Introduction To Mental Health Nursing Module 1
With Complete Solutions Latest Update 2026
Mental health is “the successful adaption to stressors from the internal or external environment,
evidenced by thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that are age-appropriate and congruent with local
and cultural norms”
Mental illness is “maladaptive responses to stressors from the internal or external
environment, evidenced by thought, feelings, and behaviors that are incongruent with the local or
cultural norms, and that interfere with the individuals social, occupational, and/or physical
functioning.”
Social determinants of health
o Non-medical factors that influence health outcomes
Defense mechanisms
Defense Mechanism Example
Compensation A physically disabled boy is unable to participate in
Covering up a real or perceived weakness by football, so he compensates by becoming a great
emphasizing a trait one considers more desirable scholar
Rationalization A patient tells the rehab nurse, “I drink because it's the
Attempting to make excuses or formulate logical only way I can deal with my bad marriage and my worse
reasons to justify unacceptable feelings or behaviors job.”
Denial A women drinks alcohol every day and cannot stop,
Refusing to acknowledge the existence of a real failing to acknowledge that she has a problem
situation or feelings associated with it
Reaction formation A student hates nursing and only attends nursing
Preventing unacceptable or undesirable thoughts or school to please her parents. During career day, she
behaviors from being expressed by exaggerating speaks to prospective students about the excellence of
opposite thoughts or types of behavior nursing as a
career.
Displacement A patient is angry with his physician, does not express
The transfer of feelings from one target to another that is it, but becomes verbally abusive with the nurse
considered less threatening or that is neutral
Regression When a 2 yr old is hospitalized for tonsillitis, he will drink
Retreating in response to stress to an earlier level of only from a bottle, even though his mother states he has
development and the comfort measures associated with been drinking from a cup for 6 months
that level of functioning
Identification A teenager who required lengthy rehabilitation after an
An attempt to increase self-worth by acquiring certain accident decides to become a physical therapist because
attributes and characteristics of an individual one of his experiences
admires
Repression A trauma victim is unable to remember anything about
Involuntary blocking unpleasant feelings and experiences the traumatic event
from one’s awareness
Intellectualization A woman’s husband is being transferred with his job to a
An attempt to avoid expressing actual emotions city far away from her parents. She hides anxiety by
associated with a stressful situation by using the explaining to her parents the advantages associated with
intellectual processes of logic, reasoning, and analysis the move.
Sublimation A mother whose son was killed by a drunk driver
Rechanneling of drives or impulses that are personally or channels her anger and energy into being. The
socially unacceptable into activities that are constructive president of the local chapter of mothers against
drunk driving
Introjection Children integrate their parents' value system into the
Integrating the beliefs and values of another individual process of conscience formation. A child says to a friend,
into one's own ego structure “Don't cheat. It's wrong.”
,Suppression “I don’t want to think about that now. I’ll think about that
The voluntary blocking of unpleasant feelings and tomorrow.”
experiences from one’s awareness
Isolation A young woman describes being attacked and raped
Separating a thought or memory from the feeling, tone, or without showing any emotion
emotion associated with it
Undoing A man is nervous about his new job and yells at his
Symbolically negating or canceling out an experience wife. On his way home he stops and buys her some
that one finds intolerable flowers
Projection A man who is addicted to alcohol blames his wife for his
Attributing feelings or impulse unacceptable to oneself to excessive drinking
another person
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
o Self-actualization
Possesses a feeling of self-fulfillment and realization of his or her highest potential
o Self-esteem/ Respect of others
Seeks self-respect and respect from others, works to achieve success and
recognition in work, and desires prestige from accomplishments
o Love and belonging
Needs are for giving and receiving of affection, companionship,
satisfactory interpersonal relationships, and identification with a group
o Safety and security
Needs at this level are for avoiding harm, maintaining comfort, order,
structure, physical safety, freedom from fear, and protection
o Physiological needs
Basic fundamental needs include food, water, air, sleep, exercise, elimination,
shelter, and sexual expression
Risk factors for developing a mental disorder
o Sleep wakefulness cycle
Circadian rhythms
Abnormal circadian rhythms have been associated with a variety of
mental illnesses including:
o Depression
o Bipolar disorder
o Seasonal affective disorder
Sleep cycle
o Stage 0- Alpha
This stage of the sleep-wakefulness cycle is characterized by
a relaxed, waking state with eyes closed. The alpha brain
wave rhythm has a frequency of 8 to 12 cycles per second
o Stage 1- Beta
Characterized by the transition into sleep, a period of dozing
in which thoughts wander and the person drifts in and out of
sleep. Beta brain wave rhythm has a frequency of 18 to 25
cycles per second
o Stage 2- Theta
This stage comprises about one half of the time spent
sleeping. Eye movement and muscular activity are minimal.
Theta brain wave rhythm has a frequency of 4 to 7 cycles
per sound.
o Stage 3- Delta
This is a period of deep and restful sleep. Muscles are relaxed,
, heart rate and blood pressure fall, and breathing slows. No
eye movement occurs. Delta brain wave rhythm has a frequency
of 1.5
- 3 cycles per second
o Stage 4- Delta
This is the stage of deepest sleep. Individuals with insomnia or
other sleep disorders often do not experience this stage of
sleep.
