A+ VERIFIED
NURSING · OBJECTIVE ASSESSMENT
NUR 253 Exam 3 Mental Health
— Complete
Official Exam
50 Questions Full Rationales Verified Answers
50 5 100%
QUESTIONS SECTIONS RATIONALES
Complete coverage Core exam domains Every answer explained
WHAT THIS COVERS
01 Mood Disorders & Suicide Risk
02 Anxiety, OCD & Trauma-Related Disorders
03 Psychotic Disorders & Schizophrenia
04 Personality Disorders & Substance Use
05 Eating Disorders & Somatic Symptom Disorders
ABOUT THIS ASSESSMENT
Build mastery in mental health nursing — from mood disorders and suicide risk to anxiety, OCD, trauma-related disorders, schizophrenia, personality
disorders, substance use, eating disorders, and somatic symptom disorders. This original study bank targets application and analysis skills for NUR
253 Exam 3, with full rationales for every answer. For review use only; not an institutional proctored assessment.
PASSING SCORE LEVEL FORMAT
80% Intermediate (Nursing Course) Application / Analysis
STUVIA ACTUAL EXAM Page 1
, SECTION 1: MOOD DISORDERS & SUICIDE RISK
Q1.
A 34-year-old client is admitted after a near-lethal overdose. The client states, “I just want the pain to stop; nothing else matters.”
While completing the suicide risk assessment, the nurse prioritizes which immediate action?
A. Explore long-term career goals to restore hope.
B. Encourage the client to write a detailed suicide note for later review.
C. Schedule the first outpatient therapy appointment before addressing safety.
D. Remove all potentially harmful objects from the environment and initiate continuous observation according to unit protocol.
Correct Answer: D
Rationale:
Safety is the priority. Environmental precautions and appropriate level of observation reduce the opportunity for self-harm while the acute crisis is
managed. Longer-term interventions follow once immediate safety is secured.
Q2.
A client with major depressive disorder has been taking a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor for three weeks and reports
improved energy but still feels hopeless. The nurse recognizes that this combination of symptoms requires heightened monitoring
for which reason?
A. The medication has clearly failed and must be stopped immediately.
B. SSRIs never affect suicide risk at any point in treatment.
C. Hopefulness always returns before energy, so the client is out of danger.
D. Increased energy with persistent hopelessness can elevate the risk of acting on suicidal ideation before mood fully improves.
Correct Answer: D
Rationale:
Early in antidepressant treatment, energy and motivation may return before the mood lifts, creating a window of increased risk for planned self-harm.
Close monitoring and safety planning are essential during this period.
, SECTION 1: MOOD DISORDERS & SUICIDE RISK
Q3.
A client diagnosed with bipolar I disorder is admitted in a manic episode, speaking rapidly, sleeping two hours a night, and starting
multiple unrealistic business ventures. Which nursing intervention is most appropriate during the acute phase?
A. Encourage group therapy focused on insight into childhood trauma.
B. Allow unrestricted visitors and continuous television to prevent boredom.
C. Provide a calm, structured environment with reduced stimulation and high-calorie finger foods.
D. Challenge every grandiose statement to restore reality testing immediately.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale:
During acute mania the priority is safety, decreased environmental stimulation, and meeting basic physiological needs (nutrition, sleep, hydration).
Insight-oriented work and confrontation are counterproductive until the acute episode stabilizes.
Q4.
A client who recently started lithium therapy for bipolar disorder reports nausea, fine hand tremor, and mild thirst. Serum lithium
level is 0.9 mEq/L. How should the nurse interpret these findings?
A. These are signs of severe lithium toxicity requiring immediate dialysis.
B. The level is subtherapeutic, so the dose must be doubled at once.
C. These are common early side effects within the therapeutic range; the nurse should continue monitoring and reinforce fluid intake.
D. The client is experiencing an allergic reaction and the drug must be permanently discontinued.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale:
A level of 0.9 mEq/L is within the usual therapeutic window. Transient gastrointestinal upset, fine tremor, and thirst are expected early side effects;
patient education and ongoing monitoring are appropriate.
