Mental Health: Exam 3
Mental Health Exam 3 Practice
Questions and Answers Graded A 2025
A group of community nurses sees and plans care for various clients with different types
of problems. Which of the following clients would they consider the most vulnerable to
post-traumatic stress disorder?
A. An eight (8)-year-old boy with asthma who has recently failed a grade in school
B. A 20-year-old college student with DM who experienced date rape
C. A 40-year-old widower who has recently lost his wife to cancer
D. A wife of an individual with a severe substance abuse problem -Correct Answer ✔B.
A 20-year-old college student with DM who experienced date rape
Post-traumatic stress disorder is caused by the experience of severe, specific trauma.
Rape is a severely traumatic event.
Although the situations in options A, C, and D are certainly stressful, they are not at the
level of severe trauma.
A nurse is developing a care plan for a female client with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Which of the following would she do initially?
A. Instruct the client to use distraction techniques to cope with flashbacks.
B. Encourage the client to put the past in proper perspective.
C. Encourage the client to verbalize thoughts and feelings about the trauma.
D. Avoid discussing the traumatic event with the client. -Correct Answer ✔C. Encourage
the client to verbalize thoughts and feelings about the trauma.
Planning care for a client with post-traumatic stress disorder would involve helping the
client to verbalize thoughts and feelings about the trauma. This will help the client work
through the strong emotions connected with the trauma and, therefore foster the belief
that she is able to cope.
Options A and D: Avoiding discussion and using distraction techniques would be
inappropriate.
Option B may be possible later after the client is able to verbalize strong emotions.
Which outcome is most appropriate for Francis who has a dissociative disorder?
A. Francis will deal with uncomfortable emotions on a conscious level.
B. Francis will modify stress with the use of relaxation techniques.
C. Francis will identify his anxiety responses.
D. Francis will use problem-solving strategies when feeling stressed. -Correct Answer
✔A. Francis will deal with uncomfortable emotions on a conscious level.
Mental Health: Exam 3
,Mental Health: Exam 3
Dissociative disorders occur when traumatic events are beyond an individual's recall
because these memories have been "blocked" from conscious awareness. Bringing the
feelings associated with these events into conscious awareness and coping with these
feelings will decrease the need for dissociation.
The psychiatric nurse uses cognitive-behavioral techniques when working with a client
who experiences panic attacks. Which of the following techniques are common to this
theoretical framework? (Select all that apply.)
A. Administering anti-anxiety medication as prescribed
B. Encouraging the client to restructure thoughts
C. Helping the client to use controlled relaxation breathing
D. Helping the client examine evidence of stressors
E. Questioning the client about early childhood relationships
F. Teaching the client about anxiety and panic -Correct Answer ✔B, C, D, F
These are all appropriate techniques based on the framework of cognitive-behavioral
therapy.
Nurse Martha is teaching her students about anxiety medications; she explains that
benzodiazepines affect which brain chemical?
A. Acetylcholine
B. Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)
C. Norepinephrine
D. Serotonin -Correct Answer ✔B. Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)
Antianxiety medications stimulate the neurotransmitter GABA, which is a chemical
associated with relaxation. The other options are not affected by benzodiazepines.
Mandy, a nurse who works at Nurseslabs Rehabilitation Center is assessing a client for
recent stressful life events. She recognizes that stressful life events are both:
A. Desirable and growth-promoting.
B. Positive and negative.
C. Undesirable and harmful.
D. Predictable and controllable. -Correct Answer ✔B. Positive and negative.
The concept of stressful life event is based on the research of Holmes and Rahe, who
found that both positive and negative changes result in stress.
Options A and C: Stressful life events are not always desirable and growth promoting,
nor are they always undesirable and harmful.
Option D: Some stressful life events can be predictable and controllable; however,
many life events are entirely unpredictable.
Mental Health: Exam 3
,Mental Health: Exam 3
During a community visit, volunteer nurses teach stress management to the
participants. The nurses will most likely advocate which belief as a method of coping
with stressful life events?
A. Avoidance of stress is an important goal for living.
B. Control over one's response to stress is possible.
C. Most people have no control over their level of stress.
D. Significant others are important to provide care and concern. -Correct Answer ✔B.
Control over one's response to stress is possible.
When learning to manage stress, clients find it helpful to believe that they have the
ability to control their response to it. It is impossible to avoid stress, which is a normal
life experience.
Genevieve only attends social events when a family member is also present. She
exhibits behavior typical of which anxiety disorder?
A. Agoraphobia
B. Generalized anxiety disorder
C. Obsessive-compulsive disorder
D. Post-traumatic stress disorder -Correct Answer ✔A. Agoraphobia
Agoraphobia is a disorder characterized by avoidance of situations in which escape
may not be possible or help may be unavailable.
Nurse Vicky is assessing a newly admitted client for symptoms of post-traumatic stress
disorder (PTSD). Which symptoms are typically seen with this diagnosis? Select all that
apply.
