NURS 307 Integrating Mental Health and Addiction
into Nursing - Questions with Correct Answers
(Verified Update)
100 questions with answers
Topic: NURS 307 Integrating Mental Health and Addiction into Nursing
1. What does carrier proteins do?
Answer: They transport neurotransmitters across cell membranes. Medications may block or
inhibit this transport.
2. What is psychopharmacology?
Answer: - Subspecialty of pharmacology that includes medications affecting the brain and
behaviour used to treat psychiatric disorders including: ~ Antipsychotics, mood stabilizers,
antidepressants, antianxiety medications, stimulants - It provides a basis for understanding
specific biologic treatments of psychiatric disorders
3. What are the four sites of action? Or, what are the targets of medications?
Answer: - Receptors - Ion channels - Enzymes - Carrier proteins
4. What are the two types of action in receptors?
Answer: Agonist - same biologic action Antagonist - opposite effect
5. What are the interactions with a receptor?
Answer: Selectivity: specific for a receptor Affinity: degree of attraction Intrinsic activity:
ability to produce a biologic response once it is attached to receptor
6. Which drug facilitates GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) neurotransmitter in
opening the chloride ion channel?
Answer: Benzodiazepine
7. What are enzymes
Answer: - These catalyze specific biochemical reactions within cells and are targets for some
drugs. Ex) Monamine oxidase - These may be inhibited to produce greater neurotransmitter
effect by medications from a group of antidepressants.
8. What is monoamine oxidase?
Answer: It is an enzyme that breaks down most bioamine neurotransmitters such as
Norephinephrine, DA, and 5-HT (these neurotransmitters are important in mental health
disorders)
9. What are carrier proteins?
Answer: They transport neurotransmitters across cell membranes. Medications may block or
inhibit this transport.
10. What is the efficacy of a drug?
Answer: Efficacy is the maximum response achievable from a drug. Effectiveness refers to
the ability of the drug to produce a beneficial effect.
Page 1
, 11. What is the potency of a drug?
Answer: A highly potent drug (e.g., fentanyl, alprazolam, risperidone) evokes a given
response at low concentrations, while a drug of lower potency (meperidine, diazepam,
ziprasidone) evokes the same response only at higher concentrations. Higher potency does
not necessarily mean more side effects.
12. What are target symptoms?
Answer: measurable, specific symptoms expected to improve with treatment
13. What is drug toxicity?
Answer: Drug level exceeds therapeutic range
14. What is therapeutic index?
Answer: Ratio of a drug's toxic level to the level that provides therapeutic benefits. High is
safer than low.
15. What are the four components of pharmacokinetics?
Answer: absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion
16. What is absorption?
Answer: - Movement from the site of administration into the plasma
17. What are the 3 forms of absorption?
Answer: Oral (tablet and liquid) - decreased absorption IM (intramuscular injection): short
and long actingschizophrenia IV: rarely used
18. What is Bioavailability?
Answer: - A measure of the extent of drug absorption for a given drug and route (from 0% to
100%). - Amount of a drug that reaches systemic circulation unchanged - Often used to
compare one drug to another-- usually the higher the bioavailability, the better
19. What is distribution?
Answer: - transport of a drug by the bloodstream to its site of action - It reflects how easy it
is for a drug to pass out of the systemic circulation and move into other types of tissues
20. How are psychiatric drugs distributed?
Answer: The blood brain barrier (most fat-soluble)
21. Factors affecting distribution
Answer: - Amount of blood flow or perfusion within the tissue - How lipophilic (fat-loving) the
drug is (easier to pass through BBB) - Anatomic barriers, such as the blood-brain barrier, that
the drug must cross
22. Metabolism
Answer: Process by which the drug is altered and broken down into smaller substances
(metabolites) that are usually inactive
23. Which organ is where most metabolism occurs?
Answer: Liver
24. What is excretion?
Answer: The elimination of drugs from the body either unchanged or as metabolites. It is
portrayed as half-life (t1/2)
Page 2
into Nursing - Questions with Correct Answers
(Verified Update)
100 questions with answers
Topic: NURS 307 Integrating Mental Health and Addiction into Nursing
1. What does carrier proteins do?
Answer: They transport neurotransmitters across cell membranes. Medications may block or
inhibit this transport.
