PSYCHIATRIC AND MENTAL HEALTH
NURSING EXAM 2025| 100 QUESTIONS
WITH VERIFIED ANSWERS AND
EXPLANATIONS
1. Which of the following statements best describes a mentally healthy individual?
A. Has ability to make decisions
B. Does not exhibit physical and emotional problems
C. Has self-acceptance and can meet his own basic needs
D. Has absence of anxiety and happy
Correct Answer: C. Has self-acceptance and can meet his own basic needs
Explanation: A mentally healthy individual demonstrates self-acceptance and the ability to meet
basic psychological and physical needs, reflecting resilience and adaptive functioning. Options
A, B, and D are incomplete or overly simplistic, as mental health involves more than decision-
making, absence of problems, or constant happiness.
2. The most important role of the Psychiatric nurse as a member of the team is to:
A. Carry out medical orders
B. Meet the needs for the physical well-being of the client
C. Coordinate the psychological care and management of clients
D. Keep a constant monitoring of the clients
Correct Answer: C. Coordinate the psychological care and management of clients
Explanation: The psychiatric nurse’s primary role is to coordinate psychological care,
integrating therapeutic interventions and ensuring holistic management of the client’s mental
health needs. While other roles like carrying out orders or monitoring are important, coordination
is central to the nurse’s function in a multidisciplinary team.
3. Therapeutic use of self is essential in relating with psychiatric clients. This is BEST
demonstrated in:
A. Sympathizing with the miserable feelings of the patient
, B. Engaging patient in productive activity
C. Engaging patient in introspective thinking
D. Suppressing her own feelings toward the patient
Correct Answer: C. Engaging patient in introspective thinking
Explanation: Therapeutic use of self involves using the nurse’s presence and interaction to
foster the client’s self-awareness and insight, often through introspective thinking. Sympathizing
may blur boundaries, engaging in activities is supportive but less central, and suppressing
feelings is not therapeutic engagement.
4. The superego is the part of the psyche which:
A. Has sense of punishment
B. Contains primitive and instinctual drives
C. Makes use of defense mechanism
D. Forms adequate solutions to a problem
Correct Answer: A. Has sense of punishment
Explanation: The superego, per Freud’s psychoanalytic theory, represents internalized moral
standards and is responsible for feelings of guilt or punishment when these standards are
violated. Instinctual drives are part of the id, defense mechanisms are ego functions, and
problem-solving is an ego task.
5. Suppression is best defined as:
A. Voluntary exclusion from consciousness unpleasant feelings, experiences, and
thoughts
B. Involuntary exclusion from consciousness unpleasant feelings, experiences and
thoughts
C. Channeling unacceptable desires into a socially acceptable behavior
D. Excessive reasoning or logic to avoid disturbed feelings
Correct Answer: A. Voluntary exclusion from consciousness unpleasant feelings, experiences,
and thoughts
Explanation: Suppression is a conscious defense mechanism where an individual deliberately
pushes aside distressing thoughts or feelings. Involuntary exclusion is repression, channeling
desires is sublimation, and excessive reasoning is rationalization.
,6. The unconscious defense mechanism that keeps highly anxious experiences out of
conscious awareness is:
A. Introjection
B. Displacement
C. Regression
D. Repression
Correct Answer: D. Repression
Explanation: Repression is an unconscious defense mechanism that keeps anxiety-provoking
thoughts or experiences out of conscious awareness. Introjection involves internalizing external
traits, displacement redirects emotions, and regression reverts to earlier behaviors.
7. A defense mechanism wherein the individual dispels an action is:
A. Fantasy
B. Undoing
C. Symbolism
D. Substitution
Correct Answer: B. Undoing
Explanation: Undoing involves performing an action to reverse or “undo” a previous
unacceptable action or thought, often to reduce guilt or anxiety. Fantasy involves daydreaming,
symbolism represents ideas indirectly, and substitution replaces one object with another.
8. A male college student who wants to become an athlete but fails becomes a well-known
writer. This is an example of:
A. Compensation
B. Projection
C. Reaction Formation
D. Sublimation
Correct Answer: A. Compensation
Explanation: Compensation occurs when an individual excels in one area to make up for
perceived deficiencies in another, as seen in becoming a writer after failing as an athlete.
Projection attributes feelings to others, reaction formation expresses the opposite of true feelings,
and sublimation channels impulses into socially acceptable behaviors.
, 9. A third-year student does a postmortem care without being disturbed by thought of
death. He is using:
A. Isolation
B. Undoing
C. Introjection
D. Projection
Correct Answer: A. Isolation
Explanation: Isolation is a defense mechanism where emotions are separated from thoughts,
allowing the student to perform postmortem care without emotional distress about death.
Undoing reverses actions, introjection internalizes traits, and projection attributes feelings to
others.
10. A Biological/Medical approach to patient care utilizes which of the following?
A. Milieu Therapy
B. Somatic Therapy
C. Behavioral Therapy
D. Psychotherapy
Correct Answer: B. Somatic Therapy
Explanation: The biological/medical approach focuses on physical interventions like medication
or electroconvulsive therapy, known as somatic therapy. Milieu therapy involves the therapeutic
environment, behavioral therapy modifies behaviors, and psychotherapy addresses psychological
issues.
