NSG 552 Exam 1: Psychopharmacology
UPDATED ACTUAL Exam Questions and CORRECT Answers
Question 1.
A patient has experienced a stroke (cerebral vascular accident) that has resulted in
damage to the Broca area. Which evaluation does the nurse conduct to reinforce this
diagnosis?
a. Observing the patient pick up a spoon
b. Asking the patient to recite the alphabet
c. Monitoring the patients blood pressure
d. Comparing the patients grip strength in both
Correct Answer: b. Asking the patient to recite the alphabet
Question 2.
The patient diagnosed with schizophrenia asks why psychotropic medications are
always prescribed by the doctor. The nurses answer will be based on information that
the therapeutic action of psychotropic drugs is the result of their effect on:
a. The temporal lobe; especially Wernickes area
b. Dendrites and their ability to transmit electrical impulses
c. The regulation of neurotransmitters especially dopamine
d. The peripheral nervous system sensitivity to the psychotropic medications
Correct Answer: c. The regulation of neurotransmitters especially dopamine
Question 3.
A student nurse mutters that it seems entirely unnecessary to have to struggle with
understanding the anatomy and physiology of the neurologic system. The mentor would
base a response on the understanding that it is:
a. Necessary but generally for psychiatric nurses who focus primarily on behavioral
interventions
b. A complex undertaking that advance practice psychiatric nurses frequently use in
their practice
c. Important primarily for the nursing assessment of patients with brain trauma caused
cognitive symptoms
d. Necessary for planning psychiatric care for all patients especially those experiencing
psychiatric disorders
Correct Answer: d. Necessary for planning psychiatric care for all patients
especially those experiencing psychiatric disorders
Question 4.
A patient asks the nurse, My wife has breast cancer. Could it be caused by her chronic
depression? Which response is supported by research data?
a. Too much stress has been proven to cause all kinds of cancer.
b. There have been no research studies done on stress and disease yet.
,c. Stress does cause the release of factors that suppress the immune system.
d. There appears to be little connection between stress and diseases of the body
Correct Answer: c. Stress does cause the release of factors that suppress the
immune system.
Question 5.
A patient who has a parietal lobe injury is being evaluated for psychiatric rehabilitation
needs. Of the aspects of functioning listed, which will the nurse identify as a focus of
nursing intervention?
a. Expression of emotion
b. Detecting auditory stimuli
c. Receiving visual images
d. Processing associations
Correct Answer: d. Processing associations
Question 6.
At admission, the nurse learns that some time ago the patient had an infarct in the right
cerebral cortex. During assessment, the nurse would expect to find that the patient:
a. Demonstrates major deficiencies in speech
b. Is unable to effectively hold a spoon in the left hand
c. Has difficulty explaining how to go about using the telephone
d. Cannot use his right hand to shave himself or comb his own
Correct Answer: b. Is unable to effectively hold a spoon in the left hand
Question 7.
A patient with chronic schizophrenia had a stroke involving the hippocampus. The
patient will be discharged on low doses of haloperidol. The nurse will need to
individualize the patients medication teaching by:
a. Including the patients caregiver in the education b. Being careful to stress the
importance of taking the medication as prescribed
c. Providing the education at a time when the patient is emotionally calm and relaxed
d. Encouraging the patient to crush or dissolve the medication to help with swallowing
Correct Answer: a. Including the patients caregiver in the education
Question 8.
The physician tells the nurse, The medication Im prescribing for the patient enhances
the g-aminobutyric acid (GABA) system. Which patient behavior will provide evidence
that the medication therapy is successful?
a. The patient is actively involved in playing cards with other patients.
b. The patient reports that, I don't feel as anxious as I did a couple of days ago.
c. The patient reports that both auditory and visual hallucinations have decreased.
,d. The patient says that, I am much happier than before I came to the hospital.
Correct Answer: b. The patient reports that, I don't feel as anxious as I did a
couple of days ago.
Question 9.
The patients family asks whether a diagnosis of Parkinsons disease creates an increased
risk for any mental health issues. What question would the nurse ask to assess for such
a comorbid condition?
a. Has your father exhibited any signs of depression? b. Does your father seem to
experience mood swings?
c. Have you noticed your father talking about seeing things you cant see?
d. Is your dad preoccupied with behaviors that he needs to repeat over and over?
Correct Answer: a. Has your father exhibited any signs of depression?
Question 10.
Which explanation for the prescription of donepezil (Aricept) would the nurse provide for
a patient in the early stage of Alzheimers disease?
a. It will increase the metabolism of excess GABA.
b. Excess dopamine will be prevented from attaching to receptor sites.
c. Serotonin deficiency will be managed through a prolonged reuptake period.
d. The acetylcholine deficiency will be managed by inhibiting cholinesterase.
Correct Answer: d. The acetylcholine deficiency will be managed by inhibiting
cholinesterase.
