GCU NSG-322: Behavioral Health Nursing Comprehensive 100+ Questions and verified answers Exam Bank

GCU NSG-322: Behavioral Health Nursing
Comprehensive 100+ Questions and verified
answers 2026-2027 Exam Bank




1. During a mental status examination, a nurse asks a client to interpret the
proverb, "Don't count your chickens before they hatch." The client responds,
"You shouldn't count birds because they fly away." The nurse should document
this response as an indicator of which cognitive style?
 A. Abstract thinking
 B. Concrete thinking
 C. Flight of ideas
 D. Neologisms
 Correct Answer: B
 Rationale: Concrete thinking is characterized by a literal interpretation of words and
phrases. The client cannot abstract the metaphorical meaning of the proverb.

, 2. A client diagnosed with schizophrenia states, "The government has implanted
a microchip in my dental filling that broadcasts my private thoughts to the local
radio station." What symptom is the client demonstrating?
 A. Delusions of persecution
 B. Thought broadcasting
 C. Ideas of reference
 D. Grandiose delusions
 Correct Answer: B
 Rationale: Thought broadcasting is the fixed false belief that others can hear or receive
one's thoughts externally.
3. Which nursing theorist developed the Interpersonal Relations Model,
establishing the framework for the phases of the therapeutic nurse-client
relationship?
 A. Dorothea Orem
 B. Sister Callista Roy
 C. Hildegard Peplau
 D. Jean Watson
 Correct Answer: C
 Rationale: Hildegard Peplau is widely recognized as the "mother of psychiatric nursing"
and developed the Interpersonal Relations framework.
4. A client experiences severe functional impairment, rapid palpitations, and
hyperventilation, declaring, "I feel like I am completely losing my mind or dying
right now." What level of anxiety is this client experiencing?
 A. Mild
 B. Moderate
 C. Severe
 D. Panic
 Correct Answer: D
 Rationale: Panic-level anxiety involves a total loss of environmental control, feelings of
doom, terror, and physical symptoms mimicking a medical crisis.
5. When utilizing the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS) for a client,
the nurse is primarily screening for early signs of which medication
complication?
 A. Akathisia
 B. Acute dystonia
 C. Tardive dyskinesia
 D. Neuroleptic malignant syndrome
 Correct Answer: C
 Rationale: The AIMS tool is specifically designed to track and detect involuntary
movements of the face, mouth, trunk, and extremities associated with long-term
antipsychotic therapy (Tardive Dyskinesia).
6. A nurse notes that a client with severe chronic depression states they no
longer feel any joy or pleasure when listening to music or playing cards, which
were previously their favorite hobbies. How should the nurse document this?

,  A. Avolition
 B. Anhedonia
 C. Apathy
 D. Alogia
 Correct Answer: B
 Rationale: Anhedonia is defined as the inability to experience pleasure from activities
that were previously enjoyed.
7. During an assessment, the nurse moves a client's arm into an elevated
position, and the client maintains that exact awkward posture for over an hour
without moving. What is this sign called?
 A. Akinesia
 B. Dystonia
 C. Waxy flexibility
 D. Echopraxia
 Correct Answer: C
 Rationale: Waxy flexibility is a symptom of catatonia where a person holds a rigid
position after being placed there by an external examiner.
8. A client states, "I am the biological heir to King Arthur's throne, and I hold the
magical key to ending global poverty tonight." What type of delusion is this?
 A. Somatic delusion
 B. Persecutory delusion
 C. Grandiose delusion
 D. Nihilistic delusion
 Correct Answer: C
 Rationale: Grandiose delusions involve fixed false beliefs of inflated power, identity,
wealth, or a special relationship with a prominent figure.
9. A client looks at a dark shadow cast by a coat rack on the wall and screams,
"There is a massive black bear standing in the corner of my room!" How should
the nurse classify this sensory experience?
 A. Hallucination
 B. Illusion
 C. Delusion
 D. Depersonalization
 Correct Answer: B
 Rationale: An illusion is a misinterpretation of a real external stimulus (the coat rack
shadow). A hallucination occurs without any real external stimulus.
10. The nurse asks a client to perform serial sevens (subtracting 7 from 100
sequentially). What specific cognitive domain is being evaluated by this task?
 A. Long-term memory
 B. Concentration and attention
 C. Abstract reasoning
 D. Spatial orientation
 Correct Answer: B