11. The psychiatric nurse’s role in primary prevention includes the following EXCEPT:
A. Providing sex education classes for adolescents
B. Educating the public about mental health
C. Handling crisis intervention in an outpatient setting
D. Stress education and psychosocial support
Correct Answer: C. Handling crisis intervention in an outpatient setting
Explanation: Primary prevention aims to prevent mental health issues through education and
NURSING EXAM 2025| 100 QUESTIONS
WITH VERIFIED ANSWERS AND
EXPLANATIONS
1. Which of the following statements best describes a mentally healthy individual?
A. Has ability to make decisions
B. Does not exhibit physical and emotional problems
C. Has self-acceptance and can meet his own basic needs
D. Has absence of anxiety and happy
Correct Answer: C. Has self-acceptance and can meet his own basic needs
Explanation: A mentally healthy individual demonstrates self-acceptance and the ability to meet
basic psychological and physical needs, reflecting resilience and adaptive functioning. Options
A, B, and D are incomplete or overly simplistic, as mental health involves more than decision-
making, absence of problems, or constant happiness.
2. The most important role of the Psychiatric nurse as a member of the team is to:
A. Carry out medical orders
B. Meet the needs for the physical well-being of the client
C. Coordinate the psychological care and management of clients
D. Keep a constant monitoring of the clients
Correct Answer: C. Coordinate the psychological care and management of clients
Explanation: The psychiatric nurse’s primary role is to coordinate psychological care,
integrating therapeutic interventions and ensuring holistic management of the client’s mental
health needs. While other roles like carrying out orders or monitoring are important, coordination
is central to the nurse’s function in a multidisciplinary team.
3. Therapeutic use of self is essential in relating with psychiatric clients. This is BEST
demonstrated in:
A. Sympathizing with the miserable feelings of the patient
, B. Engaging patient in productive activity
C. Engaging patient in introspective thinking
D. Suppressing her own feelings toward the patient
Correct Answer: C. Engaging patient in introspective thinking
Explanation: Therapeutic use of self involves using the nurse’s presence and interaction to
foster the client’s self-awareness and insight, often through introspective thinking. Sympathizing
may blur boundaries, engaging in activities is supportive but less central, and suppressing
feelings is not therapeutic engagement.
4. The superego is the part of the psyche which:
A. Has sense of punishment
B. Contains primitive and instinctual drives
C. Makes use of defense mechanism
D. Forms adequate solutions to a problem
Correct Answer: A. Has sense of punishment
Explanation: The superego, per Freud’s psychoanalytic theory, represents internalized moral
standards and is responsible for feelings of guilt or punishment when these standards are
violated. Instinctual drives are part of the id, defense mechanisms are ego functions, and
problem-solving is an ego task.
5. Suppression is best defined as:
A. Voluntary exclusion from consciousness unpleasant feelings, experiences, and
thoughts
B. Involuntary exclusion from consciousness unpleasant feelings, experiences and
thoughts
C. Channeling unacceptable desires into a socially acceptable behavior
D. Excessive reasoning or logic to avoid disturbed feelings
Correct Answer: A. Voluntary exclusion from consciousness unpleasant feelings, experiences,
and thoughts
Explanation: Suppression is a conscious defense mechanism where an individual deliberately
pushes aside distressing thoughts or feelings. Involuntary exclusion is repression, channeling
desires is sublimation, and excessive reasoning is rationalization.
,6. The unconscious defense mechanism that keeps highly anxious experiences out of
conscious awareness is:
A. Introjection
B. Displacement
C. Regression
D. Repression
Correct Answer: D. Repression
Explanation: Repression is an unconscious defense mechanism that keeps anxiety-provoking
thoughts or experiences out of conscious awareness. Introjection involves internalizing external
traits, displacement redirects emotions, and regression reverts to earlier behaviors.
7. A defense mechanism wherein the individual dispels an action is:
A. Fantasy
B. Undoing
C. Symbolism
D. Substitution
Correct Answer: B. Undoing
Explanation: Undoing involves performing an action to reverse or “undo” a previous
unacceptable action or thought, often to reduce guilt or anxiety. Fantasy involves daydreaming,
symbolism represents ideas indirectly, and substitution replaces one object with another.
8. A male college student who wants to become an athlete but fails becomes a well-known
writer. This is an example of:
A. Compensation
B. Projection
C. Reaction Formation
D. Sublimation
Correct Answer: A. Compensation
Explanation: Compensation occurs when an individual excels in one area to make up for
perceived deficiencies in another, as seen in becoming a writer after failing as an athlete.
Projection attributes feelings to others, reaction formation expresses the opposite of true feelings,
and sublimation channels impulses into socially acceptable behaviors.
, 9. A third-year student does a postmortem care without being disturbed by thought of
death. He is using:
A. Isolation
B. Undoing
C. Introjection
D. Projection
Correct Answer: A. Isolation
Explanation: Isolation is a defense mechanism where emotions are separated from thoughts,
allowing the student to perform postmortem care without emotional distress about death.
Undoing reverses actions, introjection internalizes traits, and projection attributes feelings to
others.
10. A Biological/Medical approach to patient care utilizes which of the following?
A. Milieu Therapy
B. Somatic Therapy
C. Behavioral Therapy
D. Psychotherapy
Correct Answer: B. Somatic Therapy
Explanation: The biological/medical approach focuses on physical interventions like medication
or electroconvulsive therapy, known as somatic therapy. Milieu therapy involves the therapeutic
environment, behavioral therapy modifies behaviors, and psychotherapy addresses psychological
issues.
11. The psychiatric nurse’s role in primary prevention includes the following EXCEPT:
A. Providing sex education classes for adolescents
B. Educating the public about mental health
C. Handling crisis intervention in an outpatient setting
D. Stress education and psychosocial support
Correct Answer: C. Handling crisis intervention in an outpatient setting
Explanation: Primary prevention aims to prevent mental health issues through education and
