NSG 3450 MENTAL HEALTH NURSING EXAM 1 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS | NSG
3450 EXAM 1 STUDY GUIDE & PRACTICE TEST 2026/2027
NSG 3450 Mental Health Nursing Exam 1
NSG 3450 Mental Health Nursing Exam 1 - ✔✔NSG 3450 Mental Health Nursing Exam 1
NSG 3450 Mental Health Nursing Exam 1
When a new bill introduced in Congress reduces funding for care of persons diagnosed with mental
illness, a group of nurses write letters to their elected representatives in opposition to the legislation.
Which role have the nurses fulfilled?
a. Recovery
b. Attending
c. Advocacy
d. Evidence-based practice - ✔✔c. Advocacy
A nursing student expresses concerns that mental health nurses "lose all their clinical
nursing skills." Select the best response by the mental health nurse.
a. "Psychiatric nurses practice in safer environments than other specialties. Nurse-to client ratios must be
better because of the nature of the clients' problems."
b. "Psychiatric nurses use complex communication skills as well as critical thinking to solve
multidimensional problems. I am challenged by those situations."
c. "That's a misconception. Psychiatric nurses frequently use high technology monitoring
equipment and manage complex intravenous therapies."
d. "Psychiatric nurses do not have to deal with as much pain and suffering as medical-
surgical nurses do. That appeals to me." - ✔✔b. "Psychiatric nurses use complex communication skills
as well as critical thinking to solve multidimensional problems. I am challenged by those situations."
A family has a long history of conflicted relationships among the members. Which family member's
comment best reflects a mentally healthy perspective?
a. "I've made mistakes but everyone else in this family has also."
b. "I remember joy and mutual respect from our early years together."
c. "I will make some changes in my behavior for the good of the family."
d. "It's best for me to move away from my family. Things will never change." - ✔✔c. "I will make some
changes in my behavior for the good of the family."
Which assessment finding most clearly indicates that a client may be experiencing a mental illness?
a. reporting occasional sleeplessness and anxiety.
b. reporting a consistently sad, discouraged, and hopeless mood.
c. being able to describe the difference between "as if" and "for real."
,d. experiencing difficulty making a decision about whether to change jobs. - ✔✔b. reporting a
consistently sad, discouraged, and hopeless mood.
Which finding best indicates that the goal "Demonstrate mentally healthy behavior" was achieved for an
adult client?
a. being willing to work towards achieving ideals and meeting demands.
b. behaving without considering the consequences of personal actions.
c. aggressively meeting personal needs without considering the rights of others.
d. seeking help from others to avoid assuming responsibility for major areas of own life. - ✔✔a. being
willing to work towards achieving ideals and meeting demands.
A nurse encounters an unfamiliar psychiatric disorder on a new client's admission form. Which resource
should the nurse consult to determine criteria used to establish this diagnosis?
a. International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems
(ICD-10)
b. The ANA's Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing Scope and Standards of Practice
c. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V)
d. A behavioral health reference manual - ✔✔c. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
(DSM-V)
A nurse wants to find a description of diagnostic criteria for anxiety disorders. Which resource would
have the most complete information?
a. Nursing Outcomes Classification (NOC)
b. DSM-V
c. The ANA's Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing Scope and Standards of Practice
d. ICD-10 - ✔✔b. DSM-V
Which individual behavior demonstrates resilience?
a. Repress stressors associated with a divorce.
b. Continuing to grieve the death of a spouse for 5 years.
c. Continuing to live in a shelter for 2 years after the home is destroyed by fire.
d. Taking a temporary job to maintain financial stability after loss of a permanent job. - ✔✔d. Taking a
temporary job to maintain financial stability after loss of a permanent job.
The relationship of the North American Nursing Diagnosis Association (NANDA) is to clinical judgment as
Nursing Interventions Classification (NIC) is to what?
a. client outcomes.
b. nursing actions.
c. diagnosis.
d. symptoms. - ✔✔b. nursing actions.
,An adult says, "Most of the time I'm happy and feel good about myself. I have learned that what I get out
of something is proportional to the effort I put into it." Which number on this mental health continuum
should the nurse select?
Mental Illness Mental Health
12345
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. 4
e. 5 - ✔✔e. 5
Which disorder is an example of a culture-bound syndrome?
a. Epilepsy
b. Schizophrenia
c. Running amok
d. Major depressive disorder - ✔✔c. Running amok
What does the DSM-V classify?
a. deviant behaviors
b. present disability or distress
c. people with mental disorders
d. mental disorders - ✔✔d) Mental disorders
The DSM-V classifies disorders people have rather than people themselves.
