National University NUR 350 Final Exam (pdf) | 2026/2027 | Mental
Health Nursing Q&A | Psychiatry
1. A nursing student is learning the foundational concepts of mental health
nursing. According to the World Health Organization, which of the following
best defines mental health?
A) The absence of mental illness or psychiatric symptoms
B) A state of well-being in which each individual realizes their own potential,
copes with normal stresses, works productively, and contributes to their
community
C) The ability to control one's emotions and suppress negative thoughts
D) A fixed state of happiness and contentment that remains constant over
time
Correct Answer: A state of well-being in which each individual realizes their
own potential, copes with normal stresses, works productively, and
contributes to their community
Rationale: The World Health Organization defines mental health as a state of
well-being, not merely the absence of illness. It encompasses the ability to
cope with life's stresses, work productively, and contribute to the
community, reflecting a dynamic and positive state of functioning.
2. A nurse is reviewing the concept of the mental health continuum with a
group of nursing students. Which of the following statements best describes
this concept?
A) A fixed line that separates healthy individuals from those with mental
illness
B) A conceptual line used to represent levels of mental health and mental
illness that vary from person to person and over time
C) A diagnostic tool used to classify mental disorders
D) A treatment plan for individuals with severe mental illness
,Correct Answer: A conceptual line used to represent levels of mental health
and mental illness that vary from person to person and over time
Rationale: The mental health continuum is a conceptual line that represents
levels of mental health and mental illness that vary from person to person
and can vary for a particular person over time. It recognizes that mental
health is not a fixed state but exists on a spectrum.
3. A patient with a severe mental illness experiences a significant loss of
contact with reality, including hallucinations and delusions. The nurse
correctly identifies this condition as:
A) Neurosis
B) Psychosis
C) Anxiety disorder
D) Personality disorder
Correct Answer: Psychosis
Rationale: Psychosis is characterized by a severe mental illness where an
individual experiences a significant loss of contact with reality, including
hallucinations, delusions, and impaired insight. Neurosis is a less severe
condition where reality testing remains intact.
4. A patient with a less severe mental illness continues to function in daily
life but experiences significant distress. This condition is best described as:
A) Psychosis
B) Neurosis
C) Schizophrenia
D) Bipolar disorder
,Correct Answer: Neurosis
Rationale: Neurosis refers to a less severe mental illness where the individual
remains in contact with reality but experiences significant anxiety,
depression, or other distressing symptoms that impair functioning. Psychosis
involves a severe break from reality.
5. A nurse is reviewing the historical treatment of mental illness. Which
approach involved the use of kindness, compassion, and a pleasant
environment to treat patients?
A) Moral treatment
B) Psychoanalysis
C) Institutionalization
D) Electroconvulsive therapy
Correct Answer: Moral treatment
Rationale: Moral treatment was a humane approach to mental health care
that emphasized kindness, compassion, and a therapeutic environment,
emerging as a reform movement in the 18th and 19th centuries.
6. A patient is receiving therapy that focuses on exploring unconscious
conflicts and repairing trauma from early psychological injuries. This
therapeutic approach is known as:
A) Milieu therapy
B) Cognitive-behavioral therapy
C) Psychoanalysis
D) Group therapy
Correct Answer: Psychoanalysis
, Rationale: Psychoanalysis, developed by Sigmund Freud, is a therapeutic
approach that aims to bring unconscious material into conscious awareness
to resolve deep-seated conflicts and trauma from early psychological
injuries.
7. A nurse is providing care in a psychiatric facility that emphasizes health
promotion, holistic assessment, and therapeutic communication. This
approach is consistent with the principles of:
A) Institutionalization
B) Moral treatment
C) Psychiatric-mental health nursing
D) Biomedical model
Correct Answer: Psychiatric-mental health nursing
Rationale: Psychiatric-mental health nursing focuses on the role of the
professional nurse in providing care to clients with behavioral and
psychological problems, emphasizing health promotion, holistic assessment,
therapeutic communication, and milieu management.
8. A nurse is planning care for a patient with a mental health disorder. The
nurse understands that the nursing process in psychiatric nursing includes all
of the following steps EXCEPT:
A) Assessment
B) Diagnosis
C) Prescribing medication
D) Evaluation
Correct Answer: Prescribing medication
Health Nursing Q&A | Psychiatry
1. A nursing student is learning the foundational concepts of mental health
nursing. According to the World Health Organization, which of the following
best defines mental health?
