NUR2459 / NUR 2459: Exam 2 – Mental and Behavioral Health Nursing
Practice Questions & Answers
Instructions: This document contains 100 practice questions covering key concepts for Exam 2.
The correct answer for each question is marked with a ✓. Use this resource to test your
knowledge and identify areas for further study.
Section 1: Legal, Ethical, and Foundational Concepts
1. The primary purpose of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act is to:
a) Ensure all states have involuntary commitment laws.
b) Mandate that insurance coverage for mental health conditions is no more restrictive than
,coverage for physical health conditions. ✓
c) Provide federal funding for state psychiatric hospitals.
d) Define the legal rights of patients undergoing psychiatric treatment.
2. A patient with severe depression who has refused food and fluids for three days is
admitted. The nurse knows that treating this patient against their will is justified under which
legal principle?
a) Informed consent
b) Parens patriae ✓
c) Res ipsa loquitur
d) Duty to warn
3. A client on the unit threatens to "find and hurt" a specific family member after discharge.
The nurse's primary legal responsibility is to:
a) Increase the client's medication immediately.
b) Notify the potential victim and the police. ✓
c) Place the client in seclusion.
d) Document the threat in the chart and monitor the situation.
4. The ethical principle of autonomy is best demonstrated when the nurse:
a) Administers a prescribed antipsychotic injection to an agitated patient for safety.
b) Respects a competent patient's refusal to participate in group therapy, despite the nurse's
belief it would be helpful. ✓
c) Shares limited information with a patient's family to protect the patient's privacy.
d) Ensures that resources are distributed fairly among all patients on the unit.
5. During an initial assessment, which action by the nurse best establishes a therapeutic
nurse-patient relationship?
a) Offering personal advice about the patient's relationship problems.
b) Setting clear and consistent limits on patient behavior.
c) Conveying genuine interest and empathetic understanding. ✓
d) Ensuring the patient knows the nurse is in a position of authority.
Section 2: Therapeutic Communication & The Nurse-Client Relationship
6. A patient states, "I'm just a waste of space. Everyone would be better off without me." The
nurse's most therapeutic response is:
a) "That's not true. You have so much to live for."
b) "Tell me more about feeling like a waste of space." ✓
, c) "Have you had thoughts of harming yourself?"
d) "You're feeling depressed now, but that will change."
7. Which statement by the nurse is an example of the communication technique of
"focusing"?
a) "You've mentioned several problems with your husband. Let's discuss the argument last night
first." ✓
b) "I notice you're tapping your foot. Are you feeling anxious?"
c) "So what I hear you saying is that you feel overwhelmed by the new diagnosis."
d) "Can you describe what the voices are telling you right now?"
8. A patient with schizophrenia says, "The moon is full of green cheese." The nurse's best
response is:
a) "That's not logical. The moon is made of rock."
b) "I understand you believe that, but I see things differently."
c) "Tell me more about the moon." ✓
d) "Let's talk about something real, like your plans for today."
9. During the orientation phase of the nurse-patient relationship, the most important nursing
task is to:
a) Encourage deep exploration of painful childhood memories.
b) Build trust and establish roles, boundaries, and confidentiality. ✓
c) Evaluate the patient's progress toward therapeutic goals.
d) Prepare the patient for termination of the relationship.
10. A patient is silent for most of a one-on-one session. The nurse should:
a) End the session early since the patient isn't participating.
b) Use the time to provide education about their medication.
c) Sit with the patient and state, "You're quiet today. I'm here if you'd like to talk." ✓
d) Ask a series of closed-ended questions to prompt discussion.
Section 3: Schizophrenia Spectrum & Other Psychotic Disorders
11. The nurse understands that positive symptoms of schizophrenia are best described as:
a) Behaviors that are deficits or losses from normal function (e.g., flat affect, avolition).
b) Behaviors that are exaggerations or distortions of normal function (e.g., hallucinations,
delusions). ✓
c) Symptoms that are always present from the onset of the disorder.
d) Symptoms that respond better to conventional antipsychotics than negative symptoms.
