NUR253 Exam 1 – Concepts of Mental Health Nursing
Questions and Answers
Foundations of Mental Health Nursing
Mental health continuum (wellness → illness)
Definitions of mental illness
Risk factors: personal, social, economic, environmental
Protective factors: resilience, coping skills, family/social support
Levels of prevention: primary, secondary, tertiary
Treatment settings: inpatient, outpatient, least restrictive environment
Therapeutic Communication
Phases of nurse–client relationship: preorientation, orientation, working, termination
Techniques: paraphrasing, reflecting, exploring, projective questioning
Defense mechanisms: denial, displacement, rationalization, dissociation
Peplau’s Theory of Interpersonal Relations
Psychiatric Assessment
Mental Status Examination (MSE): appearance, behavior, speech, mood, affect, thought
process/content, cognition
Recognition of hallucinations, illusions, delusions
Cognitive distortions
Ethical & Legal Issues
Patient rights: informed consent, confidentiality, right to treatment/refusal
Involuntary admission, emergency commitment, AMA discharge
Duty to warn (Tarasoff case)
Seclusion and restraints
Ethical principles: autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, justice, fidelity, veracity
HIPAA compliance
Psychopharmacology Basics
Neurotransmitters: serotonin, dopamine
Introduction to SSRIs, antipsychotics
Side effects: EPS, tardive dyskinesia, neuroleptic malignant syndrome
Resilience & Risk Factors
Definition of resilience: ability to regulate emotions and overcome crises
Protective factors: positive attitudes, family/social support, access to resources
Risk factors: stigma, lack of resources, negative family/cultural support
Mental Health Foundations
Definition of mental health → Ability to adapt to stressors
, Continuum of mental health → Ranges from wellness to illness
Protective factors → Resilience, coping skills, social support
Risk factors → Stigma, lack of resources, negative family support
Levels of prevention → Primary, secondary, tertiary
Therapeutic Communication
Nurse–patient relationship phases → Orientation, working, termination
Best therapeutic response → Open-ended, reflective statements
Non-therapeutic technique → Giving advice, false reassurance
Active listening → Eye contact, paraphrasing, silence
Defense mechanisms → Denial, displacement, rationalization
Psychiatric Assessment
Mental Status Exam components → Appearance, behavior, speech, mood, thought
Hallucination vs. illusion → Hallucination = false sensory perception
Delusion type → Fixed false belief (e.g., persecutory)
Cognitive distortion → All-or-nothing thinking
Projective questioning → “What if you won the lottery?”
Ethical & Legal Issues
Patient rights → Confidentiality, informed consent, refusal of treatment
Involuntary admission → Danger to self/others, unable to care for self
Duty to warn → Tarasoff case
Seclusion/restraints → Last resort, least restrictive principle
Ethical principle → Autonomy = patient’s right to choose
Psychopharmacology Basics
Neurotransmitter in depression → Serotonin
SSRI side effect → Sexual dysfunction
Questions and Answers
Foundations of Mental Health Nursing
Mental health continuum (wellness → illness)
Definitions of mental illness
Risk factors: personal, social, economic, environmental
Protective factors: resilience, coping skills, family/social support
Levels of prevention: primary, secondary, tertiary
Treatment settings: inpatient, outpatient, least restrictive environment
Therapeutic Communication
Phases of nurse–client relationship: preorientation, orientation, working, termination
Techniques: paraphrasing, reflecting, exploring, projective questioning
Defense mechanisms: denial, displacement, rationalization, dissociation
Peplau’s Theory of Interpersonal Relations
Psychiatric Assessment
Mental Status Examination (MSE): appearance, behavior, speech, mood, affect, thought
process/content, cognition
Recognition of hallucinations, illusions, delusions
Cognitive distortions
Ethical & Legal Issues
Patient rights: informed consent, confidentiality, right to treatment/refusal
Involuntary admission, emergency commitment, AMA discharge
Duty to warn (Tarasoff case)
Seclusion and restraints
Ethical principles: autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, justice, fidelity, veracity
HIPAA compliance
Psychopharmacology Basics
Neurotransmitters: serotonin, dopamine
Introduction to SSRIs, antipsychotics
Side effects: EPS, tardive dyskinesia, neuroleptic malignant syndrome
Resilience & Risk Factors
Definition of resilience: ability to regulate emotions and overcome crises
Protective factors: positive attitudes, family/social support, access to resources
Risk factors: stigma, lack of resources, negative family/cultural support
Mental Health Foundations
Definition of mental health → Ability to adapt to stressors
, Continuum of mental health → Ranges from wellness to illness
Protective factors → Resilience, coping skills, social support
Risk factors → Stigma, lack of resources, negative family support
Levels of prevention → Primary, secondary, tertiary
Therapeutic Communication
Nurse–patient relationship phases → Orientation, working, termination
Best therapeutic response → Open-ended, reflective statements
Non-therapeutic technique → Giving advice, false reassurance
Active listening → Eye contact, paraphrasing, silence
Defense mechanisms → Denial, displacement, rationalization
Psychiatric Assessment
Mental Status Exam components → Appearance, behavior, speech, mood, thought
Hallucination vs. illusion → Hallucination = false sensory perception
Delusion type → Fixed false belief (e.g., persecutory)
Cognitive distortion → All-or-nothing thinking
Projective questioning → “What if you won the lottery?”
Ethical & Legal Issues
Patient rights → Confidentiality, informed consent, refusal of treatment
Involuntary admission → Danger to self/others, unable to care for self
Duty to warn → Tarasoff case
Seclusion/restraints → Last resort, least restrictive principle
Ethical principle → Autonomy = patient’s right to choose
Psychopharmacology Basics
Neurotransmitter in depression → Serotonin
SSRI side effect → Sexual dysfunction
