Psychiatric Nursing Questions And Answers
Guideline 2024
Hallucinations --ANSWER:false sensory experiences, such as seeing something in the
absence of an external visual stimulus
Psychoanalysis technique --ANSWER:developed by Sigmund Freud and is a long-
term and intense therapy
Panic --ANSWER:an attack of acute, intense, and overwhelming anxiety
somatoform disorders --ANSWER:disorders characterized by physical symptoms for
which no known physical cause exists
Transexualism --ANSWER:A condition in which an individual feels trapped in the
body of the wrong sex.
Denial --ANSWER:refusing to believe or even perceive painful realities
Projection --ANSWER:psychoanalytic defense mechanism by which people disguise
their own threatening impulses by attributing them to others
Regression --ANSWER:psychoanalytic defense mechanism in which an individual
faced with anxiety retreats to a more infantile psychosexual stage, where some
psychic energy remains fixated
Rationalization --ANSWER:defense mechanism that offers self-justifying
explanations in place of the real, more threatening, unconscious reasons for one's
actions
bipolar disorder --ANSWER:A mood disorder in which the person alternates between
the hopelessness and lethargy of depression and the overexcited state of mania; can
cause the patient to experience a sudden shift in emotion from one extreme to the
other
Depression --ANSWER:may be caused by an imbalance of brain chemicals called
neurotransmitters (e.g., serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine)
suicidal ideation --ANSWER:thinking about suicide, usually with some serious
emotional and intellectual or cognitive overtones
Sign of suicide --ANSWER:giving away of things that is viewed as valuable as a way
of saying "good-bye" and wanting to be remembered
Individual with anxiety traits --ANSWER:Has anxious reactions to relatively non-
stressful events
, Sertraline (Zoloft) --ANSWER:SSRI antidepressant; has milder side effects and a
much lower likelihood of developing drug dependence than benzodiazepines such as
lorazepam
Benzodiazepines --ANSWER:when given orally, act within 30 minutes of
administration
common side effects of benzodiazepines --ANSWER:sedation, sleepiness, depression,
lethargy, apathy, fatigue, hypoactivity, light-headedness, memory impairment,
disorientation, amnesia, dizziness, delirium, headache, slurred speech, behavioral
changes, ataxia, unsteadiness, euphoria, dysarthria, inability to perform complex
mental functions, nervousness, irritability, difficulty concentrating, "glassy-eyed"
appearance, changes in heart rate and blood pressure, changes in bowel function, and
skin rashes.
signs of developing dependency on benzodiazepines --ANSWER:strong desire or
need to continue taking the drug, a need to increase the dose to feel the effects of the
drug, and withdrawal effects after the drug is stopped such as irritability, nervousness,
and trouble sleeping
Benzodiazepines vs SSRI --ANSWER:Benzodiazepines have stronger side effects
than SSRIs and are more likely to cause dependence in a patient who uses them for an
extended period of time
SSRIs --ANSWER:selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors; drugs administered to treat
depression that may cause various sexual side effects, especially inhibited or delayed
arousal or orgasm; passed into breast milk and cause side effects in the infant which
include drowsiness and decreased feeding, which leads to weight loss
antipsychotic drugs (neuroleptics) --ANSWER:drugs that treat the symptoms of
schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders; tend to block dopamine receptors in the
dopamine pathways in the brain causing decreased transmission of impulses which in
turn decreases the symptoms of hallucinations, illusions, and delusions.
antianxiety drugs --ANSWER:suppress central nervous system function to some
degree and result in sedation;
antidepressant drugs --ANSWER:cause some degree of drowsiness - don't administer
with alcohol; use with caution in depressed children and adolescents because the risk
for suicidal thoughts or actions may increase while taking these drugs
nurse-client relationship --ANSWER:The nurse should never promise to keep a secret.
Secrets are appropriate in a social relationship but not in a therapeutic one.