Practice Questions & Answers
Instructions: This document contains 100 practice questions covering key concepts for Exam 2.
The correct answer for each question is marked with a ✓. Use this resource to test your
knowledge and identify areas for further study.
Section 1: Legal, Ethical, and Foundational Concepts
1. The primary purpose of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act is to:
a) Ensure all states have involuntary commitment laws.
b) Mandate that insurance coverage for mental health conditions is no more restrictive than
,coverage for physical health conditions. ✓
c) Provide federal funding for state psychiatric hospitals.
d) Define the legal rights of patients undergoing psychiatric treatment.
2. A patient with severe depression who has refused food and fluids for three days is
admitted. The nurse knows that treating this patient against their will is justified under which
legal principle?
a) Informed consent
b) Parens patriae ✓
c) Res ipsa loquitur
d) Duty to warn
3. A client on the unit threatens to "find and hurt" a specific family member after discharge.
The nurse's primary legal responsibility is to:
a) Increase the client's medication immediately.
b) Notify the potential victim and the police. ✓
c) Place the client in seclusion.
d) Document the threat in the chart and monitor the situation.
4. The ethical principle of autonomy is best demonstrated when the nurse:
a) Administers a prescribed antipsychotic injection to an agitated patient for safety.
b) Respects a competent patient's refusal to participate in group therapy, despite the nurse's
belief it would be helpful. ✓
c) Shares limited information with a patient's family to protect the patient's privacy.
d) Ensures that resources are distributed fairly among all patients on the unit.
5. During an initial assessment, which action by the nurse best establishes a therapeutic
nurse-patient relationship?
a) Offering personal advice about the patient's relationship problems.
b) Setting clear and consistent limits on patient behavior.
c) Conveying genuine interest and empathetic understanding. ✓
d) Ensuring the patient knows the nurse is in a position of authority.
Section 2: Therapeutic Communication & The Nurse-Client Relationship
6. A patient states, "I'm just a waste of space. Everyone would be better off without me." The
nurse's most therapeutic response is:
a) "That's not true. You have so much to live for."
b) "Tell me more about feeling like a waste of space." ✓
, c) "Have you had thoughts of harming yourself?"
d) "You're feeling depressed now, but that will change."
7. Which statement by the nurse is an example of the communication technique of
"focusing"?
a) "You've mentioned several problems with your husband. Let's discuss the argument last night
first." ✓
b) "I notice you're tapping your foot. Are you feeling anxious?"
c) "So what I hear you saying is that you feel overwhelmed by the new diagnosis."
d) "Can you describe what the voices are telling you right now?"
8. A patient with schizophrenia says, "The moon is full of green cheese." The nurse's best
response is:
a) "That's not logical. The moon is made of rock."
b) "I understand you believe that, but I see things differently."
c) "Tell me more about the moon." ✓
d) "Let's talk about something real, like your plans for today."
9. During the orientation phase of the nurse-patient relationship, the most important nursing
task is to:
a) Encourage deep exploration of painful childhood memories.
b) Build trust and establish roles, boundaries, and confidentiality. ✓
c) Evaluate the patient's progress toward therapeutic goals.
d) Prepare the patient for termination of the relationship.
10. A patient is silent for most of a one-on-one session. The nurse should:
a) End the session early since the patient isn't participating.
b) Use the time to provide education about their medication.
c) Sit with the patient and state, "You're quiet today. I'm here if you'd like to talk." ✓
d) Ask a series of closed-ended questions to prompt discussion.
Section 3: Schizophrenia Spectrum & Other Psychotic Disorders
11. The nurse understands that positive symptoms of schizophrenia are best described as:
a) Behaviors that are deficits or losses from normal function (e.g., flat affect, avolition).
b) Behaviors that are exaggerations or distortions of normal function (e.g., hallucinations,
delusions). ✓
c) Symptoms that are always present from the onset of the disorder.
d) Symptoms that respond better to conventional antipsychotics than negative symptoms.