A citizen at a community health fair asks the nurse, "What is the most prevalent mental disorder in the
United States?" Select the nurse's correct response.
a. Schizophrenia
b. Bipolar disorder
c. Dissociative fugue
d. Alzheimer's disease - ✔✔d. Alzheimer's disease
In the majority culture of the United States, which individual has the greatest risk to be
labeled mentally ill?
a. One who describes hearing God's voice speaking.
b. One who is usually pessimistic but strives to meet personal goals.
c. One who is wealthy and gives away $20 bills to needy individuals.
d. One who always has an optimistic viewpoint about life - ✔✔a. One who describes hearing God's
voice speaking.
A client's relationships are intense and unstable. The client initially idealizes the significant other and
then devalues him or her, resulting in frequent feelings of emptiness. This client will benefit from
interventions to develop which aspect of mental health?
, a. Effectiveness in work
b. Communication skills
c. Productive activities
d. Fulfilling relationships - ✔✔d. Fulfilling relationships
Which belief will best support a nurse's efforts to provide client advocacy during a
multidisciplinary client care planning session?
a. All mental illnesses are culturally determined.
b. Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are cross-cultural disorders.
c. Symptoms of mental disorders are unchanged from culture to culture.
d. Assessment findings in mental illness reflect a person's cultural patterns. - ✔✔d. Assessment findings
in mental illness reflect a person's cultural patterns.
A nurse is part of a multidisciplinary team working with groups of depressed clients. One group of clients
receives supportive interventions and antidepressant medication. The other group receives only
medication. The team measures outcomes for each group. Which type of study is evident?
a. Incidence
b. Prevalence
c. Comorbidity
d. Clinical epidemiology - ✔✔d. Clinical epidemiology
The spouse of a client diagnosed with schizophrenia says, "I don't understand how events from
childhood have anything to do with this disabling illness." Which response by the nurse will best help the
spouse understand the cause of this disorder?
a. "Psychological stress is the basis of most mental disorders."
b. "This illness results from developmental factors rather than stress."
c. "Research shows that this condition more likely has a biological basis."
d. "It must be frustrating for you that your spouse is sick so much of the time." - ✔✔c. "Research shows
that this condition more likely has a biological basis."
A category 5 tornado occurred in a community of 400 people. Many homes and businesses were
destroyed. In the 2 years following the disaster, 140 individuals were diagnosed with post-traumatic
stress disorder (PTSD). Which term best applies to these newly diagnosed cases?
a. Prevalence
b. Comorbidity
c. Incidence
d. Parity - ✔✔c. Incidence
Which component of treatment of mental illness is specifically recognized by Quality and Safety
Education for Nurses (QSEN)?
a. All genomes are unique.
b. Care is centered on the client.
c. Healthy development is vital to mental health.
3450 EXAM 1 STUDY GUIDE & PRACTICE TEST 2026/2027
NSG 3450 Mental Health Nursing Exam 1
NSG 3450 Mental Health Nursing Exam 1 - ✔✔NSG 3450 Mental Health Nursing Exam 1
NSG 3450 Mental Health Nursing Exam 1
When a new bill introduced in Congress reduces funding for care of persons diagnosed with mental
illness, a group of nurses write letters to their elected representatives in opposition to the legislation.
Which role have the nurses fulfilled?
a. Recovery
b. Attending
c. Advocacy
d. Evidence-based practice - ✔✔c. Advocacy
A nursing student expresses concerns that mental health nurses "lose all their clinical
nursing skills." Select the best response by the mental health nurse.
a. "Psychiatric nurses practice in safer environments than other specialties. Nurse-to client ratios must be
better because of the nature of the clients' problems."
b. "Psychiatric nurses use complex communication skills as well as critical thinking to solve
multidimensional problems. I am challenged by those situations."
c. "That's a misconception. Psychiatric nurses frequently use high technology monitoring
equipment and manage complex intravenous therapies."
d. "Psychiatric nurses do not have to deal with as much pain and suffering as medical-
surgical nurses do. That appeals to me." - ✔✔b. "Psychiatric nurses use complex communication skills
as well as critical thinking to solve multidimensional problems. I am challenged by those situations."
A family has a long history of conflicted relationships among the members. Which family member's
comment best reflects a mentally healthy perspective?
a. "I've made mistakes but everyone else in this family has also."
b. "I remember joy and mutual respect from our early years together."
c. "I will make some changes in my behavior for the good of the family."
d. "It's best for me to move away from my family. Things will never change." - ✔✔c. "I will make some
changes in my behavior for the good of the family."
Which assessment finding most clearly indicates that a client may be experiencing a mental illness?
a. reporting occasional sleeplessness and anxiety.
b. reporting a consistently sad, discouraged, and hopeless mood.
c. being able to describe the difference between "as if" and "for real."
,d. experiencing difficulty making a decision about whether to change jobs. - ✔✔b. reporting a
consistently sad, discouraged, and hopeless mood.
Which finding best indicates that the goal "Demonstrate mentally healthy behavior" was achieved for an
adult client?
a. being willing to work towards achieving ideals and meeting demands.
b. behaving without considering the consequences of personal actions.
c. aggressively meeting personal needs without considering the rights of others.
d. seeking help from others to avoid assuming responsibility for major areas of own life. - ✔✔a. being
willing to work towards achieving ideals and meeting demands.