Relationship between hereditary and mood disorders --ANSWER:Hereditary factors
account for 60% to 80% of mood disorders
Agoraphobia --ANSWER:Anxiety attack for individuals who avoid other people,
places, or events
Guideline 2024
Hallucinations --ANSWER:false sensory experiences, such as seeing something in the
absence of an external visual stimulus
Psychoanalysis technique --ANSWER:developed by Sigmund Freud and is a long-
term and intense therapy
Panic --ANSWER:an attack of acute, intense, and overwhelming anxiety
somatoform disorders --ANSWER:disorders characterized by physical symptoms for
which no known physical cause exists
Transexualism --ANSWER:A condition in which an individual feels trapped in the
body of the wrong sex.
Denial --ANSWER:refusing to believe or even perceive painful realities
Projection --ANSWER:psychoanalytic defense mechanism by which people disguise
their own threatening impulses by attributing them to others
Regression --ANSWER:psychoanalytic defense mechanism in which an individual
faced with anxiety retreats to a more infantile psychosexual stage, where some
psychic energy remains fixated
Rationalization --ANSWER:defense mechanism that offers self-justifying
explanations in place of the real, more threatening, unconscious reasons for one's
actions
bipolar disorder --ANSWER:A mood disorder in which the person alternates between
the hopelessness and lethargy of depression and the overexcited state of mania; can
cause the patient to experience a sudden shift in emotion from one extreme to the
other
Depression --ANSWER:may be caused by an imbalance of brain chemicals called
neurotransmitters (e.g., serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine)
suicidal ideation --ANSWER:thinking about suicide, usually with some serious
emotional and intellectual or cognitive overtones
Sign of suicide --ANSWER:giving away of things that is viewed as valuable as a way
of saying "good-bye" and wanting to be remembered
Individual with anxiety traits --ANSWER:Has anxious reactions to relatively non-
stressful events
, Sertraline (Zoloft) --ANSWER:SSRI antidepressant; has milder side effects and a
much lower likelihood of developing drug dependence than benzodiazepines such as
lorazepam
Benzodiazepines --ANSWER:when given orally, act within 30 minutes of
administration
common side effects of benzodiazepines --ANSWER:sedation, sleepiness, depression,
lethargy, apathy, fatigue, hypoactivity, light-headedness, memory impairment,
disorientation, amnesia, dizziness, delirium, headache, slurred speech, behavioral
changes, ataxia, unsteadiness, euphoria, dysarthria, inability to perform complex
mental functions, nervousness, irritability, difficulty concentrating, "glassy-eyed"
appearance, changes in heart rate and blood pressure, changes in bowel function, and
skin rashes.
signs of developing dependency on benzodiazepines --ANSWER:strong desire or
need to continue taking the drug, a need to increase the dose to feel the effects of the
drug, and withdrawal effects after the drug is stopped such as irritability, nervousness,
and trouble sleeping
Benzodiazepines vs SSRI --ANSWER:Benzodiazepines have stronger side effects
than SSRIs and are more likely to cause dependence in a patient who uses them for an
extended period of time
SSRIs --ANSWER:selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors; drugs administered to treat
depression that may cause various sexual side effects, especially inhibited or delayed
arousal or orgasm; passed into breast milk and cause side effects in the infant which
include drowsiness and decreased feeding, which leads to weight loss
antipsychotic drugs (neuroleptics) --ANSWER:drugs that treat the symptoms of
schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders; tend to block dopamine receptors in the
dopamine pathways in the brain causing decreased transmission of impulses which in
turn decreases the symptoms of hallucinations, illusions, and delusions.
antianxiety drugs --ANSWER:suppress central nervous system function to some
degree and result in sedation;
antidepressant drugs --ANSWER:cause some degree of drowsiness - don't administer
with alcohol; use with caution in depressed children and adolescents because the risk
for suicidal thoughts or actions may increase while taking these drugs
nurse-client relationship --ANSWER:The nurse should never promise to keep a secret.
Secrets are appropriate in a social relationship but not in a therapeutic one.
Relationship between hereditary and mood disorders --ANSWER:Hereditary factors
account for 60% to 80% of mood disorders
Agoraphobia --ANSWER:Anxiety attack for individuals who avoid other people,
places, or events
