B
Rationale: The exhaustion stage occurs when the body’s attempts to resist a stressor are
unsuccessful, leading to resource depletion and increased vulnerability to illness.
,3. A client with Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is prescribed Buspirone.
Which statement by the client indicates an understanding of the teaching?
A. ‘I should take this only when I feel a panic attack coming on.’
B. ‘This medication is highly addictive, so I should be careful.’
C. ‘I need to avoid aged cheeses and red wine while on this medication.’
D. ‘It will take 2 to 4 weeks for me to feel the full effect of this medication.’
Answer: D
Rationale: Buspirone is a non-benzodiazepine anxiolytic that is not used PRN; it requires
several weeks of consistent use to achieve therapeutic levels and has no addiction
potential.
4. Which neurotransmitter is primarily targeted by Benzodiazepines to produce
a calming effect?
A. Serotonin
B. Dopamine
C. Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)
D. Acetylcholine
Answer: C
Rationale: Benzodiazepines potentiate the action of GABA, an inhibitory neurotransmitter
that slows down neuronal activity in the brain.
5. A patient with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) spends two hours each
morning washing their hands. What is the most appropriate initial nursing
intervention?
A. Lock the bathroom door to prevent the ritual.
B. Tell the patient that their hands are clean enough.
C. Schedule the patient for group therapy during their ritual time.
D. Allow the patient enough time to perform the ritual initially.
Answer: D
, Rationale: Initially, the nurse should allow time for rituals to prevent a spike in anxiety.
Stopping rituals abruptly without a replacement coping mechanism can cause panic-level
anxiety.
6. A nurse is assessing a client for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Which
of the following is a ‘negative alteration in cognition and mood’ associated with
this disorder?
A. Hypervigilance
B. Exaggerated startle response
C. Recurrent distressing dreams
D. Persistent inability to experience positive emotions
Answer: D
Rationale: The inability to experience positive emotions (anhedonia) is a cognitive/mood
alteration. Hypervigilance and startle response are arousal symptoms, and dreams are
intrusive symptoms.
7. Which level of anxiety is characterized by a narrowed perceptual field where
the individual can only focus on the immediate task at hand but can still follow
directions?
A. Moderate
B. Mild
C. Severe
D. Panic
Answer: A
Rationale: In moderate anxiety, the perceptual field narrows, but the individual can still
process information and learn with assistance/direction.