A nurse encounters an unfamiliar psychiatric disorder on a new client's admission form. Which resource
should the nurse consult to determine criteria used to establish this diagnosis?
a. International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems
(ICD-10)
b. The ANA's Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing Scope and Standards of Practice
c. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V)
d. A behavioral health reference manual - ✔✔c. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
(DSM-V)
A nurse wants to find a description of diagnostic criteria for anxiety disorders. Which resource would
have the most complete information?
a. Nursing Outcomes Classification (NOC)
b. DSM-V
c. The ANA's Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing Scope and Standards of Practice
d. ICD-10 - ✔✔b. DSM-V
Which individual behavior demonstrates resilience?
a. Repress stressors associated with a divorce.
b. Continuing to grieve the death of a spouse for 5 years.
c. Continuing to live in a shelter for 2 years after the home is destroyed by fire.
d. Taking a temporary job to maintain financial stability after loss of a permanent job. - ✔✔d. Taking a
temporary job to maintain financial stability after loss of a permanent job.
The relationship of the North American Nursing Diagnosis Association (NANDA) is to clinical judgment as
Nursing Interventions Classification (NIC) is to what?
a. client outcomes.
b. nursing actions.
c. diagnosis.
d. symptoms. - ✔✔b. nursing actions.
,An adult says, "Most of the time I'm happy and feel good about myself. I have learned that what I get out
of something is proportional to the effort I put into it." Which number on this mental health continuum
should the nurse select?
Mental Illness Mental Health
12345
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. 4
e. 5 - ✔✔e. 5
Which disorder is an example of a culture-bound syndrome?
a. Epilepsy
b. Schizophrenia
c. Running amok
d. Major depressive disorder - ✔✔c. Running amok
What does the DSM-V classify?
a. deviant behaviors
b. present disability or distress
c. people with mental disorders
d. mental disorders - ✔✔d) Mental disorders
The DSM-V classifies disorders people have rather than people themselves.
A citizen at a community health fair asks the nurse, "What is the most prevalent mental disorder in the
United States?" Select the nurse's correct response.
a. Schizophrenia
b. Bipolar disorder
c. Dissociative fugue
d. Alzheimer's disease - ✔✔d. Alzheimer's disease
In the majority culture of the United States, which individual has the greatest risk to be
labeled mentally ill?
a. One who describes hearing God's voice speaking.
b. One who is usually pessimistic but strives to meet personal goals.
c. One who is wealthy and gives away $20 bills to needy individuals.
d. One who always has an optimistic viewpoint about life - ✔✔a. One who describes hearing God's
voice speaking.
A client's relationships are intense and unstable. The client initially idealizes the significant other and
then devalues him or her, resulting in frequent feelings of emptiness. This client will benefit from
interventions to develop which aspect of mental health?
, a. Effectiveness in work
b. Communication skills
c. Productive activities
d. Fulfilling relationships - ✔✔d. Fulfilling relationships
Which belief will best support a nurse's efforts to provide client advocacy during a
multidisciplinary client care planning session?
a. All mental illnesses are culturally determined.
b. Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are cross-cultural disorders.
c. Symptoms of mental disorders are unchanged from culture to culture.
d. Assessment findings in mental illness reflect a person's cultural patterns. - ✔✔d. Assessment findings
in mental illness reflect a person's cultural patterns.
A nurse is part of a multidisciplinary team working with groups of depressed clients. One group of clients
receives supportive interventions and antidepressant medication. The other group receives only
medication. The team measures outcomes for each group. Which type of study is evident?
a. Incidence
b. Prevalence
c. Comorbidity
d. Clinical epidemiology - ✔✔d. Clinical epidemiology
The spouse of a client diagnosed with schizophrenia says, "I don't understand how events from
childhood have anything to do with this disabling illness." Which response by the nurse will best help the
spouse understand the cause of this disorder?
a. "Psychological stress is the basis of most mental disorders."
b. "This illness results from developmental factors rather than stress."
c. "Research shows that this condition more likely has a biological basis."
d. "It must be frustrating for you that your spouse is sick so much of the time." - ✔✔c. "Research shows
that this condition more likely has a biological basis."
A category 5 tornado occurred in a community of 400 people. Many homes and businesses were
destroyed. In the 2 years following the disaster, 140 individuals were diagnosed with post-traumatic
stress disorder (PTSD). Which term best applies to these newly diagnosed cases?
a. Prevalence
b. Comorbidity
c. Incidence
d. Parity - ✔✔c. Incidence
Which component of treatment of mental illness is specifically recognized by Quality and Safety
Education for Nurses (QSEN)?
a. All genomes are unique.
b. Care is centered on the client.
c. Healthy development is vital to mental health.