With Complete Solutions Latest Update 2026
Mental health is “the successful adaption to stressors from the internal or external environment,
evidenced by thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that are age-appropriate and congruent with local
and cultural norms”
Mental illness is “maladaptive responses to stressors from the internal or external
environment, evidenced by thought, feelings, and behaviors that are incongruent with the local or
cultural norms, and that interfere with the individuals social, occupational, and/or physical
functioning.”
Social determinants of health
o Non-medical factors that influence health outcomes
Defense mechanisms
Defense Mechanism Example
Compensation A physically disabled boy is unable to participate in
Covering up a real or perceived weakness by football, so he compensates by becoming a great
emphasizing a trait one considers more desirable scholar
Rationalization A patient tells the rehab nurse, “I drink because it's the
Attempting to make excuses or formulate logical only way I can deal with my bad marriage and my worse
reasons to justify unacceptable feelings or behaviors job.”
Denial A women drinks alcohol every day and cannot stop,
Refusing to acknowledge the existence of a real failing to acknowledge that she has a problem
situation or feelings associated with it
Reaction formation A student hates nursing and only attends nursing
Preventing unacceptable or undesirable thoughts or school to please her parents. During career day, she
behaviors from being expressed by exaggerating speaks to prospective students about the excellence of
opposite thoughts or types of behavior nursing as a
career.
Displacement A patient is angry with his physician, does not express
The transfer of feelings from one target to another that is it, but becomes verbally abusive with the nurse
considered less threatening or that is neutral
Regression When a 2 yr old is hospitalized for tonsillitis, he will drink
Retreating in response to stress to an earlier level of only from a bottle, even though his mother states he has
development and the comfort measures associated with been drinking from a cup for 6 months
that level of functioning
Identification A teenager who required lengthy rehabilitation after an
An attempt to increase self-worth by acquiring certain accident decides to become a physical therapist because
attributes and characteristics of an individual one of his experiences
admires
Repression A trauma victim is unable to remember anything about
Involuntary blocking unpleasant feelings and experiences the traumatic event
from one’s awareness
Intellectualization A woman’s husband is being transferred with his job to a
An attempt to avoid expressing actual emotions city far away from her parents. She hides anxiety by
associated with a stressful situation by using the explaining to her parents the advantages associated with
intellectual processes of logic, reasoning, and analysis the move.
Sublimation A mother whose son was killed by a drunk driver
Rechanneling of drives or impulses that are personally or channels her anger and energy into being. The
socially unacceptable into activities that are constructive president of the local chapter of mothers against
drunk driving
Introjection Children integrate their parents' value system into the
Integrating the beliefs and values of another individual process of conscience formation. A child says to a friend,
into one's own ego structure “Don't cheat. It's wrong.”
,Suppression “I don’t want to think about that now. I’ll think about that
The voluntary blocking of unpleasant feelings and tomorrow.”
experiences from one’s awareness
Isolation A young woman describes being attacked and raped
Separating a thought or memory from the feeling, tone, or without showing any emotion
emotion associated with it
Undoing A man is nervous about his new job and yells at his
Symbolically negating or canceling out an experience wife. On his way home he stops and buys her some
that one finds intolerable flowers
Projection A man who is addicted to alcohol blames his wife for his
Attributing feelings or impulse unacceptable to oneself to excessive drinking
another person
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
o Self-actualization
Possesses a feeling of self-fulfillment and realization of his or her highest potential
o Self-esteem/ Respect of others
Seeks self-respect and respect from others, works to achieve success and
recognition in work, and desires prestige from accomplishments
o Love and belonging
Needs are for giving and receiving of affection, companionship,
satisfactory interpersonal relationships, and identification with a group
o Safety and security
Needs at this level are for avoiding harm, maintaining comfort, order,
structure, physical safety, freedom from fear, and protection
o Physiological needs
Basic fundamental needs include food, water, air, sleep, exercise, elimination,
shelter, and sexual expression
Risk factors for developing a mental disorder
o Sleep wakefulness cycle
Circadian rhythms
Abnormal circadian rhythms have been associated with a variety of
mental illnesses including:
o Depression
o Bipolar disorder
o Seasonal affective disorder
Sleep cycle
o Stage 0- Alpha
This stage of the sleep-wakefulness cycle is characterized by
a relaxed, waking state with eyes closed. The alpha brain
wave rhythm has a frequency of 8 to 12 cycles per second
o Stage 1- Beta
Characterized by the transition into sleep, a period of dozing
in which thoughts wander and the person drifts in and out of
sleep. Beta brain wave rhythm has a frequency of 18 to 25
cycles per second
o Stage 2- Theta
This stage comprises about one half of the time spent
sleeping. Eye movement and muscular activity are minimal.
Theta brain wave rhythm has a frequency of 4 to 7 cycles
per sound.
o Stage 3- Delta
This is a period of deep and restful sleep. Muscles are relaxed,
, heart rate and blood pressure fall, and breathing slows. No
eye movement occurs. Delta brain wave rhythm has a frequency
of 1.5
- 3 cycles per second
o Stage 4- Delta
This is the stage of deepest sleep. Individuals with insomnia or
other sleep disorders often do not experience this stage of
sleep.