STUVIA ACTUAL EXAM · Page 2
NURSING · OBJECTIVE ASSESSMENT
NUR 253 Exam 3 Mental Health
— Complete
Official Exam
50 Questions Full Rationales Verified Answers
50 5 100%
QUESTIONS SECTIONS RATIONALES
Complete coverage Core exam domains Every answer explained
WHAT THIS COVERS
01 Mood Disorders & Suicide Risk
02 Anxiety, OCD & Trauma-Related Disorders
03 Psychotic Disorders & Schizophrenia
04 Personality Disorders & Substance Use
05 Eating Disorders & Somatic Symptom Disorders
ABOUT THIS ASSESSMENT
Build mastery in mental health nursing — from mood disorders and suicide risk to anxiety, OCD, trauma-related disorders, schizophrenia, personality
disorders, substance use, eating disorders, and somatic symptom disorders. This original study bank targets application and analysis skills for NUR
253 Exam 3, with full rationales for every answer. For review use only; not an institutional proctored assessment.
PASSING SCORE LEVEL FORMAT
80% Intermediate (Nursing Course) Application / Analysis
STUVIA ACTUAL EXAM Page 1
, SECTION 1: MOOD DISORDERS & SUICIDE RISK
Q1.
A 34-year-old client is admitted after a near-lethal overdose. The client states, “I just want the pain to stop; nothing else matters.”
While completing the suicide risk assessment, the nurse prioritizes which immediate action?
A. Explore long-term career goals to restore hope.
B. Encourage the client to write a detailed suicide note for later review.
C. Schedule the first outpatient therapy appointment before addressing safety.
D. Remove all potentially harmful objects from the environment and initiate continuous observation according to unit protocol.
Correct Answer: D
Rationale:
Safety is the priority. Environmental precautions and appropriate level of observation reduce the opportunity for self-harm while the acute crisis is
managed. Longer-term interventions follow once immediate safety is secured.
Q2.
A client with major depressive disorder has been taking a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor for three weeks and reports
improved energy but still feels hopeless. The nurse recognizes that this combination of symptoms requires heightened monitoring
for which reason?
A. The medication has clearly failed and must be stopped immediately.
B. SSRIs never affect suicide risk at any point in treatment.
C. Hopefulness always returns before energy, so the client is out of danger.
D. Increased energy with persistent hopelessness can elevate the risk of acting on suicidal ideation before mood fully improves.
Correct Answer: D
Rationale:
Early in antidepressant treatment, energy and motivation may return before the mood lifts, creating a window of increased risk for planned self-harm.
Close monitoring and safety planning are essential during this period.
, SECTION 1: MOOD DISORDERS & SUICIDE RISK
Q3.
A client diagnosed with bipolar I disorder is admitted in a manic episode, speaking rapidly, sleeping two hours a night, and starting
multiple unrealistic business ventures. Which nursing intervention is most appropriate during the acute phase?
A. Encourage group therapy focused on insight into childhood trauma.
B. Allow unrestricted visitors and continuous television to prevent boredom.
C. Provide a calm, structured environment with reduced stimulation and high-calorie finger foods.
D. Challenge every grandiose statement to restore reality testing immediately.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale:
During acute mania the priority is safety, decreased environmental stimulation, and meeting basic physiological needs (nutrition, sleep, hydration).
Insight-oriented work and confrontation are counterproductive until the acute episode stabilizes.
Q4.
A client who recently started lithium therapy for bipolar disorder reports nausea, fine hand tremor, and mild thirst. Serum lithium
level is 0.9 mEq/L. How should the nurse interpret these findings?
A. These are signs of severe lithium toxicity requiring immediate dialysis.
B. The level is subtherapeutic, so the dose must be doubled at once.
C. These are common early side effects within the therapeutic range; the nurse should continue monitoring and reinforce fluid intake.
D. The client is experiencing an allergic reaction and the drug must be permanently discontinued.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale:
A level of 0.9 mEq/L is within the usual therapeutic window. Transient gastrointestinal upset, fine tremor, and thirst are expected early side effects;
patient education and ongoing monitoring are appropriate.
STUVIA ACTUAL EXAM · Page 2
