ADVANCED MENTAL HEALTH
NURSING (CHAPTER 1-10)
EXAM QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS
When planning care for a specific client, of what significance to the psychiatric nurse is the fact that the
DSM-IV-TR is multiaxial?
a) Pertinent aspects of client functioning and problems are reported.
b) Standardized treatment plans are available for each diagnosis.
c) Nursing diagnoses are included for each medical diagnosis.
d) No particular significance exists. - CORRECT ANSWER -a) Pertinent aspects of client functioning and
problems are reported.
A nurse conducting research is seeking data about outcomes for depressed patients who have been
treated with electroconvulsive therapy. The nurse is engaged in the field of
A) experimental epidemiology.
B) descriptive epidemiology.
C) clinical epidemiology.
D) analytic epidemiology. - CORRECT ANSWER -C) clinical epidemiology.
A client tells the mental health nurse "I am terribly frightened! I hear whispering that someone is going
to kill me." Which criterion of mental health can the nurse assess as lacking?
A) Control over behavior
B) Appraisal of reality
,C) Effectiveness in work
D) Healthy self-concept - CORRECT ANSWER -B) Appraisal of reality
A 14-year-old who belongs to a neighborhood gang is found by her parents to lie and engage in sexually
promiscuous behavior. They bring her to the mental health center. The nurse performing the
assessment is told by the 14-year-old that she is happy, does well in school, and sees herself as popular
and well regarded by her group. She states her parents are just old fashioned and don't understand her.
The assessment the nurse will most likely make is that she:
A) is displaying deviant behavior.
B) cannot accurately appraise reality.
C) is seriously and persistently mentally ill.
D) should be considered for group home placement. - CORRECT ANSWER -A) is displaying deviant
behavior.
An important concept for nurses to remember when planning care for mentally ill clients is that each
client:
A) has areas of strength on which to build.
B) has right that must be respected.
C) comes with experiences that contribute to their problem.
D) share the same fears as mentally healthy individuals. - CORRECT ANSWER -A) has areas of strength on
which to build.
A nurse suspects that a client has a personality disorder in addition to displaying symptoms of a mood
disorder. To determine whether these observations are correct, the nurse could look in the client's
medical record on the DSM-IV-TR
A) axis I.
B) axis II.
C) axis III.
D) axis IV. - CORRECT ANSWER -B) axis II.
,A man frequently bursts out by loudly singing operatic arias. The neighbors in the next apartment find
the noise disturbing. They go to his apartment to confront him and find that in he is wearing only his
bathrobe and his apartment is messy. He acts outraged and tells them he must sing several hours daily
and will not promise to be quieter. The conclusion that can be drawn is:
A) The man is demonstrating symptoms of bipolar disorder.
B) The man is socially deviant.
C) The man is egocentric.
D) The man may or may not be mentally ill. - CORRECT ANSWER -D) The man may or may not be
mentally ill.
A nursing diagnosis for a client with a psychiatric disorder serves the purpose of
A) justifying the use of certain psychotropic medication.
B) providing data essential for insurance reimbursement.
C) providing a framework for selecting appropriate interventions.
D) identifying information to be placed on DSM-IV-TR axis III. - CORRECT ANSWER -C) providing a
framework for selecting appropriate interventions.
A client has begun to neglect her appearance, is withdrawn and stays in her room. Her mother hears her
seemingly talking to others, but no one is in the room with her. Last night she threw a chair and broke
the window of her bedroom. She tells the nurse nothing is wrong. The nurse rating her current global
assessment of functioning would probably assign the code
A) 100.
B) 70.
C) 40.
D) 0. - CORRECT ANSWER -C) 40.
The mental health or mental illness of a particular client can best be assessed by considering
A) the degree of conformity of the individual to society's norms.
, B) the degree to which an individual is logical and rational.
C) placement on a continuum from healthy to psychotic.
D) the rate of intellectual and emotional growth. - CORRECT ANSWER -C) placement on a continuum
from healthy to psychotic.
The quantitative study of the distribution of mental disorders in human populations is called:
A) mortality.
B) prevalence.
C) epidemiology.
D) clinical epidemiology - CORRECT ANSWER -C) epidemiology.
What phrase best describes the DSM-IV-TR?
A) Is a multiaxial psychiatric assessment system
B) Is a compendium of treatment modalities
C) Offers a complete list of nursing diagnoses
D) Suggests common interventions for mental disorders. - CORRECT ANSWER -A) Is a multiaxial
psychiatric assessment system
Current information suggests that the most disabling mental disorders are the result of:
A) biological influences.
B) psychological trauma.
C) learned ways of behaving.
D) faulty patterns of early nurturance. - CORRECT ANSWER -A) biological influences.
A nurse's identification badge includes the wording, 'Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse'. A client with a
history of paranoia asks, "What does that title mean?" The nurse responds best when answering:
A) "Don't be afraid, it means I'm here to help not hurt you."
