BARKLEY PMHNP ULTIMATE actual EXAM COVERAGE
EXAM
Barkley PMHNP - Actual Exam Review
Psychiatric assessment & diagnostic criteria
(DSM-5-TR basics)
Differential diagnosis across lifespan (child,
adult, geriatric)
Mood disorders (MDD, bipolar I/II, cyclothymia)
Anxiety disorders (GAD, panic, OCD, PTSD)
Psychotic disorders (schizophrenia spectrum)
Substance use & withdrawal syndromes
Neurocognitive & neurodevelopmental
disorders
Personality disorders clusters A, B, C
Psychopharmacology fundamentals
Antidepressants (SSRIs, SNRIs, TCAs, MAOIs)
Mood stabilizers (lithium, valproate, lamotrigine)
Antipsychotics (typical & atypical)
Anxiolytics & sedative-hypnotics
ADHD medications & stimulants
Medication side effects, contraindications,
interactions
Psychotherapy modalities
CBT, DBT, motivational interviewing
Crisis intervention & brief therapy
Safety & risk management
Suicide risk assessment
, Homicide risk
Duty to warn/protect
Medical & psychiatric comorbidities
Lab monitoring & medication management
Ethics, scope of practice & prescriptive authority
Documentation & legal considerations
Cultural competence & patient-centered care
What does the pneumonic C - Character of symptoms, O - Onset, L -
COLDSPA stand for? Length of symptoms, D - Duration, S - Stressors,
P - Precipitating factors, A - Alleviating factors.
What should you inquire about in a Relationships, work, education, trauma, and legal
social history? issues.
What is the first step in the Gather the chief complaint and history
assessment process? information before treatment.
What is important to assess in a Difficulties with parents, teachers, and authority
developmental history? figures.
,What is the significance of family It helps identify genetic predispositions to
history in mental health disorders and any history of trauma or substance
assessment? use.
What personal information should Hobbies and coping strategies, particularly for
be gathered during assessment? depression assessment.
What does the Gottesman et al. Having two parents with schizophrenia increases
(2010) study indicate about the child's risk to 27%, while one parent
schizophrenia risk? increases it to 7%.
Why is past psychiatric history To avoid bias and ensure a comprehensive
assessed later in the evaluation? assessment of other factors first.
What is the importance of medical To rule out medical conditions that could mimic
history in psychiatric evaluations? psychiatric symptoms.
What is the normal sleep cycle Non-REM, deeper non-REM, and REM sleep.
composed of?
What is assessed in a Mental Status Appearance, behavior, speech, affect, thought
Examination (MSE)? process, thought content, and cognitive
examination.
, What is the purpose of the Mini To assess cognitive function through memory
Mental Status Exam? recall and interpretation tasks.
What does the Clock Drawing test Cognitive distortion; inability to draw a clock
assess? correctly may indicate dementia.
What are the components of the Orientation, memory recall, counting backwards,
MMSE? language, and following commands.
What is the scoring range for the 0-76, with <7 indicating no depression and >23
Hamilton Depression Scale? indicating severe depression.
What does the PHQ-9 assess? Depression symptoms over the past two weeks
with a scoring range of 1-27.
What is the purpose of the GAD-7 To assess anxiety symptoms with a scoring range
screening tool? of 5-21.
What symptoms are assessed for Family history, speech patterns, sleep,
Bipolar Disorder? hyperactivity, irritability, grandiosity, and
impulsiveness.
What does the Mood Disorder Bipolar disorder through yes/no questions about
Questionnaire screen for? mood and relationships.
EXAM
Barkley PMHNP - Actual Exam Review
Psychiatric assessment & diagnostic criteria
(DSM-5-TR basics)
Differential diagnosis across lifespan (child,
adult, geriatric)
Mood disorders (MDD, bipolar I/II, cyclothymia)
Anxiety disorders (GAD, panic, OCD, PTSD)
Psychotic disorders (schizophrenia spectrum)
Substance use & withdrawal syndromes
Neurocognitive & neurodevelopmental
disorders
Personality disorders clusters A, B, C
Psychopharmacology fundamentals
Antidepressants (SSRIs, SNRIs, TCAs, MAOIs)
Mood stabilizers (lithium, valproate, lamotrigine)
Antipsychotics (typical & atypical)
Anxiolytics & sedative-hypnotics
ADHD medications & stimulants
Medication side effects, contraindications,
interactions
Psychotherapy modalities
CBT, DBT, motivational interviewing
Crisis intervention & brief therapy
Safety & risk management
Suicide risk assessment
, Homicide risk
Duty to warn/protect
Medical & psychiatric comorbidities
Lab monitoring & medication management
Ethics, scope of practice & prescriptive authority
Documentation & legal considerations
Cultural competence & patient-centered care
What does the pneumonic C - Character of symptoms, O - Onset, L -
COLDSPA stand for? Length of symptoms, D - Duration, S - Stressors,
P - Precipitating factors, A - Alleviating factors.
What should you inquire about in a Relationships, work, education, trauma, and legal
social history? issues.
What is the first step in the Gather the chief complaint and history
assessment process? information before treatment.
What is important to assess in a Difficulties with parents, teachers, and authority
developmental history? figures.
,What is the significance of family It helps identify genetic predispositions to
history in mental health disorders and any history of trauma or substance
assessment? use.
What personal information should Hobbies and coping strategies, particularly for
be gathered during assessment? depression assessment.
What does the Gottesman et al. Having two parents with schizophrenia increases
(2010) study indicate about the child's risk to 27%, while one parent
schizophrenia risk? increases it to 7%.
Why is past psychiatric history To avoid bias and ensure a comprehensive
assessed later in the evaluation? assessment of other factors first.
What is the importance of medical To rule out medical conditions that could mimic
history in psychiatric evaluations? psychiatric symptoms.
What is the normal sleep cycle Non-REM, deeper non-REM, and REM sleep.
composed of?
What is assessed in a Mental Status Appearance, behavior, speech, affect, thought
Examination (MSE)? process, thought content, and cognitive
examination.
, What is the purpose of the Mini To assess cognitive function through memory
Mental Status Exam? recall and interpretation tasks.
What does the Clock Drawing test Cognitive distortion; inability to draw a clock
assess? correctly may indicate dementia.
What are the components of the Orientation, memory recall, counting backwards,
MMSE? language, and following commands.
What is the scoring range for the 0-76, with <7 indicating no depression and >23
Hamilton Depression Scale? indicating severe depression.
What does the PHQ-9 assess? Depression symptoms over the past two weeks
with a scoring range of 1-27.
What is the purpose of the GAD-7 To assess anxiety symptoms with a scoring range
screening tool? of 5-21.
What symptoms are assessed for Family history, speech patterns, sleep,
Bipolar Disorder? hyperactivity, irritability, grandiosity, and
impulsiveness.
What does the Mood Disorder Bipolar disorder through yes/no questions about
Questionnaire screen for? mood and relationships.
