Psychiatric Nursing Practice Test 2 (Exam Mode)

Antiseptic mouthwash often contains alcohol & should be kept in locked area, unless labeling clearly indicates that the product does not contain alcohol.

Denial is a method of resolving conflict or escaping unpleasant realities by ignoring their existence.

After administering naloxone (Narcan) the nurse should monitor the client’s respiratory status carefully, because the drug is short acting & respiratory depression may recur after its effects wear off.

A crucial factor is determining the lethality of a method is the amount of time that occurs between initiating the method & the delivery of the lethal impact of the method.

Barbiturates are CNS depressants; the nurse would be especially alert for the possibility of respiratory failure. Respiratory failure is the most likely cause of death from barbiturate over dose.

The statement “I don’t think about killing myself as much as I used to.” Indicates a lessening of suicidal ideation and improvement in the client’s condition.

Somatic delusion is a fixed false belief about one’s body.

The fetal position represents regressed behavior. Regression is a way of responding to overwhelming anxiety.

The nurse instructs the nursing assistant to invite the client to lunch & accompany him to the dinning room to decrease manipulation, secondary gain, dependency and reinforcement of negative behavior while maintaining the client’s worth.

Psychoeducational groups for families develop a support network. They provide education about the biochemical etiology of psychiatric disease to reduce, not increase family guilt.

Flight of ideas is speech pattern of rapid transition from topic to topic, often without finishing one idea. It is common in mania.

The client with mania is very active & needs to have this energy channeled in a constructive task such as cleaning or tidying the room.

The nurse should initiate brief, frequent contacts throughout the day to let the client know that he is important to the nurse. This will positively affect the client’s self-esteem.

The drug of choice for a client experiencing extra pyramidal side effects from haloperidol (Haldol) is benztropine mesylate (cogentin) because of its anti cholinergic properties.

When the nurse and client agree to work together, a contract should be established, the length of the relationship should be discussed in terms of its ultimate termination.

An individual with personality disorder usually is not hospitalized unless a coexisting Axis I psychiatric disorder is present. Generally, these individuals make marginal adjustments and remain in society, although they typically experience relationship and occupational problems related to their inflexible behaviors. Personality disorders are chronic lifelong patterns of behavior; acute episodes do not occur. Psychotic behavior is usually not common, although it can occur in either schizotypal personality disorder or borderline personality disorder. Because these disorders are enduring and evasive and the individual is inflexible, prognosis for recovery is unfavorable. Generally, the individual does not seek treatment because he does not perceive problems with his own behavior. Distress can occur based on other people’s reaction to the individual’s behavior.

An acid environment aids in the excretion of PCP. The nurse will definitely give the client with PCP intoxication cranberry juice to acidify the urine to a ph of 5.5 & accelerate excretion.

Auditory hallucinations are most troublesome when environmental stimuli are diminished and there are few competing distractions.

The nurse would use role-playing to teach the client appropriate responses to others and in various situations. This client dramatizes events, drawn attention to self, and is unaware of and does not deal with feelings. The nurse works to help the client clarify true feelings & learn to express them appropriately.

Foods high in tyramine, those that are fermented, pickled, aged, or smoked must be avoided because when they are ingested in combination with MAOIs a hypertensive crisis will occur.

Anticholinergic effects, which result from blockage of the parasympathetic (craniosacral) nervous system including urine retention, blurred vision, dry mouth & constipation.

The client with depression is preoccupied, has decreased energy, and is unable to make decisions. The nurse presents the situation, “It’s time for a shower”, and assists the client with personal hygiene to preserve his dignity and self-esteem.

The usual age of onset of schizophrenia is adolescence or early childhood.

This provides support until the individuals coping mechanisms and personal support systems can be immobilized.

The client in a manic episode of the illness often neglects basic needs, these needs are a priority to ensure adequate nutrition, fluid, and rest.

The best measure to determine a client’s progress in rehabilitation is the number of drug- free days he has. The longer the client is free of drugs, the better the prognosis is

This will help the client develop self-esteem and reduce the use of paranoid ideation.

Monitoring of vital signs provides the best information about the client’s overall physiologic status during alcohol withdrawal & the physiologic response to the medication used.

The nurse would facilitate progressive review of the accident and its consequence to help the client integrate feelings & memories and to begin the grieving process.

Projection is a mechanism in which inner thoughts and feelings are projected onto the environment, seeming to come from outside the self rather than from within.

The withdrawn pattern of behavior presents the individual from reaching out to others for sharing the isolation produces feeling of loneliness.

The nurse would explain the negative reactions of others towards the client’s behaviors to make the clients aware of the impact of his seductive behaviors on others.

Allowing the client to be the first to open the cart & take a tray presents the client with the reality that the nurses are not touching the food & tray, thereby dispelling the delusion.

The nurse’s response is not therapeutic because it does not recognize the client’s needs but tries to make the client feel guilty for being demanding.

The nurse would prepare to administer an antipsychotic medication such as Haldol to a client experiencing amphetamine psychosis to decrease agitation & psychotic symptoms, including delusions, hallucinations & cognitive impairment.

A moderate level of cognitive impairment due to dementia is characterized by increasing dependence on environment & social structure and by increasing psychologic rigidity with accentuated previous traits & behaviors.

Using exercise bicycle is appropriate for the client who becomes very anxious when thoughts of suicidal occur.

Dysthymia is a less severe, chronic depression diagnosed when a client has had a depressed mood for more days than not over a period of at least 2 years. Client with dysthymic disorder benefit from psychotherapeutic approaches that assist the client in reversing the negative self image, negative feelings about the future.

The client must recognize the existence of the sub personalities so that interpretation can occur.

An aloof, detached, withdrawn posture is a means of protecting the self by withdrawing and maintaining a safe, emotional distance.

Although all the actions indicate improvement, the ability to initiate simple activities without directions indicates the most improvement in the catatonic behaviors.

These are the classic behaviors exhibited by clients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia.

This action maintains for as long as possible, the clients intellectual functions by providing an opportunity to use them.

Resolving a loss is a slow, painful, continuous process until a mental image of the dead person, almost devoid of negative or undesirable features emerges.

The feeling of bugs crawling under the skin is termed as formication, and is associated with cocaine use.

Attending activity with the nurse assists the client to become involved with others slowly. The client with schizotypal personality disorder needs support, kindness & gentle suggestion to improve social skills & interpersonal relationship.

Depressed clients demonstrate decreased communication because of lack of psychic or physical energy.

Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant. These symptoms are the body’s neurologic adaptation to the withdrawal of alcohol.

Individuals with anorexia often display irritability, hospitality, and a depressed mood.

This provides a stimulus that competes with and reduces hallucination.