,Chapter 1: Mental Health and Mental Illness
Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
1. A nurse is assessing a client who experiences 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.
How would the nurse interpret the client’s behaviors?
1. The client’s behaviors demonstrate mental illness in the form of depression.
2. The client’s behaviors are inappropriate, which indicates the presence of mental
illness.
3. The client’s behaviors are not congruent with cultural norms.
4. The client’s behaviors demonstrate no functional impairment, indicating no mental
illness.
2. At which point would the nurse determine that a client is at risk for developing a mental illness?
1. When thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are not reflective of the DSM-5 criteria.
2. When maladaptive responses to stress are coupled with interference in daily
functioning.
3. When a client communicates significant distress.
4. When a client uses defense mechanisms as ego protection.
3. A client has been given a diagnosis of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Which statement
made by the client does the nurse recognize as the bargaining stage of grief?
1. “I hate my partner for giving me this disease I will die from!”
2. “If I don’t do intravenous (IV) drugs anymore, God won’t let me die.”
3. “I am going to support groups and learn more about the disease.”
4. “Can you please re-draw the test results, I think they may be wrong?”
4. A nurse notes that a client is extremely withdrawn, delusional, and emotionally exhausted. The
nurse assesses the client’s anxiety as which level?
1. Mild anxiety
2. Moderate anxiety
3. Severe anxiety
4. Panic anxiety
5. A psychiatric nurse intern states, “This client’s use of defense mechanisms should be eliminated.”
Which is a correct evaluation of this nurse’s statement?
1. Defense mechanisms can be appropriate responses to stress and need not be
eliminated.
2. Defense mechanisms are a maladaptive attempt of the ego to manage anxiety and
should always be eliminated.
3. Defense mechanisms, used by individuals with weak ego integrity, should be
discouraged and not completely eliminated.
4. Defense mechanisms cause disintegration of the ego and should be fostered and
encouraged.
, 6. During an intake assessment, a nurse asks both physiological and psychosocial questions. The
client angrily responds, “I’m here for my heart, not my head problems.” Which is the nurse’s best
response?
1. “It is just a routine part of our assessment. All clients are asked these same
questions.”
2. “Why are you concerned about these types of questions?”
3. “Psychological factors, like excessive stress, have been found to affect medical
conditions.”
4. “We can skip these questions, if you like. It isn’t imperative that we complete this
section.”
7. A client who is being treated for chronic kidney disease complains to the health-care provider that
he does not like the food available to him while hospitalized. The health-care provider insists that
the client strictly adhere to the diet plan. What action can be expected is the client uses the defense
mechanism of displacement?
1. The client assertively confronts the health-care provider.
2. The client insists on being discharged and goes for a long, brisk walk.
3. The client snaps at the nurse and criticizes the nursing care provided.
4. The client hides his anger by explaining the logical reasoning for the diet to his
spouse.
8. A fourth-grade boy teases and makes jokes about a cute girl in his class. A nurse would recognize
this behavior as indicative of which defense mechanism?
1. Displacement
2. Projection
3. Reaction formation
4. Sublimation
9. Which nursing statement regarding the concept of psychosis is most accurate?
1. Individuals experiencing psychoses are aware that their behaviors are maladaptive.
2. Individuals experiencing psychoses experience little distress.
3. Individuals experiencing psychoses are aware of experiencing psychological
problems.
4. Individuals experiencing psychoses are based in reality.
10. When under stress, a client routinely uses alcohol to excess. When the client’s husband finds her
drunk, the husband yells at the client about her chronic alcohol abuse. Which action alerts the
nurse to the client’s use of the defense mechanism of denial?
1. The client hides liquor bottles in a closet.
2. The client yells at her son for slouching in his chair.
3. The client burns dinner on purpose.
4. The client says to the spouse, “I don’t drink too much!”
11. Devastated by a divorce from an abusive husband, a wife completes grief counseling. Which
statement by the wife would indicate to a nurse that the client is in the acceptance stage of grief?
1. “If only we could have tried again, things might have worked out.”
2. “I am so mad that the children and I had to put up with him as long as we did.”
3. “Yes, it was a difficult relationship, but I think I have learned from the
, experience.”
4. “I have a difficult time getting out of bed most days.”
12. According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, which client action would demonstrate the highest
achievement in terms of mental health?
1. Maintaining a long-term, faithful, intimate relationship
2. Achieving a sense of self-confidence
3. Possessing a feeling of self-fulfillment and realizing full potential
4. Developing a sense of purpose and the ability to direct activities
13. According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, which situation on an inpatient psychiatric unit would
require priority intervention by a nurse?
1. A client rudely complaining about limited visiting hours
2. A client exhibiting aggressive behavior toward another client
3. A client stating that no one cares
4. A client verbalizing feelings of failure
Multiple Response
Identify one or more choices that best complete the statement or answer the question.
14. Which describes a defense mechanism an individual may use to relieve anxiety in a stressful
situation? (Select all that apply.)
1. Homework
2. Smoking
3. Itching
4. Nail biting
5. Sleeping
15. The nurse is reviewing the DSM-5 definition of a mental health disorder and notes the definition
includes a disturbance in which areas? (Select all that apply.)
1. Cognition
2. Physical
3. Emotional regulation
4. Behavior
5. Developmental
Completion
Complete each statement.
16. is a diffuse apprehension that is vague in nature and is associated
with feelings of uncertainty and helplessness.
17. is a subjective state of emotional, physical, and social responses to
the loss of a valued entity.
