Question 1

What is a common cause of delirium?

Accepted Answer

A)   Overuse of steroids
B)   Liver abnormalities
C)   Parkinson disease
D)   Neoplasms D

Question 2

Since the summer weather began, a patient taking lithium for manic episodes has been walking daily.What important instruction should the nurse provide to this patient?

Accepted Answer

A)   Stay in the shade when walking.
B)   Stop walking.
C)   Maintain hydration.
D)   Wear sunscreen. C

Question 3

What should a nurse suspect a patient diagnosis might be when the patient states, "I often feel restless, have a tight sensation in my chest, and have an increased heart rate at times"?

Accepted Answer

A)   Anxiety disorder
B)   Depressive disorder
C)   Agoraphobia
D)   Obsessive-compulsive disorder A

Question 4

A patient states that he feels angry at work for no reason and often yells at his co-workers.The therapist asks the patient to describe events and then tells the patient to try different strategies to cope with these angry outbursts.What type of approach is this considered?

Accepted Answer

A)   Biologic
B)   Analytical
C)   Cognitive or behavioral
D)   Interpersonal

Question 5

A patient who is admitted with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)says he had a very stressful experience when in high school and has never really recovered.What is the most appropriate nursing action?

Accepted Answer

A)   Encourage the patient to talk about what caused the traumatic event.
B)   Guide the patient in relaxation techniques to distract him when flashbacks occur.
C)   Provide sleeping medication so that he can sleep at night.
D)   Allow the patient to talk about his condition as often as he likes.

Question 6

A co-worker is noted to be very organized.However, you see that he is always making lists and citing the rules of the organization.He wants all his projects to be perfect and gets very upset when things happen that make him miss his deadlines.The co-worker is exhibiting signs of which personality disorder?

Accepted Answer

A)   Avoidant
B)   Obsessive-compulsive
C)   Histrionic
D)   Dependent

Question 7

Which combination of medications could be used to treat an anxiety disorder?

Accepted Answer

A)   Librium and Xanax
B)   Effexor and Ativan
C)   Effexor and Haldol
D)   Klonopin and Valium

Question 8

A patient who has a history of episodes of road rage thinks that she is a very good driver and does not understand why she keeps being told she is a poor driver.She is losing her license now, and she tells the nurse that she is feeling very unhappy and abandoned.She feels like she might hurt herself.The nurse realizes that the patient is exhibiting which personality disorder?

Accepted Answer

A)   Narcissistic
B)   Paranoid
C)   Schizoid
D)   Borderline

Question 9

A long-time patient with schizophrenia in the inpatient unit has developed involuntary movements of his tongue.What has this patient developed?

Accepted Answer

A)   Acute dystonic reaction
B)   Tardive dyskinesia
C)   Neuroleptic malignant syndrome
D)   Laryngospasm

Question 10

A nursing instructor is explaining the difference between illusion and hallucination.Which examples provided by students in the class indicate an illusion? (Select all that apply.)

Accepted Answer

A)   A car backfiring being perceived as gunfire
B)   The television news being perceived as someone talking to you
C)   Hearing God's voice directing you to drive your car off the road
D)   Seeing your dead spouse smile at you from a flower
E)   A spot on the wall being perceived as a spider

Question 11

When performing a mental status examination, a nurse notes that the patient keeps repeating, "I didn't do it.I didn't do it.I didn't do it." This response would be an example of which one of the components of the mental status examination?

Accepted Answer

A)   Appearance
B)   Mood and affect
C)   Thought content
D)   Memory and attention

Question 12

A patient is brought in from the emergency department after telling the physician that he is a relative of the president of the United States.He says that he should not be detained because he has important business to attend to that involves national security.He is dressed in a bright coat with plaid pants and gets very angry when you try to question him.What is this patient is experiencing?

Accepted Answer

A)   Panic attack
B)   Hyperactive episode
C)   Extrapyramidal effect
D)   Manic episode

Question 13

A nurse speaking to a patient who is depressed says, "So what you are saying is that you are feeling very sad today." What is this considered?

Accepted Answer

A)   Listening
B)   Sharing observations
C)   Clarifying
D)   Being available

Question 14

A patient is given anxiolytic medications for a mental disorder.What type of approach is this considered?

Accepted Answer

A)   Analytical
B)   Interpersonal
C)   Biologic
D)   Psychoanalytic

Question 15

While in the dayroom, one of the patients becomes very agitated and begins to threaten to harm the other patients and is directing violence at the other patients and staff.What is the most appropriate nursing implementation?

Accepted Answer

A)   Decrease the stimuli and use restraints if all other measures fail.
B)   Offer to call the physician and ask another staff member to call security.
C)   Remove harmful objects and try to perform relaxation exercises with the patient.
D)   Restrain the patient and do not allow him or her to eat or drink anything by mouth.

Question 16

A patient is hyperactive with mania and has poor nutritional intake due to hyperactivity.What implementation is most appropriate when considering this diagnosis?

Accepted Answer

A)   Offer nutritious finger foods and high-protein milk shakes to eat on the go.
B)   Spoon-feed the patient while the patient is seated at the table.
C)   Arrange for one large meal at noon to be eaten in the company of others.
D)   Limit fluid intake to make the patient hungry at mealtime.

Question 17

A patient who went away to college in September returns in October, thinking that he is a drummer in a popular rock band.What is this most likely a manifestation of?

Accepted Answer

A)   Dissociative disorder
B)   Conversion disorder
C)   Schizophrenia
D)   Amnesia

Question 18

A patient with bipolar disorder is being treated with tricyclic medications.What should the nurse inform the patient to expect when teaching information concerning side effects?

Accepted Answer

A)   Orthostatic hypotension
B)   Hypercholesterolemia
C)   Fatigue
D)   Blurred vision

Question 19

When a nurse asks questions like, "What day is today?" or "What time is it now?" the nurse is testing the patient's ______.

Accepted Answer

The answer of When a nurse asks questions like, "What...

Question 20

What is the best action for the nurse to implement to effectively listen therapeutically to a patient?

Accepted Answer

A)   Concentrate on the patient and not think of responses to the patient while he or she is speaking.
B)   Determine the cause of the patient's problem while the patient is speaking.
C)   Ask the patient why he thinks he feels the way he does.
D)   Tell the patient that you have had similar experiences.

Exam 61: Psychobiological Disorders