Davis Advantage for Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing Exam Questions & Answers 2024/2025

Davis Advantage for Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing Exam Questions & Answers 2024/2025 1. A nurse is assessing a client who is experiencing occasional feelings of sadness because of the recent death of a beloved pet. The client's appetite, sleep patterns, and daily routine have not changed. The nurse determines the client's behaviors: 1. Demonstrate typical variations in daily mood, not mental illness 2. Are clinically significant and indicate serious mental illness 3. Are incongruent with cultural norms and indicate mental illness 4. Show common symptoms of grief and do not indicate mental illness - ANSWER-4. This is correct. Feelings of sadness are expected and normal following the loss of a pet. This client does not demonstrate changes in daily function but does demonstrate common symptoms of grief. 2. Which indicates a client is likely demonstrating a mental disorder? 1. The client expresses mild anxiety and is eating more than usual before an examination. 2. The client displays an inability to concentrate, including reduced job performance. 3. The client describes engaging in fidgeting behavior consistently over a few days. 4. The client states an increase in smoking over a few days from 0.5 to 1 pack per day. - ANSWER-2. This is correct. The client is unable to concentrate, and job performance has been negatively impacted. This demonstrates a possible mental disorder 3. A mental health nurse is speaking with parents who are concerned about their teenage children's responses to stress. One child becomes anxious and irritable and the other withdraws and cries. Which is the nurse's best response? 1. "Individual responses to stress are affected by many factors and can vary." 2. "Children from the same family should not react so differently to stress." 3. "Children should have similar dispositions and responses to stress." 4. "Environmental factors influence stress responses more than genetic factors." - ANSWER-1. This is correct. Responses to stress are variable among individuals and may be influenced by perception, past experiences, environmental factors, and genetic factors 4. The nurse is interviewing a client with a history of excessive drinking and multiple arrests for impaired driving. The client states, "I work hard to provide for my family. I don't see why I can't drink to relax." Which defense mechanism is the client demonstrating? 1. Projection 2. Rationalization 3. Regression 4. Sublimation - ANSWER-2. This is correct. The client is using rationalization, a common defense mechanism. The client is attempting to make excuses and create logical reasons to justify unacceptable feelings or behaviors. 5. Which best describes the impact that the National Mental Health Act of 1946 had on care for the mentally ill in the United States? 1. People were no longer perceived as demonized when displaying mental illness. 2. Mental health professionals were provided funding to increase their education. 3. A system of hospitals for the mentally ill was developed in communities. 4. The first hospital for just the mentally ill was opened and staffed by professionals. - ANSWER-2. This is correct. The National Mental Health Act of 1946 helped provide funding for educating mental health professionals who could provide care to the mentally ill. 6. A new psychiatric-mental health nurse states, "This client's use of defense mechanisms should be eliminated." Which is the correct evaluation of the nurse's statement? 1. Defense mechanisms are self-protective responses to stress and do not need to be eliminated. 2. Defense mechanisms are maladaptive attempts of the ego to manage anxiety and should be eliminated. 3. Defense mechanisms are used by individuals with weak ego integrity and should not be eliminated. 4. Defense mechanisms cause disintegration of the ego and should be fostered and encouraged. - ANSWER-1. This is correct. Defense mechanisms serve the purpose of reducing anxiety during times of stress. A client with no defense mechanisms may have a lower tolerance for stress, predisposing him or her to anxiety disorders. Defense mechanisms should be confronted when they impede the client from developing healthy coping skills. 7. During an intake assessment, the nurse asks a client physiological and psychosocial questions. The client angrily responds, "I'm here for my heart problems, not for my head." Which is the nurse's best response? 1. "We ask all clients these questions." 2. "Why are you concerned about these questions?" 3. "Psychological stress can affect medical conditions." 4. "We can skip these questions if you prefer." - ANSWER-3. This is correct. The nurse should not skip either physiological or psychosocial questions, as this would lead to an inaccurate assessment. The nurse should always attempt to educate the client on the negative effects of excessive stress on medical conditions. 8. Teaching regarding the concepts of mental health and mental illness is effective when the student nurse states which of the following? 1. "The concepts are rigid and based on religious beliefs." 2. "The concepts are multidimensional and culturally defined." 3. "The concepts are universal and unchanging." 4. "The concepts are fixed and unidimensional." - ANSWER-2. This is correct. The concepts of mental health and mental illness are multidimensional and culturally defined. It is important for nurses to be aware of cultural norms when evaluating a client's mental state. 9. A mental health technician asks the nurse, "How do psychiatrists determine which diagnosis to give a client?" Which is the nurse's best response? 1. "Psychiatrists use criteria from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)." 2. "Psychiatrists are required to follow hospital policy to diagnose mental disorders." 3. "Psychiatrists make diagnoses based on the client's behavior and other factors." 4. "Psychiatrists use one of the 10 diagnostic labels from the American Medical Association (AMA)." - ANSWER-1. This is correct. The DSM is published by the American Psychiatric Ass ociation (APA). It is an organized manual describing mental disorders and the criteria that determine whether a given diagnosis is appropriate. The purpose of the DSM is to facilitate accurate and reliable psychiatric diagnosis and treatment 10. The nurse recognizes that a client is mildly anxious when beginning a session that incudes client teaching. Which is the most appropriate interpretation of the situation? 1. The nurse should wait until the client is more anxious to enhance learning. 2. The mild anxiety the client displays will likely enhance learning for the client. 3. The nurse should wait until there is no anxiety to achieve the best learning. 4. The mild anxiety will have no impact on learning and does not need consideration - ANSWER-2. This is correct. Mild anxiety sharpens the senses, increases the perceptual field, and results in heightened awareness of the environment. Learning is enhanced. 11. Which psychoneurotic responses to severe anxiety are identified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5)? 1. Somatic symptom disorder 2. Grief reaction 3. Psychosis 4. Bipolar disorder - ANSWER-1. This is correct. Somatic symptom disorder is characterized by preoccupation with physical symptoms for which there is no demonstrable organic pathology. One of the diagnostic criteria is a high level of anxiety about health concerns or illness. 12. A supervisor openly disagrees with an employee's suggestions during a staff .....