Galen NUR 253 Exam 3 – Mental Health (2026) Actual Questions and Answers
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NUR 253 Exam 3: Mental Health Nursing
Comprehensive 180-Question Bank with Rationales (2026 Curriculum)
Trauma, Stressor-Related, and Dissociative Disorders (Questions 1-45)
1. The nurse is caring for a client who was found confused and wandering around
a playground. The client is unable to identify who they are and where they live.
The nurse expects that the client is experiencing:
a) Dissociative fugue
b) Delirium
c) Amnesia due to head trauma
d) Schizophrenia
Correct Answer: a) Dissociative fugue
Rationale: Dissociative fugue involves sudden, unexpected travel away from home
with the inability to recall one's identity or important autobiographical
information. The client's confusion, wandering, and amnesia regarding personal
identity are consistent with this disorder .
,2. A patient who survived a mass shooting reports recurrent nightmares,
flashbacks, hypervigilance, and avoidance of crowds. These symptoms have
persisted for 4 months. Which diagnosis is most likely?
a) Acute stress disorder
b) Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
c) Generalized anxiety disorder
d) Adjustment disorder
Correct Answer: b) Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Rationale: PTSD requires symptom duration greater than 1 month. Acute stress
disorder is diagnosed when symptoms last less than 1 month. Avoidance, re-
experiencing (flashbacks/nightmares), and hyperarousal (hypervigilance) are
hallmark PTSD symptoms .
3. A patient reports severe anxiety, insomnia, and difficulty concentrating that
began 2 weeks after losing their job. There is no history of trauma. What is the
most likely diagnosis?
a) PTSD
b) Acute stress disorder
c) Adjustment disorder
,d) Major depressive disorder
Correct Answer: c) Adjustment disorder
Rationale: Adjustment disorder occurs within 3 months of an identifiable stressor
(job loss) and causes emotional/behavioral symptoms. It lacks the trauma re-
experiencing seen in PTSD .
4. The nurse is educating a 20-year-old client who has PTSD about the disorder.
The client was sexually assaulted during a live concert. Which of the following is
included in the criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD?
a) Recurring dreams of the incident during the live concert
b) Excessive worry about future concerts
c) Avoidance of all social gatherings
d) Generalized anxiety unrelated to the trauma
Correct Answer: a) Recurring dreams of the incident during the live concert
Rationale: Intrusion symptoms, such as recurring dreams or flashbacks of the
traumatic event, are a core diagnostic criterion for PTSD according to the DSM-5 .
, 5. A patient was in a car accident 3 weeks ago. They report flashbacks,
nightmares, hypervigilance, and avoidance of driving. What is the most likely
diagnosis?
a) PTSD
b) Acute stress disorder
c) Adjustment disorder
d) Panic disorder
Correct Answer: b) Acute stress disorder
Rationale: Acute stress disorder has the same symptoms as PTSD but duration is
between 3 days and 1 month. At 3 weeks, this meets criteria for acute stress
disorder, not PTSD (which requires greater than 1 month) .
6. Which medication is a first-line treatment for nightmares associated with
PTSD?
a) Prazosin
b) Clonidine
c) Propranolol
NUR 253 Exam 3: Mental Health Nursing
Comprehensive 180-Question Bank with Rationales (2026 Curriculum)
Trauma, Stressor-Related, and Dissociative Disorders (Questions 1-45)
1. The nurse is caring for a client who was found confused and wandering around
a playground. The client is unable to identify who they are and where they live.
The nurse expects that the client is experiencing:
a) Dissociative fugue
b) Delirium
c) Amnesia due to head trauma
d) Schizophrenia
Correct Answer: a) Dissociative fugue
Rationale: Dissociative fugue involves sudden, unexpected travel away from home
with the inability to recall one's identity or important autobiographical
information. The client's confusion, wandering, and amnesia regarding personal
identity are consistent with this disorder .
,2. A patient who survived a mass shooting reports recurrent nightmares,
flashbacks, hypervigilance, and avoidance of crowds. These symptoms have
persisted for 4 months. Which diagnosis is most likely?
a) Acute stress disorder
b) Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
c) Generalized anxiety disorder
d) Adjustment disorder
Correct Answer: b) Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Rationale: PTSD requires symptom duration greater than 1 month. Acute stress
disorder is diagnosed when symptoms last less than 1 month. Avoidance, re-
experiencing (flashbacks/nightmares), and hyperarousal (hypervigilance) are
hallmark PTSD symptoms .
3. A patient reports severe anxiety, insomnia, and difficulty concentrating that
began 2 weeks after losing their job. There is no history of trauma. What is the
most likely diagnosis?
a) PTSD
b) Acute stress disorder
c) Adjustment disorder
,d) Major depressive disorder
Correct Answer: c) Adjustment disorder
Rationale: Adjustment disorder occurs within 3 months of an identifiable stressor
(job loss) and causes emotional/behavioral symptoms. It lacks the trauma re-
experiencing seen in PTSD .
4. The nurse is educating a 20-year-old client who has PTSD about the disorder.
The client was sexually assaulted during a live concert. Which of the following is
included in the criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD?
a) Recurring dreams of the incident during the live concert
b) Excessive worry about future concerts
c) Avoidance of all social gatherings
d) Generalized anxiety unrelated to the trauma
Correct Answer: a) Recurring dreams of the incident during the live concert
Rationale: Intrusion symptoms, such as recurring dreams or flashbacks of the
traumatic event, are a core diagnostic criterion for PTSD according to the DSM-5 .
, 5. A patient was in a car accident 3 weeks ago. They report flashbacks,
nightmares, hypervigilance, and avoidance of driving. What is the most likely
diagnosis?
a) PTSD
b) Acute stress disorder
c) Adjustment disorder
d) Panic disorder
Correct Answer: b) Acute stress disorder
Rationale: Acute stress disorder has the same symptoms as PTSD but duration is
between 3 days and 1 month. At 3 weeks, this meets criteria for acute stress
disorder, not PTSD (which requires greater than 1 month) .
6. Which medication is a first-line treatment for nightmares associated with
PTSD?
a) Prazosin
b) Clonidine
c) Propranolol
