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Instructions: This midterm exam for NRNP 6665 Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner I
contains 30 multiple-choice questions, reflecting the typical format for this course based on
standard graduate nursing curricula. Each question provides four answer choices (A–D), the
correct answer, and a detailed rationale explaining why the correct answer is right and why
others are incorrect. Topics cover psychiatric assessment, diagnosis, psychopharmacology,
psychotherapy, and mental health disorders (e.g., mood, anxiety, psychotic, neurodevelopmental
disorders) relevant to psychiatric mental health nursing practice. Each question is worth
approximately 3.33 points (total 100 points). Use this for study and review. Good luck!
Question 1
Which of the following is a hallmark symptom of major depressive disorder (MDD)?
A. Persistent low mood for at least 2 weeks
B. Auditory hallucinations
C. Excessive fear of social situations
D. Repetitive behaviors
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: MDD is characterized by a persistent low mood or loss of interest for at least 2
weeks, per DSM-5 criteria. Why correct: Core diagnostic feature. Why others are incorrect:
Hallucinations (B) are typical of schizophrenia; social fear (C) is social anxiety disorder; repetitive
behaviors (D) are OCD.
Question 2
What is the first-line pharmacological treatment for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)?
A. Sertraline
, B. Lorazepam
C. Haloperidol
D. Lithium
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: SSRIs like sertraline are first-line for GAD due to efficacy and safety, per APA
guidelines. Why correct: Reduces anxiety with minimal dependence risk. Why others are
incorrect: Lorazepam (B) is for acute anxiety; haloperidol (C) is for psychosis; lithium (D) is for
bipolar disorder.
Question 3
A patient with schizophrenia reports hearing voices. This is an example of:
A. Positive symptom
B. Negative symptom
C. Cognitive symptom
D. Affective symptom
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Auditory hallucinations are positive symptoms (added behaviors) in schizophrenia,
per DSM-5. Why correct: Reflects excess sensory experience. Why others are incorrect:
Negative (B) involves deficits (e.g., apathy); cognitive (C) involves memory issues; affective (D)
is mood-related.
Question 4
What is a key assessment tool for evaluating suicide risk?
A. Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS)
B. Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE)
C. Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI)
D. Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS)
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The C-SSRS assesses suicide ideation and behavior, per clinical standards. Why
correct: Specific for suicide risk. Why others are incorrect: MMSE (B) assesses cognition;
BAI (C) measures anxiety; Y-BOCS (D) evaluates OCD.
Question 5