TEST BANK
Test Bank for The Psychiatric Interview, 4th Edition
Refine your diagnostic dialogue with the Test Bank for The Psychiatric Interview, 4th
Edition by Daniel J. Carlat, MD. This indispensable resource delivers over 800
multiple-choice, true/false, and scenario-based questions across 15 chapters, with
detailed rationales, answer keys, and references to DSM-5-TR criteria. Hone skills in
building rapport, eliciting history, assessing suicide risk, diagnosing mood and
anxiety disorders, and navigating cultural nuances—updated for 2025 with
telepsychiatry protocols, trauma-informed interviewing, and equity-focused
techniques amid rising mental health demands.
Aligned with ABPN certification and APA guidelines, it's ideal for psychiatry
residents, PMHNP students, or primary care providers, fostering empathetic,
evidence-based practice through Carlat's signature role-plays and ethical dilemmas.
Simulate patient encounters, sharpen differential diagnosis, and elevate therapeutic
alliances for transformative care.
Instantly downloadable on Stuvia, all chapters included. Unlock interview
excellence—download today and connect profoundly!
,Test Bank for the psychiatric interview 4th Edition by Carlat.
(Chapter 1-Chapter 3) The Initial Interview: A Preview Chapter 2: Logistic Preparations: What to
Do Before the Interview
Chapter 3: The Therapeutic Alliance: What It Is, Why It's Important, and How to Establish It
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Which outcome, focused on recovery, would be expected in the plan of care for a patient
living in the community and diagnosed with serious and persistent mental illness? Within 3
months, the patient will:
a. deny suicidal ideation.
b. report a sense of well-being.
c. take medications as prescribed.
d. attend clinic appointments on time.
ANS: B
Recovery emphasizes managing symptoms, reducing psychosocial disability, and improving role
performance. The goal of recovery is to empower the individual with mental illness to achieve a
sense of meaning and satisfaction in life and to function at the highest possible level of wellness.
The incorrect options focus on the classic medical model rather than recovery.
2. A patient is hospitalized for depression and suicidal ideation after their spouse asks for a divorce.
Select the nurses most caring comment.
a. Let’s discuss some means of coping other than suicide when you have these feelings.
b. I understand why youre so depressed. When I got divorced, I was devastated too.
c. You should forget about your marriage and move on with your life.
d. How did you get so depressed that hospitalization was necessary?
ANS: A
The nurse’s communication should evidence caring and a commitment to work with the patient.
This commitment lets the patient know the nurse will help. Probing and advice are not helpful or
therapeutic interventions.
3. In the shift-change report, an off-going nurse criticizes a patient who wears heavy makeup.
Which comment by the nurse who receives the report best demonstrates advocacy? a.
This is a psychiatric hospital. Craziness is what we are all about.
b. Lets all show acceptance of this patient by wearing lots of makeup too.
c. Your comments are inconsiderate and inappropriate. Keep the report objective.
d. Our patients need our help to learn behaviors that will help them get along in society.
,ANS: D
Accepting patients needs for self-expression and seeking to teach skills that will contribute to their
well-being demonstrate respect and are important parts of advocacy. The on-coming nurse needs
to take action to ensure that others are not prejudiced against the patient. Humor can be appropriate
within the privacy of a shift report but not at the expense of respect for patients. Judging the
offgoing nurse in a critical way will create conflict. Nurses must show compassion for each other.
4. A nurse assesses a newly admitted patient diagnosed with major depressive disorder. Which
statement is an example of attending?
a. We all have stress in life. Being in a psychiatric hospital isnt the end of the world.
b. Tell me why you felt you had to be hospitalized to receive treatment for your depression.
c. You will feel better after we get some antidepressant medication started for you.
d. Id like to sit with you a while so you may feel more comfortable talking with me.
ANS: D
Attending is a technique that demonstrates the nurses commitment to the relationship and
reduces feelings of isolation. This technique shows respect for the patient and demonstrates
caring. Generalizations, probing, and false reassurances are non-therapeutic.
5. A patient shows the nurse an article from the Internet about a health problem. Which
characteristic of the web sites address most alerts the nurse that the site may have biased and
prejudiced information? a. Address ends in .org. b. Address ends in .com.
c. Address ends in .gov.
d. Address ends in .net.
ANS: B
Financial influences on a site are a clue that the information may be biased. .com at the end of the
address indicates that the site is a commercial one. .gov indicates that the site is maintained by a
government entity. .org indicates that the site is nonproprietary; the site may or may not have
reliable information, but it does not profit from its activities. .net can have multiple meanings.