Other
Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
1. A nurse is assessing a client who experiences 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.
How would the nurse interpret the client’s behaviors?
1. The client’s behaviors demonstrate mental illness in the form of depression.
2. The client’s behaviors are inappropriate, which indicates the presence of mental
illness.
3. The client’s behaviors are not congruent with cultural norms.
4. The client’s behaviors demonstrate no functional impairment, indicating no mental
illness.
2. At which point would the nurse determine that a client is at risk for developing a mental illness?
1. When thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are not reflective of the DSM-5 criteria.
2. When maladaptive responses to stress are coupled with interference in daily
functioning.
3. When a client communicates significant distress.
4. When a client uses defense mechanisms as ego protection.
3. A client has been given a diagnosis of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Which statement
made by the client does the nurse recognize as the bargaining stage of grief?
1. “I hate my partner for giving me this disease I will die from!”
2. “If I don’t do intravenous (IV) drugs anymore, God won’t let me die.”
3. “I am going to support groups and learn more about the disease.”
4. “Can you please re-draw the test results, I think they may be wrong?”
4. A nurse notes that a client is extremely withdrawn, delusional, and emotionally exhausted. The
nurse assesses the client’s anxiety as which level?
1. Mild anxiety
2. Moderate anxiety
3. Severe anxiety
4. Panic anxiety
5. A psychiatric nurse intern states, “This client’s use of defense mechanisms should be eliminated.”
Which is a correct evaluation of this nurse’s statement?
1. Defense mechanisms can be appropriate responses to stress and need not be
eliminated.
2. Defense mechanisms are a maladaptive attempt of the ego to manage anxiety and
should always be eliminated.
3. Defense mechanisms, used by individuals with weak ego integrity, should be
discouraged and not completely eliminated.
4. Defense mechanisms cause disintegration of the ego and should be fostered and
encouraged.
, 6. During an intake assessment, a nurse asks both physiological and psychosocial questions. The
client angrily responds, “I’m here for my heart, not my head problems.” Which is the nurse’s best
response?
1. “It is just a routine part of our assessment. All clients are asked these same
questions.”
2. “Why are you concerned about these types of questions?”
3. “Psychological factors, like excessive stress, have been found to affect medical
conditions.”
4. “We can skip these questions, if you like. It isn’t imperative that we complete this
section.”
7. A client who is being treated for chronic kidney disease complains to the health-care provider that
he does not like the food available to him while hospitalized. The health-care provider insists that
the client strictly adhere to the diet plan. What action can be expected is the client uses the defense
mechanism of displacement?
1. The client assertively confronts the health-care provider.
2. The client insists on being discharged and goes for a long, brisk walk.
3. The client snaps at the nurse and criticizes the nursing care provided.
4. The client hides his anger by explaining the logical reasoning for the diet to his
spouse.
8. A fourth-grade boy teases and makes jokes about a cute girl in his class. A nurse would recognize
this behavior as indicative of which defense mechanism?
1. Displacement
2. Projection
3. Reaction formation
4. Sublimation
9. Which nursing statement regarding the concept of psychosis is most accurate?
1. Individuals experiencing psychoses are aware that their behaviors are maladaptive.
2. Individuals experiencing psychoses experience little distress.
3. Individuals experiencing psychoses are aware of experiencing psychological
problems.
4. Individuals experiencing psychoses are based in reality.
10. When under stress, a client routinely uses alcohol to excess. When the client’s husband finds her
drunk, the husband yells at the client about her chronic alcohol abuse. Which action alerts the
nurse to the client’s use of the defense mechanism of denial?
1. The client hides liquor bottles in a closet.
2. The client yells at her son for slouching in his chair.
3. The client burns dinner on purpose.
4. The client says to the spouse, “I don’t drink too much!”
11. Devastated by a divorce from an abusive husband, a wife completes grief counseling. Which
statement by the wife would indicate to a nurse that the client is in the acceptance stage of grief?
1. “If only we could have tried again, things might have worked out.”
2. “I am so mad that the children and I had to put up with him as long as we did.”
3. “Yes, it was a difficult relationship, but I think I have learned from the
, experience.”
4. “I have a difficult time getting out of bed most days.”
12. According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, which client action would demonstrate the highest
achievement in terms of mental health?
1. Maintaining a long-term, faithful, intimate relationship
2. Achieving a sense of self-confidence
3. Possessing a feeling of self-fulfillment and realizing full potential
4. Developing a sense of purpose and the ability to direct activities
13. According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, which situation on an inpatient psychiatric unit would
require priority intervention by a nurse?
1. A client rudely complaining about limited visiting hours
2. A client exhibiting aggressive behavior toward another client
3. A client stating that no one cares
4. A client verbalizing feelings of failure
Multiple Response
Identify one or more choices that best complete the statement or answer the question.
14. Which describes a defense mechanism an individual may use to relieve anxiety in a stressful
situation? (Select all that apply.)
1. Homework
2. Smoking
3. Itching
4. Nail biting
5. Sleeping
15. The nurse is reviewing the DSM-5 definition of a mental health disorder and notes the definition
includes a disturbance in which areas? (Select all that apply.)
1. Cognition
2. Physical
3. Emotional regulation
4. Behavior
5. Developmental
Completion
Complete each statement.
16. is a diffuse apprehension that is vague in nature and is associated
with feelings of uncertainty and helplessness.
17. is a subjective state of emotional, physical, and social responses to
the loss of a valued entity.
Other