A) The absence of mental illness or psychiatric symptoms
B) A state of well-being in which each individual realizes their own potential,
copes with normal stresses, works productively, and contributes to their
community
C) The ability to control one's emotions and suppress negative thoughts
D) A fixed state of happiness and contentment that remains constant over
time
Correct Answer: A state of well-being in which each individual realizes their
own potential, copes with normal stresses, works productively, and
contributes to their community
Rationale: The World Health Organization defines mental health as a state of
well-being, not merely the absence of illness. It encompasses the ability to
cope with life's stresses, work productively, and contribute to the
community, reflecting a dynamic and positive state of functioning.
2. A nurse is reviewing the concept of the mental health continuum with a
group of nursing students. Which of the following statements best describes
this concept?
A) A fixed line that separates healthy individuals from those with mental
illness
B) A conceptual line used to represent levels of mental health and mental
illness that vary from person to person and over time
C) A diagnostic tool used to classify mental disorders
D) A treatment plan for individuals with severe mental illness
,Correct Answer: A conceptual line used to represent levels of mental health
and mental illness that vary from person to person and over time
Rationale: The mental health continuum is a conceptual line that represents
levels of mental health and mental illness that vary from person to person
and can vary for a particular person over time. It recognizes that mental
health is not a fixed state but exists on a spectrum.
3. A patient with a severe mental illness experiences a significant loss of
contact with reality, including hallucinations and delusions. The nurse
correctly identifies this condition as:
A) Neurosis
B) Psychosis
C) Anxiety disorder
D) Personality disorder
Correct Answer: Psychosis
Rationale: Psychosis is characterized by a severe mental illness where an
individual experiences a significant loss of contact with reality, including
hallucinations, delusions, and impaired insight. Neurosis is a less severe
condition where reality testing remains intact.
4. A patient with a less severe mental illness continues to function in daily
life but experiences significant distress. This condition is best described as:
A) Psychosis
B) Neurosis
C) Schizophrenia
D) Bipolar disorder
,Correct Answer: Neurosis
Rationale: Neurosis refers to a less severe mental illness where the individual
remains in contact with reality but experiences significant anxiety,
depression, or other distressing symptoms that impair functioning. Psychosis
involves a severe break from reality.
5. A nurse is reviewing the historical treatment of mental illness. Which
approach involved the use of kindness, compassion, and a pleasant
environment to treat patients?
A) Moral treatment
B) Psychoanalysis
C) Institutionalization
D) Electroconvulsive therapy
Correct Answer: Moral treatment
Rationale: Moral treatment was a humane approach to mental health care
that emphasized kindness, compassion, and a therapeutic environment,
emerging as a reform movement in the 18th and 19th centuries.
6. A patient is receiving therapy that focuses on exploring unconscious
conflicts and repairing trauma from early psychological injuries. This
therapeutic approach is known as:
A) Milieu therapy
B) Cognitive-behavioral therapy
C) Psychoanalysis
D) Group therapy
Correct Answer: Psychoanalysis
, Rationale: Psychoanalysis, developed by Sigmund Freud, is a therapeutic
approach that aims to bring unconscious material into conscious awareness
to resolve deep-seated conflicts and trauma from early psychological
injuries.
7. A nurse is providing care in a psychiatric facility that emphasizes health
promotion, holistic assessment, and therapeutic communication. This
approach is consistent with the principles of:
A) Institutionalization
B) Moral treatment
C) Psychiatric-mental health nursing
D) Biomedical model
Correct Answer: Psychiatric-mental health nursing
Rationale: Psychiatric-mental health nursing focuses on the role of the
professional nurse in providing care to clients with behavioral and
psychological problems, emphasizing health promotion, holistic assessment,
therapeutic communication, and milieu management.
8. A nurse is planning care for a patient with a mental health disorder. The
nurse understands that the nursing process in psychiatric nursing includes all
of the following steps EXCEPT:
A) Assessment
B) Diagnosis
C) Prescribing medication
D) Evaluation
Correct Answer: Prescribing medication