6. A nurse says, When I was in school, I learned to call upset patients by name to get their attention;
however, I read a descriptive research study that says that this approach does not work. I plan to
stop calling patients by name. Which statement is the best appraisal of this nurses comment? a. One
descriptive research study rarely provides enough evidence to change practice.
b. Staff nurses apply new research findings only with the help from clinical nurse specialists.
c. New research findings should be incorporated into clinical algorithms before using them in
practice.
d. The nurse misinterpreted the results of the study. Classic tenets of practice do not change.
ANS: A
, Descriptive research findings provide evidence for practice but must be viewed in relation to other
studies before practice changes. One study is not enough. Descriptive studies are low on the
hierarchy of evidence. Clinical algorithms use flow charts to manage problems and do not specify
one response to a clinical problem. Classic tenets of practice should change as research findings
provide evidence for change.
7. Two nursing students discuss career plans after graduation. One student wants to enter
psychiatric nursing. The other student asks, Why would you want to be a psychiatric nurse? All
they do is talk. You will lose your skills. Select the best response by the student interested in
psychiatric nursing.
a. Psychiatric nurses practice in safer environments than other specialties. Nurse-to-patient
ratios must be better because of the nature of patients problems.
b. Psychiatric nurses use complex communication skills, as well as critical thinking, to solve
multidimensional problems. Im challenged by those situations.
c. I think I will be good in the mental health field. I do not like clinical rotations in school, so I
do not want to continue them after I graduate.
d. Psychiatric nurses do not have to deal with as much pain and suffering as medical surgical
nurses. That appeals to me.
ANS: B
The practice of psychiatric nursing requires a different set of skills than medical surgical nursing,
although substantial overlap does exist. Psychiatric nurses must be able to help patients with medical
and mental health problems, reflecting the holistic perspective these nurses must have.
Nurse-patient ratios and workloads in psychiatric settings have increased, similar to other
specialties. Psychiatric nursing involves clinical practice, not simply documentation. Psychosocial
pain is real and can cause as much suffering as physical pain.
8. Which research evidence would most influence a group of nurses to change their practice?
a. Expert committee report of recommendations for practice
b. Systematic review of randomized controlled trials
c. Nonexperimental descriptive study
d. Critical pathway
ANS: B
Research findings are graded using a hierarchy of evidence. A systematic review of randomized
controlled trials is Level A and provides the strongest evidence for changing practice. Expert
committee recommendations and descriptive studies lend less powerful and influential evidence. A
critical pathway is not evidence; it incorporates research findings after they have been analyzed.
Test Bank for The Psychiatric Interview, 4th Edition
Refine your diagnostic dialogue with the Test Bank for The Psychiatric Interview, 4th
Edition by Daniel J. Carlat, MD. This indispensable resource delivers over 800
multiple-choice, true/false, and scenario-based questions across 15 chapters, with
detailed rationales, answer keys, and references to DSM-5-TR criteria. Hone skills in
building rapport, eliciting history, assessing suicide risk, diagnosing mood and
anxiety disorders, and navigating cultural nuances—updated for 2025 with
telepsychiatry protocols, trauma-informed interviewing, and equity-focused
techniques amid rising mental health demands.
Aligned with ABPN certification and APA guidelines, it's ideal for psychiatry
residents, PMHNP students, or primary care providers, fostering empathetic,
evidence-based practice through Carlat's signature role-plays and ethical dilemmas.
Simulate patient encounters, sharpen differential diagnosis, and elevate therapeutic
alliances for transformative care.
Instantly downloadable on Stuvia, all chapters included. Unlock interview
excellence—download today and connect profoundly!
,Test Bank for the psychiatric interview 4th Edition by Carlat.
(Chapter 1-Chapter 3) The Initial Interview: A Preview Chapter 2: Logistic Preparations: What to
Do Before the Interview
Chapter 3: The Therapeutic Alliance: What It Is, Why It's Important, and How to Establish It
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Which outcome, focused on recovery, would be expected in the plan of care for a patient
living in the community and diagnosed with serious and persistent mental illness? Within 3
months, the patient will:
a. deny suicidal ideation.
b. report a sense of well-being.
c. take medications as prescribed.
d. attend clinic appointments on time.
ANS: B
Recovery emphasizes managing symptoms, reducing psychosocial disability, and improving role
performance. The goal of recovery is to empower the individual with mental illness to achieve a
sense of meaning and satisfaction in life and to function at the highest possible level of wellness.
The incorrect options focus on the classic medical model rather than recovery.
2. A patient is hospitalized for depression and suicidal ideation after their spouse asks for a divorce.
Select the nurses most caring comment.
a. Let’s discuss some means of coping other than suicide when you have these feelings.
b. I understand why youre so depressed. When I got divorced, I was devastated too.
c. You should forget about your marriage and move on with your life.
d. How did you get so depressed that hospitalization was necessary?