A. Anger with numbing of other emotions
B. Exaggerated startle response
C. Feeling that one is having a heart attack
D. Frequent thoughts about contamination
E. Frequent nightmares
F. Survivor's guilt -Correct Answer ✔A, B, E, F
These are common symptoms of PTSD. Option C is common in panic disorder, and
option D is characteristic of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Jordanne is a client with a fear of air travel. She is being treated in a mental institution
for phobic disorder. The treatment method involves systematic desensitization. The
nurse would consider the treatment successful if:
A. Jordanne plans a trip requiring air travel.
B. Jordanne takes a short trip in an airplane.
Mental Health: Exam 3
, Mental Health: Exam 3
C. Jordanne recognizes the unrealistic nature of the fear of riding on airplanes.
D. Jordanne verbalizes a decreased fear about air travel. -Correct Answer ✔B.
Jordanne takes a short trip in an airplane.
Systematic desensitization is a behavioral technique in which the client with a specific
phobia is gradually able to work through hierarchal fears until the most fearful situation
is encountered. In this case, the most fearful is riding an airplane.
Nurse Rob has observed a co-worker arriving to work drunk at least three times in the
past month. Which action by Nurse Rob would best ensure client safety and obtain
necessary assistance for the co-worker?
A. Ignore the co worker's behavior, and frequently assess the clients assigned to the co-
worker.
B. Make general statements about safety issues at the next staff meeting.
C. Report the coworker's behavior to the appropriate supervisor.
D. Warn the co-worker that this practice is unsafe. -Correct Answer ✔C. Report the
coworker's behavior to the appropriate supervisor.
The nurse is obligated by ethical considerations of client safety, as well as by nurse
practice acts in many states, to report substance abuse in health care workers. Most
healthcare facilities have an employee assistance program to help workers with
substance abuse problems.
Option A: Ignoring the co worker's behavior would be a form of enabling behavior
(codependency) on the staff nurse's part.
Option B: Making general statements about safety in a staff meeting avoids dealing with
the problem.
Option D: Warning the co-worker is inadequate; it does not ensure client safety or helps
him receive necessary aid.
Elsa is being treated in a chemical dependency unit. She tells the nurse that she only
uses drugs when under stress and therefore does not have a substance problem.
Which defense mechanism is the client using?
A. Compensation
B. Denial
C. Suppression
D. Undoing -Correct Answer ✔B. Denial
Individuals who have substance problems often use denial.
Options A, C, and D: Compensation, suppression, and undoing are incorrect and do not
fit the situation described.
Mental Health: Exam 3
Mental Health Exam 3 Practice
Questions and Answers Graded A 2025
A group of community nurses sees and plans care for various clients with different types
of problems. Which of the following clients would they consider the most vulnerable to
post-traumatic stress disorder?
A. An eight (8)-year-old boy with asthma who has recently failed a grade in school
B. A 20-year-old college student with DM who experienced date rape
C. A 40-year-old widower who has recently lost his wife to cancer
D. A wife of an individual with a severe substance abuse problem -Correct Answer ✔B.
A 20-year-old college student with DM who experienced date rape
Post-traumatic stress disorder is caused by the experience of severe, specific trauma.
Rape is a severely traumatic event.
Although the situations in options A, C, and D are certainly stressful, they are not at the
level of severe trauma.
A nurse is developing a care plan for a female client with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Which of the following would she do initially?
A. Instruct the client to use distraction techniques to cope with flashbacks.
B. Encourage the client to put the past in proper perspective.
C. Encourage the client to verbalize thoughts and feelings about the trauma.
D. Avoid discussing the traumatic event with the client. -Correct Answer ✔C. Encourage
the client to verbalize thoughts and feelings about the trauma.
Planning care for a client with post-traumatic stress disorder would involve helping the
client to verbalize thoughts and feelings about the trauma. This will help the client work
through the strong emotions connected with the trauma and, therefore foster the belief
that she is able to cope.
Options A and D: Avoiding discussion and using distraction techniques would be
inappropriate.
Option B may be possible later after the client is able to verbalize strong emotions.
Which outcome is most appropriate for Francis who has a dissociative disorder?
A. Francis will deal with uncomfortable emotions on a conscious level.
B. Francis will modify stress with the use of relaxation techniques.
C. Francis will identify his anxiety responses.
D. Francis will use problem-solving strategies when feeling stressed. -Correct Answer
✔A. Francis will deal with uncomfortable emotions on a conscious level.
Mental Health: Exam 3
,Mental Health: Exam 3
Dissociative disorders occur when traumatic events are beyond an individual's recall
because these memories have been "blocked" from conscious awareness. Bringing the
feelings associated with these events into conscious awareness and coping with these
feelings will decrease the need for dissociation.
The psychiatric nurse uses cognitive-behavioral techniques when working with a client
who experiences panic attacks. Which of the following techniques are common to this
theoretical framework? (Select all that apply.)