NURSING (CHAPTER 1-10)
EXAM QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS
When planning care for a specific client, of what significance to the psychiatric nurse is the fact that the
DSM-IV-TR is multiaxial?
a) Pertinent aspects of client functioning and problems are reported.
b) Standardized treatment plans are available for each diagnosis.
c) Nursing diagnoses are included for each medical diagnosis.
d) No particular significance exists. - CORRECT ANSWER -a) Pertinent aspects of client functioning and
problems are reported.
A nurse conducting research is seeking data about outcomes for depressed patients who have been
treated with electroconvulsive therapy. The nurse is engaged in the field of
A) experimental epidemiology.
B) descriptive epidemiology.
C) clinical epidemiology.
D) analytic epidemiology. - CORRECT ANSWER -C) clinical epidemiology.
A client tells the mental health nurse "I am terribly frightened! I hear whispering that someone is going
to kill me." Which criterion of mental health can the nurse assess as lacking?
A) Control over behavior
B) Appraisal of reality
,C) Effectiveness in work
D) Healthy self-concept - CORRECT ANSWER -B) Appraisal of reality
A 14-year-old who belongs to a neighborhood gang is found by her parents to lie and engage in sexually
promiscuous behavior. They bring her to the mental health center. The nurse performing the
assessment is told by the 14-year-old that she is happy, does well in school, and sees herself as popular
and well regarded by her group. She states her parents are just old fashioned and don't understand her.
The assessment the nurse will most likely make is that she:
A) is displaying deviant behavior.
B) cannot accurately appraise reality.
C) is seriously and persistently mentally ill.
D) should be considered for group home placement. - CORRECT ANSWER -A) is displaying deviant
behavior.
An important concept for nurses to remember when planning care for mentally ill clients is that each
client:
A) has areas of strength on which to build.
B) has right that must be respected.
C) comes with experiences that contribute to their problem.
D) share the same fears as mentally healthy individuals. - CORRECT ANSWER -A) has areas of strength on
which to build.
A nurse suspects that a client has a personality disorder in addition to displaying symptoms of a mood
disorder. To determine whether these observations are correct, the nurse could look in the client's
medical record on the DSM-IV-TR
A) axis I.
B) axis II.
C) axis III.
D) axis IV. - CORRECT ANSWER -B) axis II.
,A man frequently bursts out by loudly singing operatic arias. The neighbors in the next apartment find
the noise disturbing. They go to his apartment to confront him and find that in he is wearing only his
bathrobe and his apartment is messy. He acts outraged and tells them he must sing several hours daily
and will not promise to be quieter. The conclusion that can be drawn is:
A) The man is demonstrating symptoms of bipolar disorder.
B) The man is socially deviant.
C) The man is egocentric.
D) The man may or may not be mentally ill. - CORRECT ANSWER -D) The man may or may not be
mentally ill.
A nursing diagnosis for a client with a psychiatric disorder serves the purpose of
A) justifying the use of certain psychotropic medication.
B) providing data essential for insurance reimbursement.
C) providing a framework for selecting appropriate interventions.
D) identifying information to be placed on DSM-IV-TR axis III. - CORRECT ANSWER -C) providing a
framework for selecting appropriate interventions.
A client has begun to neglect her appearance, is withdrawn and stays in her room. Her mother hears her
seemingly talking to others, but no one is in the room with her. Last night she threw a chair and broke
the window of her bedroom. She tells the nurse nothing is wrong. The nurse rating her current global
assessment of functioning would probably assign the code
A) 100.
B) 70.
C) 40.
D) 0. - CORRECT ANSWER -C) 40.
The mental health or mental illness of a particular client can best be assessed by considering
A) the degree of conformity of the individual to society's norms.
, B) the degree to which an individual is logical and rational.
C) placement on a continuum from healthy to psychotic.
D) the rate of intellectual and emotional growth. - CORRECT ANSWER -C) placement on a continuum
from healthy to psychotic.
The quantitative study of the distribution of mental disorders in human populations is called:
A) mortality.
B) prevalence.
C) epidemiology.
D) clinical epidemiology - CORRECT ANSWER -C) epidemiology.
What phrase best describes the DSM-IV-TR?
A) Is a multiaxial psychiatric assessment system
B) Is a compendium of treatment modalities
C) Offers a complete list of nursing diagnoses
D) Suggests common interventions for mental disorders. - CORRECT ANSWER -A) Is a multiaxial
psychiatric assessment system
Current information suggests that the most disabling mental disorders are the result of:
A) biological influences.
B) psychological trauma.
C) learned ways of behaving.
D) faulty patterns of early nurturance. - CORRECT ANSWER -A) biological influences.
A nurse's identification badge includes the wording, 'Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse'. A client with a
history of paranoia asks, "What does that title mean?" The nurse responds best when answering:
A) "Don't be afraid, it means I'm here to help not hurt you."