Question 11.
There remains a stigma attached to psychiatric illnesses. The psychiatric nurse makes
the greatest impact on this sociological problem when:
a. Providing educational programming for patients and the public
b. Arranging for adequate and appropriate social support for the patient
c. Assisting the patient to achieve the maximum level of independent functioning
d. Regularly praising the patient for seeking and complying with appropriate treatment
Correct Answer: a. Providing educational programming for patients and the
public
Question 12.
The wife of a patient with paranoid schizophrenia tells the nurse, Ive learned that my
husband has several close relatives with the same disorder. Does this problem run in
families? The response based on recent discoveries in the field of genetics would be: a.
Your children should be monitored closely for the disorder.
b. Research tends to support a familiar tendency to schizophrenia.
c. There is no concrete evidence; it is just as likely a coincidence.
, d. Only bipolar disorder has been identified to have a genetic
Correct Answer: b. Research tends to support a familiar tendency to
schizophrenia.
Question 13.
A patient whose symptoms of mild depression have been managed with antidepressants
is concerned about the affect of accepting a promotion that will require working the
night shift. What will be the basis of the response the nurse gives to address the
patients concern?
a. The connection between a new job and possible depression does exist.
b. The medication can be adjusted to manage any increase in depression.
c. The interruption in normal wake-sleep patterns can influence mood disorders.
d. The change in sleep routine can be managed with a healthy sleep hygiene routine.
Correct Answer: c. The interruption in normal wake-sleep patterns can
influence mood disorders.
Question 14.
The nurse is discouraged because the patient exhibiting negative symptoms of
schizophrenia has shown no improvement with the planned interventions to reduce the
symptoms. The mentors remark that helps place the problem in perspective is:
a. You aren't responsible for the behavior of any other person.
b. Patients can be perverse and cling to symptoms despite our efforts.
c. Negative symptoms have been associated with genetic pathology.
d. It will take several trail and error attempts to get the right combination
Correct Answer: c. Negative symptoms have been associated with genetic
pathology.
Question 15.
The somatic nervous system provides sensory and motor innervation for:
A) peripheral nerves.
B) abdominal viscera.
C) secretory glands.
D) smooth muscle.
Correct Answer: A) peripheral nerves.
Question 16.
The proteins and other materials used by the axon are synthesized and then flow down
the axon through its cytoplasm.
A) in the cell body
B) by Nissl bodies
C) through dendrites
UPDATED ACTUAL Exam Questions and CORRECT Answers
Question 1.
A patient has experienced a stroke (cerebral vascular accident) that has resulted in
damage to the Broca area. Which evaluation does the nurse conduct to reinforce this
diagnosis?
a. Observing the patient pick up a spoon
b. Asking the patient to recite the alphabet
c. Monitoring the patients blood pressure
d. Comparing the patients grip strength in both
Correct Answer: b. Asking the patient to recite the alphabet
Question 2.
The patient diagnosed with schizophrenia asks why psychotropic medications are
always prescribed by the doctor. The nurses answer will be based on information that
the therapeutic action of psychotropic drugs is the result of their effect on:
a. The temporal lobe; especially Wernickes area
b. Dendrites and their ability to transmit electrical impulses
c. The regulation of neurotransmitters especially dopamine
d. The peripheral nervous system sensitivity to the psychotropic medications
Correct Answer: c. The regulation of neurotransmitters especially dopamine
Question 3.
A student nurse mutters that it seems entirely unnecessary to have to struggle with
understanding the anatomy and physiology of the neurologic system. The mentor would
base a response on the understanding that it is:
a. Necessary but generally for psychiatric nurses who focus primarily on behavioral
interventions
b. A complex undertaking that advance practice psychiatric nurses frequently use in
their practice
c. Important primarily for the nursing assessment of patients with brain trauma caused
cognitive symptoms
d. Necessary for planning psychiatric care for all patients especially those experiencing
psychiatric disorders
Correct Answer: d. Necessary for planning psychiatric care for all patients
especially those experiencing psychiatric disorders
Question 4.
A patient asks the nurse, My wife has breast cancer. Could it be caused by her chronic
depression? Which response is supported by research data?
a. Too much stress has been proven to cause all kinds of cancer.
b. There have been no research studies done on stress and disease yet.
,c. Stress does cause the release of factors that suppress the immune system.
d. There appears to be little connection between stress and diseases of the body
Correct Answer: c. Stress does cause the release of factors that suppress the
immune system.
Question 5.
A patient who has a parietal lobe injury is being evaluated for psychiatric rehabilitation
needs. Of the aspects of functioning listed, which will the nurse identify as a focus of
nursing intervention?
a. Expression of emotion
b. Detecting auditory stimuli
c. Receiving visual images
d. Processing associations
Correct Answer: d. Processing associations
Question 6.