2. What is psychopharmacology?
Answer: - Subspecialty of pharmacology that includes medications affecting the brain and
behaviour used to treat psychiatric disorders including: ~ Antipsychotics, mood stabilizers,
antidepressants, antianxiety medications, stimulants - It provides a basis for understanding
specific biologic treatments of psychiatric disorders
3. What are the four sites of action? Or, what are the targets of medications?
Answer: - Receptors - Ion channels - Enzymes - Carrier proteins
4. What are the two types of action in receptors?
Answer: Agonist - same biologic action Antagonist - opposite effect
5. What are the interactions with a receptor?
Answer: Selectivity: specific for a receptor Affinity: degree of attraction Intrinsic activity:
ability to produce a biologic response once it is attached to receptor
6. Which drug facilitates GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) neurotransmitter in
opening the chloride ion channel?
Answer: Benzodiazepine
7. What are enzymes
Answer: - These catalyze specific biochemical reactions within cells and are targets for some
drugs. Ex) Monamine oxidase - These may be inhibited to produce greater neurotransmitter
effect by medications from a group of antidepressants.
8. What is monoamine oxidase?
Answer: It is an enzyme that breaks down most bioamine neurotransmitters such as
Norephinephrine, DA, and 5-HT (these neurotransmitters are important in mental health
disorders)
9. What are carrier proteins?
Answer: They transport neurotransmitters across cell membranes. Medications may block or
inhibit this transport.
10. What is the efficacy of a drug?
Answer: Efficacy is the maximum response achievable from a drug. Effectiveness refers to
the ability of the drug to produce a beneficial effect.
Page 1
, 11. What is the potency of a drug?
Answer: A highly potent drug (e.g., fentanyl, alprazolam, risperidone) evokes a given
response at low concentrations, while a drug of lower potency (meperidine, diazepam,
ziprasidone) evokes the same response only at higher concentrations. Higher potency does
not necessarily mean more side effects.
12. What are target symptoms?
Answer: measurable, specific symptoms expected to improve with treatment
13. What is drug toxicity?
Answer: Drug level exceeds therapeutic range
14. What is therapeutic index?
Answer: Ratio of a drug's toxic level to the level that provides therapeutic benefits. High is
safer than low.
15. What are the four components of pharmacokinetics?
Answer: absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion
16. What is absorption?
Answer: - Movement from the site of administration into the plasma
17. What are the 3 forms of absorption?
Answer: Oral (tablet and liquid) - decreased absorption IM (intramuscular injection): short
and long actingschizophrenia IV: rarely used
18. What is Bioavailability?
Answer: - A measure of the extent of drug absorption for a given drug and route (from 0% to
100%). - Amount of a drug that reaches systemic circulation unchanged - Often used to
compare one drug to another-- usually the higher the bioavailability, the better
19. What is distribution?
Answer: - transport of a drug by the bloodstream to its site of action - It reflects how easy it
is for a drug to pass out of the systemic circulation and move into other types of tissues
20. How are psychiatric drugs distributed?
Answer: The blood brain barrier (most fat-soluble)
21. Factors affecting distribution
Answer: - Amount of blood flow or perfusion within the tissue - How lipophilic (fat-loving) the
drug is (easier to pass through BBB) - Anatomic barriers, such as the blood-brain barrier, that
the drug must cross
22. Metabolism
Answer: Process by which the drug is altered and broken down into smaller substances
(metabolites) that are usually inactive
23. Which organ is where most metabolism occurs?
Answer: Liver
24. What is excretion?
Answer: The elimination of drugs from the body either unchanged or as metabolites. It is
portrayed as half-life (t1/2)
Page 2