A. Administering anti-anxiety medication as prescribed
B. Encouraging the client to restructure thoughts
C. Helping the client to use controlled relaxation breathing
D. Helping the client examine evidence of stressors
E. Questioning the client about early childhood relationships
F. Teaching the client about anxiety and panic -Correct Answer ✔B, C, D, F
These are all appropriate techniques based on the framework of cognitive-behavioral
therapy.
Nurse Martha is teaching her students about anxiety medications; she explains that
benzodiazepines affect which brain chemical?
A. Acetylcholine
B. Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)
C. Norepinephrine
D. Serotonin -Correct Answer ✔B. Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)
Antianxiety medications stimulate the neurotransmitter GABA, which is a chemical
associated with relaxation. The other options are not affected by benzodiazepines.
Mandy, a nurse who works at Nurseslabs Rehabilitation Center is assessing a client for
recent stressful life events. She recognizes that stressful life events are both:
A. Desirable and growth-promoting.
B. Positive and negative.
C. Undesirable and harmful.
D. Predictable and controllable. -Correct Answer ✔B. Positive and negative.
The concept of stressful life event is based on the research of Holmes and Rahe, who
found that both positive and negative changes result in stress.
Options A and C: Stressful life events are not always desirable and growth promoting,
nor are they always undesirable and harmful.
Option D: Some stressful life events can be predictable and controllable; however,
many life events are entirely unpredictable.
Mental Health: Exam 3
,Mental Health: Exam 3
During a community visit, volunteer nurses teach stress management to the
participants. The nurses will most likely advocate which belief as a method of coping
with stressful life events?
A. Avoidance of stress is an important goal for living.
B. Control over one's response to stress is possible.
C. Most people have no control over their level of stress.
D. Significant others are important to provide care and concern. -Correct Answer ✔B.
Control over one's response to stress is possible.
When learning to manage stress, clients find it helpful to believe that they have the
ability to control their response to it. It is impossible to avoid stress, which is a normal
life experience.
Genevieve only attends social events when a family member is also present. She
exhibits behavior typical of which anxiety disorder?
A. Agoraphobia
B. Generalized anxiety disorder
C. Obsessive-compulsive disorder
D. Post-traumatic stress disorder -Correct Answer ✔A. Agoraphobia
Agoraphobia is a disorder characterized by avoidance of situations in which escape
may not be possible or help may be unavailable.
Nurse Vicky is assessing a newly admitted client for symptoms of post-traumatic stress
disorder (PTSD). Which symptoms are typically seen with this diagnosis? Select all that
apply.
A. Anger with numbing of other emotions
B. Exaggerated startle response
C. Feeling that one is having a heart attack
D. Frequent thoughts about contamination
E. Frequent nightmares
F. Survivor's guilt -Correct Answer ✔A, B, E, F
These are common symptoms of PTSD. Option C is common in panic disorder, and
option D is characteristic of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Jordanne is a client with a fear of air travel. She is being treated in a mental institution
for phobic disorder. The treatment method involves systematic desensitization. The
nurse would consider the treatment successful if:
A. Jordanne plans a trip requiring air travel.
B. Jordanne takes a short trip in an airplane.
Mental Health: Exam 3
, Mental Health: Exam 3
C. Jordanne recognizes the unrealistic nature of the fear of riding on airplanes.
D. Jordanne verbalizes a decreased fear about air travel. -Correct Answer ✔B.
Jordanne takes a short trip in an airplane.
Systematic desensitization is a behavioral technique in which the client with a specific
phobia is gradually able to work through hierarchal fears until the most fearful situation
is encountered. In this case, the most fearful is riding an airplane.
Nurse Rob has observed a co-worker arriving to work drunk at least three times in the
past month. Which action by Nurse Rob would best ensure client safety and obtain
necessary assistance for the co-worker?
A. Ignore the co worker's behavior, and frequently assess the clients assigned to the co-
worker.
B. Make general statements about safety issues at the next staff meeting.
C. Report the coworker's behavior to the appropriate supervisor.
D. Warn the co-worker that this practice is unsafe. -Correct Answer ✔C. Report the
coworker's behavior to the appropriate supervisor.
The nurse is obligated by ethical considerations of client safety, as well as by nurse
practice acts in many states, to report substance abuse in health care workers. Most
healthcare facilities have an employee assistance program to help workers with
substance abuse problems.
Option A: Ignoring the co worker's behavior would be a form of enabling behavior
(codependency) on the staff nurse's part.
Option B: Making general statements about safety in a staff meeting avoids dealing with
the problem.
Option D: Warning the co-worker is inadequate; it does not ensure client safety or helps
him receive necessary aid.
Elsa is being treated in a chemical dependency unit. She tells the nurse that she only
uses drugs when under stress and therefore does not have a substance problem.
Which defense mechanism is the client using?
A. Compensation
B. Denial
C. Suppression
D. Undoing -Correct Answer ✔B. Denial
Individuals who have substance problems often use denial.
Options A, C, and D: Compensation, suppression, and undoing are incorrect and do not
fit the situation described.
Mental Health: Exam 3
