NUR 253 Mental Health Exam
Study Guide – Practice
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2026/2027 Update
Concepts of Mental Health Nursing - High-Stakes NCLEX Final
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Section 1/1 150 total marks Multiple Choice
Select the single best answer for each question. Each correct response is awarded 2 marks.
Question 1 150 total marks
A 24-year-old female is admitted to the psychiatric unit with a history of Major Depressive Disorder. During the
admission assessment, the nurse observes that she is wearing heavy layers of clothing despite the warm weather,
avoids eye contact, and speaks in a low, monotone voice. When asked about her goals for treatment, she states, "I
just want to be left alone."
A According to the psychiatric-mental health continuum discussed in class, which criterion would best help the
nurse determine if this patient’s behavior represents a mental illness rather than a normal emotional variance?
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A The presence of social withdrawal and low volume of speech.
B The patient's explicit request to be left alone by the staff.
C The degree of clinically significant dysfunction and impairment in her daily life.
D The fact that her behavior deviates from traditional societal norms.
B The patient states she is 'very happy' that she was admitted, yet she is currently weeping and her facial
expression is sad. How should the nurse document this finding in the Mental Status Examination (MSE)?
A The patient is displaying signs of anosognosia.
B The patient’s mood and affect are incongruent.
C The patient is experiencing a disturbed thought process.
D Mood and affect are congruent.
C During the initial interview, the patient becomes tearful and stops talking for several minutes. Which
therapeutic communication technique should the nurse prioritize in this moment?
A Offering advice on how to stop crying.
B Providing false reassurance that she will feel better tomorrow.
C Asking a series of closed-ended questions to gather data quickly.
D Using silence to allow for affect modulation and processing.
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A
B
D Based on Freud’s structural model of personality, which component of the patient's personality is currently
mediating her reality and deciding 'what to do' regarding her clinical situation?
The Libido
The Superego
C The Ego
D The Id
E A nurse discovers that the patient belongs to a culture where mental health care is highly stigmatized. The
nurse suspects the patient's reported chronic back pain, for which no physiological cause was found, is related
to her depression. Which term describes this phenomenon?
A Malingering
B Enculturation
C Somatization
D Ethnocentrism
F The patient becomes agitated and refuses her medication. A nurse verbally threatens to 'put her in the
isolation room forever' if she does not comply. Which legal tort has the nurse committed?
A Assault
B Battery
C Malpractice
D Negligence
G The psychiatrist prescribes an SSRI for the patient. The nurse understands that this medication works by
increasing the availability of which 'feel-good' neurotransmitter?
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