ANS: A
The nurse’s communication should evidence caring and a commitment to work with the patient.
This commitment lets the patient know the nurse will help. Probing and advice are not helpful or
therapeutic interventions.
3. In the shift-change report, an off-going nurse criticizes a patient who wears heavy makeup.
Which comment by the nurse who receives the report best demonstrates advocacy? a.
This is a psychiatric hospital. Craziness is what we are all about.
b. Lets all show acceptance of this patient by wearing lots of makeup too.
c. Your comments are inconsiderate and inappropriate. Keep the report objective.
d. Our patients need our help to learn behaviors that will help them get along in society.
,ANS: D
Accepting patients needs for self-expression and seeking to teach skills that will contribute to their
well-being demonstrate respect and are important parts of advocacy. The on-coming nurse needs
to take action to ensure that others are not prejudiced against the patient. Humor can be appropriate
within the privacy of a shift report but not at the expense of respect for patients. Judging the
offgoing nurse in a critical way will create conflict. Nurses must show compassion for each other.
4. A nurse assesses a newly admitted patient diagnosed with major depressive disorder. Which
statement is an example of attending?
a. We all have stress in life. Being in a psychiatric hospital isnt the end of the world.
b. Tell me why you felt you had to be hospitalized to receive treatment for your depression.
c. You will feel better after we get some antidepressant medication started for you.
d. Id like to sit with you a while so you may feel more comfortable talking with me.
ANS: D
Attending is a technique that demonstrates the nurses commitment to the relationship and
reduces feelings of isolation. This technique shows respect for the patient and demonstrates
caring. Generalizations, probing, and false reassurances are non-therapeutic.
5. A patient shows the nurse an article from the Internet about a health problem. Which
characteristic of the web sites address most alerts the nurse that the site may have biased and
prejudiced information? a. Address ends in .org. b. Address ends in .com.
c. Address ends in .gov.
d. Address ends in .net.
ANS: B
Financial influences on a site are a clue that the information may be biased. .com at the end of the
address indicates that the site is a commercial one. .gov indicates that the site is maintained by a
government entity. .org indicates that the site is nonproprietary; the site may or may not have
reliable information, but it does not profit from its activities. .net can have multiple meanings.
6. A nurse says, When I was in school, I learned to call upset patients by name to get their attention;
however, I read a descriptive research study that says that this approach does not work. I plan to
stop calling patients by name. Which statement is the best appraisal of this nurses comment? a. One
descriptive research study rarely provides enough evidence to change practice.
b. Staff nurses apply new research findings only with the help from clinical nurse specialists.
c. New research findings should be incorporated into clinical algorithms before using them in
practice.
d. The nurse misinterpreted the results of the study. Classic tenets of practice do not change.
ANS: A
, Descriptive research findings provide evidence for practice but must be viewed in relation to other
studies before practice changes. One study is not enough. Descriptive studies are low on the
hierarchy of evidence. Clinical algorithms use flow charts to manage problems and do not specify
one response to a clinical problem. Classic tenets of practice should change as research findings
provide evidence for change.
7. Two nursing students discuss career plans after graduation. One student wants to enter
psychiatric nursing. The other student asks, Why would you want to be a psychiatric nurse? All
they do is talk. You will lose your skills. Select the best response by the student interested in
psychiatric nursing.
a. Psychiatric nurses practice in safer environments than other specialties. Nurse-to-patient
ratios must be better because of the nature of patients problems.
b. Psychiatric nurses use complex communication skills, as well as critical thinking, to solve
multidimensional problems. Im challenged by those situations.
c. I think I will be good in the mental health field. I do not like clinical rotations in school, so I
do not want to continue them after I graduate.
d. Psychiatric nurses do not have to deal with as much pain and suffering as medical surgical
nurses. That appeals to me.
ANS: B
The practice of psychiatric nursing requires a different set of skills than medical surgical nursing,
although substantial overlap does exist. Psychiatric nurses must be able to help patients with medical
and mental health problems, reflecting the holistic perspective these nurses must have.
Nurse-patient ratios and workloads in psychiatric settings have increased, similar to other
specialties. Psychiatric nursing involves clinical practice, not simply documentation. Psychosocial
pain is real and can cause as much suffering as physical pain.
8. Which research evidence would most influence a group of nurses to change their practice?
a. Expert committee report of recommendations for practice
b. Systematic review of randomized controlled trials
c. Nonexperimental descriptive study
d. Critical pathway
ANS: B
Research findings are graded using a hierarchy of evidence. A systematic review of randomized
controlled trials is Level A and provides the strongest evidence for changing practice. Expert
committee recommendations and descriptive studies lend less powerful and influential evidence. A
critical pathway is not evidence; it incorporates research findings after they have been analyzed.
