Chapter 1: The History of Mental Health Care
Morrison-Valfre’s Foundations of Mental Health Care in Canada, First Edition
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. The belief of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato that the rational soul controlled the
irrational soul could be compared with the belief of which more recent psychological theorist?
a. Freud
b. Pinel
c. Fisher
d. Rush
ANS: A
Sigmund Freud believed that mental illness was, in part, caused by forces both within and
outside the personality. Philippe Pinel advocated acceptance of mentally ill individuals as
human beings in need of medical assistance. Alice Fisher was a nurse who trained at the
Florence Nightingale Training School and cared for the mentally ill. Dr. Benjamin Rush was
the author of the book Diseases of the Mind.
PTS: 1 DIF: Cognitive Level: Comprehension REF: Early Years
OBJ: 1 KEY: Nursing Process Step: Assessment MSC: Foundations of Practice
2. During the mid-1500s, behaviours associated with mental illness began to be more accurately
recorded by professionals. This practice led to for different abnormal
behaviours.
a. Classifications
b. Diagnosing
c. Treatment
d. Education
ANS: A
Classification of abnormal behaviours did not begin until this time, after the practice of more
accurately recording behaviours had started. Diagnoses, treatment guidelines, and education
regarding mental health disorders were not available during this period.
PTS: 1 DIF: Cognitive Level: Knowledge REF: The Renaissance
OBJ: 1 KEY: Nursing Process Step: Assessment MSC: Foundations of Practice
3. During the latter part of the eighteenth century, psychiatry became a separate branch of
medicine, and inhumane treatment was greatly diminished by which French hospital director?
a. Dix
b. Beers
c. Pinel
d. Carter
ANS: C
Philippe Pinel advocated acceptance of the mentally ill as well as proper treatment. Dorothea
Dix crusaded for construction of mental health hospitals. Clifford Beers wrote the book A
Mind That Found Itself. President Jimmy Carter established the President’s Commission on
Mental Health in 1978.
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PTS: 1 DIF: Cognitive Level: Knowledge REF: Eighteenth Century
OBJ: 4 KEY: Nursing Process Step: Assessment MSC: Foundations of Practice
4. In 1841, surveyed asylums, jails, and almshouses throughout the United
States, Canada, and Scotland and is credited with bringing about public awareness and reform
for the care of the mentally ill.
a. Sigmund Freud
b. John Cade
c. Florence Nightingale
d. Dorothea Dix
ANS: D
Dorothea Dix spent 20 years surveying facilities that housed mentally ill individuals and is
credited with ushering in major changes in the care of the mentally ill. Sigmund Freud
introduced the concept of psychoanalysis, John Cade discovered lithium carbonate for the
treatment of bipolar disorder, and Florence Nightingale trained nurses in England in the
1800s.
PTS: 1 DIF: Cognitive Level: Knowledge REF: Nineteenth Century
OBJ: 4 KEY: Nursing Process Step: Assessment MSC: Foundations of Practice
5. As a direct result of Clifford Beers’ work and his book, A Mind That Found Itself, the
Committee for Mental Hygiene was formed in 1909 with a focus on the prevention of mental
illness and .
a. Early detection of symptoms of mental illness
b. Education of care providers
c. Current treatment options
d. Removing the stigma attached to mental illness
ANS: D
In his book, Clifford Beers reflected on his suicide attempt followed by the deplorable care he
received for the next 3 years in mental hospitals. His work and book raised the consciousness
of people throughout the country regarding the prevention and removal of the stigma of
having a mental illness. Early detection of symptoms, education of care providers, and current
treatment options regarding mental illness were not the focus of his book, nor were they a
priority for the Committee for Mental Hygiene.
PTS: 1 DIF: Cognitive Level: Knowledge REF: Twentieth Century
OBJ: 4 KEY: Nursing Process Step: Assessment MSC: Foundations of Practice
6. During the 1930s, what common treatment for schizophrenia caused patients to fall into a
coma that could last as long as 50 hours?
a. Electroconvulsive therapy
b. Insulin therapy
c. Humoral therapy
d. Amphetamine therapy
ANS: B
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Insulin therapy was believed to successfully treat schizophrenia in the early 1900s.
Amphetamines were used to treat depression, and electroconvulsive therapy was used for
severe depression. Humoral therapy, which originated in ancient Greece and Rome, was based
on the belief that mental illness resulted from an imbalance of the humors of air, fire, water,
and earth.
PTS: 1 DIF: Cognitive Level: Knowledge REF: Influences of War
OBJ: 5 KEY: Nursing Process Step: Assessment MSC: Foundations of Practice
7. In the 1930s, which mental health disorder was electroconvulsive therapy most often used to
treat?
a. Schizophrenia
b. Bipolar disorder
c. Severe depression
d. Violent behaviour
ANS: C
In the 1930s, electroconvulsive therapy was found to be an effective treatment for severe
depression. During this period, schizophrenia was treated with insulin therapy, and violent
behaviour was treated with a lobotomy. In 1949, lithium carbonate was discovered as a
treatment for bipolar disorder.
PTS: 1 DIF: Cognitive Level: Knowledge REF: Influences of War
OBJ: 5 | 6 KEY: Nursing Process Step: Assessment MSC: Foundations of Practice
8. In the early twentieth century, a frontal lobotomy was a common treatment for violent
behaviours. Which description of this procedure is accurate?
a. A procedure that delivers an electrical stimulus to the frontal lobes of the brain.
b. A surgical procedure that drills holes in the front of the skull to drain fluid.
c. A surgical procedure that severs the frontal lobes of the brain from the thalamus.
d. A surgical procedure that inserts implants into the frontal lobes of the brain.
ANS: C
A frontal lobotomy is a surgical procedure in which the frontal lobes of the brain are severed
from the thalamus.
PTS: 1 DIF: Cognitive Level: Knowledge REF: Influences of War
OBJ: 5 KEY: Nursing Process Step: Assessment MSC: Foundations of Practice
9. Which class of drugs was introduced in the 1930s to treat depression?
a. SSRIs
b. Tricyclic antidepressants
c. MAOIs
d. Amphetamines
ANS: D
In the 1930s, amphetamines were found to boost the spirits of depressed people. SSRIs,
tricyclic antidepressants, and MAOIs are antidepressive agents, but they were not discovered
until much later.
PTS: 1 DIF: Cognitive Level: Knowledge REF: Influences of War
OBJ: 5 | 6 KEY: Nursing Process Step: Assessment MSC: Foundations of Practice
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