Chapter 1: Foundations of psychiatric- mental health nursing
1. The nurse is assessing the factors contributing to the well-being of a newly admitted client. Which of the
following would the nurse identify as having a positive impact on the individual's mental health?
A) Not needing others for companionship
B) The ability to effectively manage stress
C) A family history of mental illness
D) Striving for total self-reliance - ansAns: B
Feedback:
Individual factors influencing mental health include biologic makeup, autonomy, independence, self-esteem,
capacity for growth, vitality, ability to find meaning in life, emotional resilience or hardiness, sense of
belonging, reality orientation, and coping or stress management abilities. Interpersonal factors such as intimacy
and a balance of separateness and connectedness are both needed for good mental health, and therefore a
healthy person would need others for companionship. A family history of mental illness could relate to the
biologic makeup of an individual, which may have a negative impact on an individual's mental health, as well as
a negative impact on an individual's interpersonal and social-cultural factors of health. Total self-reliance is not
possible, and a positive social/cultural factor is access to adequate resources.
10. The creation of asylums during the 1800s was meant to
A) improve treatment of mental disorders.
B) provide food and shelter for the mentally ill.
C) punish people with mental illness who were believed to be possessed.
D) remove dangerous people with mental illness from the community. - ansAns: B
Feedback:
The asylum was meant to be a safe haven with food, shelter, and humane treatment for the mentally ill.
Asylums were not used to improve treatment of mental disorders or to punish mentally ill people who were
believed to be possessed. The asylum was not created to remove the dangerously mentally ill from the
community.
11. The major problems with large state institutions are: Select all that apply.
A) attendants were accused of abusing the residents.
B) stigma associated with residence in an insane asylum.
, C) clients were geographically isolated from family and community.
D) increasing financial costs to individual residents. - ansAns: A, C
Feedback:
Clients were often far removed from the local community, family, and friends because state institutions were
usually in rural or remote settings. Choices B and D were not major problems associated with large state
instructions.
12. A significant change in the treatment of people with mental illness occurred in the 1950s when
A) community support services were established.
B) legislation dramatically changed civil commitment procedures.
C) the Patient's Bill of Rights was enacted.
D) psychotropic drugs became available for use. - ansAns: D
Feedback:
The development of psychotropic drugs, or drugs used to treat mental illness, began in the 1950s. Answer
choices A, B, and C did not occur in the 1950s.
13. Before the period of the enlightenment, treatment of the mentally ill included
A) creating large institutions to provide custodial care.
B) focusing on religious education to improve their souls.
C) placing the mentally ill on display for the public's amusement.
D) providing a safe refuge or haven offering protection. - ansAns: C
Feedback:
In 1775, visitors at St. Mary's of Bethlehem were charged a fee for viewing and ridiculing the mentally ill, who
were seen as animals, less than human. Custodial care was not often provided as persons who were considered
harmless were allowed to wander in the countryside or live in rural communities, and more dangerous lunatics
were imprisoned, chained, and starved. In early Christian times, primitive beliefs and superstitions were strong.
The mentally ill were viewed as evil or possessed. Priests performed exorcisms to rid evil spirits, and in the
colonies, witch hunts were conducted with offenders burned at the stake. It was not until the period of
enlightenment when persons who were mentally ill were offered asylum as a safe refuge or haven offering
protection at institutions.
1. The nurse is assessing the factors contributing to the well-being of a newly admitted client. Which of the
following would the nurse identify as having a positive impact on the individual's mental health?
A) Not needing others for companionship
B) The ability to effectively manage stress
C) A family history of mental illness
D) Striving for total self-reliance - ansAns: B
Feedback:
Individual factors influencing mental health include biologic makeup, autonomy, independence, self-esteem,
capacity for growth, vitality, ability to find meaning in life, emotional resilience or hardiness, sense of
belonging, reality orientation, and coping or stress management abilities. Interpersonal factors such as intimacy
and a balance of separateness and connectedness are both needed for good mental health, and therefore a
healthy person would need others for companionship. A family history of mental illness could relate to the
biologic makeup of an individual, which may have a negative impact on an individual's mental health, as well as
a negative impact on an individual's interpersonal and social-cultural factors of health. Total self-reliance is not
possible, and a positive social/cultural factor is access to adequate resources.
10. The creation of asylums during the 1800s was meant to
A) improve treatment of mental disorders.
B) provide food and shelter for the mentally ill.
C) punish people with mental illness who were believed to be possessed.
D) remove dangerous people with mental illness from the community. - ansAns: B
Feedback:
The asylum was meant to be a safe haven with food, shelter, and humane treatment for the mentally ill.
Asylums were not used to improve treatment of mental disorders or to punish mentally ill people who were
believed to be possessed. The asylum was not created to remove the dangerously mentally ill from the
community.
11. The major problems with large state institutions are: Select all that apply.
A) attendants were accused of abusing the residents.
B) stigma associated with residence in an insane asylum.
, C) clients were geographically isolated from family and community.
D) increasing financial costs to individual residents. - ansAns: A, C
Feedback:
Clients were often far removed from the local community, family, and friends because state institutions were
usually in rural or remote settings. Choices B and D were not major problems associated with large state
instructions.
12. A significant change in the treatment of people with mental illness occurred in the 1950s when
A) community support services were established.
B) legislation dramatically changed civil commitment procedures.
C) the Patient's Bill of Rights was enacted.
D) psychotropic drugs became available for use. - ansAns: D
Feedback:
The development of psychotropic drugs, or drugs used to treat mental illness, began in the 1950s. Answer
choices A, B, and C did not occur in the 1950s.
13. Before the period of the enlightenment, treatment of the mentally ill included
A) creating large institutions to provide custodial care.
B) focusing on religious education to improve their souls.
C) placing the mentally ill on display for the public's amusement.
D) providing a safe refuge or haven offering protection. - ansAns: C
Feedback:
In 1775, visitors at St. Mary's of Bethlehem were charged a fee for viewing and ridiculing the mentally ill, who
were seen as animals, less than human. Custodial care was not often provided as persons who were considered
harmless were allowed to wander in the countryside or live in rural communities, and more dangerous lunatics
were imprisoned, chained, and starved. In early Christian times, primitive beliefs and superstitions were strong.
The mentally ill were viewed as evil or possessed. Priests performed exorcisms to rid evil spirits, and in the
colonies, witch hunts were conducted with offenders burned at the stake. It was not until the period of
enlightenment when persons who were mentally ill were offered asylum as a safe refuge or haven offering
protection at institutions.