At admission, the nurse learns that some time ago the patient had an infarct in the right
cerebral cortex. During assessment, the nurse would expect to find that the patient:
a. Demonstrates major deficiencies in speech
b. Is unable to effectively hold a spoon in the left hand
c. Has difficulty explaining how to go about using the telephone
d. Cannot use his right hand to shave himself or comb his own
Correct Answer: b. Is unable to effectively hold a spoon in the left hand
Question 7.
A patient with chronic schizophrenia had a stroke involving the hippocampus. The
patient will be discharged on low doses of haloperidol. The nurse will need to
individualize the patients medication teaching by:
a. Including the patients caregiver in the education b. Being careful to stress the
importance of taking the medication as prescribed
c. Providing the education at a time when the patient is emotionally calm and relaxed
d. Encouraging the patient to crush or dissolve the medication to help with swallowing
Correct Answer: a. Including the patients caregiver in the education
Question 8.
The physician tells the nurse, The medication Im prescribing for the patient enhances
the g-aminobutyric acid (GABA) system. Which patient behavior will provide evidence
that the medication therapy is successful?
a. The patient is actively involved in playing cards with other patients.
b. The patient reports that, I don't feel as anxious as I did a couple of days ago.
c. The patient reports that both auditory and visual hallucinations have decreased.
,d. The patient says that, I am much happier than before I came to the hospital.
Correct Answer: b. The patient reports that, I don't feel as anxious as I did a
couple of days ago.
Question 9.
The patients family asks whether a diagnosis of Parkinsons disease creates an increased
risk for any mental health issues. What question would the nurse ask to assess for such
a comorbid condition?
a. Has your father exhibited any signs of depression? b. Does your father seem to
experience mood swings?
c. Have you noticed your father talking about seeing things you cant see?
d. Is your dad preoccupied with behaviors that he needs to repeat over and over?
Correct Answer: a. Has your father exhibited any signs of depression?
Question 10.
Which explanation for the prescription of donepezil (Aricept) would the nurse provide for
a patient in the early stage of Alzheimers disease?
a. It will increase the metabolism of excess GABA.
b. Excess dopamine will be prevented from attaching to receptor sites.
c. Serotonin deficiency will be managed through a prolonged reuptake period.
d. The acetylcholine deficiency will be managed by inhibiting cholinesterase.
Correct Answer: d. The acetylcholine deficiency will be managed by inhibiting
cholinesterase.
Question 11.
There remains a stigma attached to psychiatric illnesses. The psychiatric nurse makes
the greatest impact on this sociological problem when:
a. Providing educational programming for patients and the public
b. Arranging for adequate and appropriate social support for the patient
c. Assisting the patient to achieve the maximum level of independent functioning
d. Regularly praising the patient for seeking and complying with appropriate treatment
Correct Answer: a. Providing educational programming for patients and the
public
Question 12.
The wife of a patient with paranoid schizophrenia tells the nurse, Ive learned that my
husband has several close relatives with the same disorder. Does this problem run in
families? The response based on recent discoveries in the field of genetics would be: a.
Your children should be monitored closely for the disorder.
b. Research tends to support a familiar tendency to schizophrenia.
c. There is no concrete evidence; it is just as likely a coincidence.
, d. Only bipolar disorder has been identified to have a genetic
Correct Answer: b. Research tends to support a familiar tendency to
schizophrenia.
Question 13.
A patient whose symptoms of mild depression have been managed with antidepressants
is concerned about the affect of accepting a promotion that will require working the
night shift. What will be the basis of the response the nurse gives to address the
patients concern?
a. The connection between a new job and possible depression does exist.
b. The medication can be adjusted to manage any increase in depression.
c. The interruption in normal wake-sleep patterns can influence mood disorders.
d. The change in sleep routine can be managed with a healthy sleep hygiene routine.
Correct Answer: c. The interruption in normal wake-sleep patterns can
influence mood disorders.
Question 14.
The nurse is discouraged because the patient exhibiting negative symptoms of
schizophrenia has shown no improvement with the planned interventions to reduce the
symptoms. The mentors remark that helps place the problem in perspective is:
a. You aren't responsible for the behavior of any other person.
b. Patients can be perverse and cling to symptoms despite our efforts.
c. Negative symptoms have been associated with genetic pathology.
d. It will take several trail and error attempts to get the right combination
Correct Answer: c. Negative symptoms have been associated with genetic
pathology.
Question 15.
The somatic nervous system provides sensory and motor innervation for:
A) peripheral nerves.
B) abdominal viscera.
C) secretory glands.
D) smooth muscle.
Correct Answer: A) peripheral nerves.
Question 16.
The proteins and other materials used by the axon are synthesized and then flow down
the axon through its cytoplasm.
A) in the cell body
B) by Nissl bodies
C) through dendrites
