SAUNDERS MENTAL HEALTH EXAM
COMPREHENSIVE SCRIPT 2026 QUESTIONS
WITH SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
◉ Mental health continuum. Answer: A conceptual line used to
represent levels of mental health and mental illness that vary from
person to person and vary for a particular person over time.
◉ Phenomena of concern for nurses. Answer: Promotion of optimal
health. Impaired ability to function. Alterations in cognition.
Potential danger.
Emotional stress related to issues. Symptom management, side
effects, or toxicities associated with self-administered drugs.
Barriers to treatment posed by alcohol/substance
abuse/dependence. Dev psych issues. Physical/psychological
symptoms connected to psychological status. Ability to maintain
meaningful lives.
◉ Prevelance. Answer: The total number of cases of a disease within
a population at a given time. (old and new)
◉ Psychiatric mental health nursing. Answer: A specialty area in
nursing that promotes mental health through use of the nursing
process in the treatment of mental health problems and psychiatric
disorders.
,◉ Definition of mental health in psychiatry. Answer: It evolves over
time and is shaped by the prevailing culture and societal values. It
reflects changes in cultural norms, societal expectations, political
climates, and even reimbursement criteria by third-party payers.
◉ Registered nurse-psychiatric mental health (RN-PMH). Answer: A
registered nurse with experience as a psychiatric mental health
nurse who may be employed as a staff nurse, case manager, or home
care nurse.
◉ Resilience. Answer: The ability to adapt and cope that helps
people to face tragedies, loss, trauma, and severe stress.
◉ Id, super ego, and ego?. Answer: Id: Pleasure principle, source of
all drives, instincts, reflexes, needs. Selfish from infancy
SE: Moral component, middle ground
Ego:Problem solver, reality tester, negotiates with outside world.
◉ Levels of awareness. Answer: Conscious: material that a person is
aware of
Preconscious: Material that can be retrieved through conscious
effort
Unconscious: Repressed memories, passions, and unacceptable
urges.
, ◉ Cathartic method. Answer: Freuds method to deal with
conflicts/stresses known to us as getting things off our chest.
◉ Ideas of Freud that are important in nursing. Answer:
Transference: patients transfers feelings they have for a mother onto
you.
Counter-transference: how you feel about said patient can affect
how you treat them.
Importance of attentive listening for cathartics.
◉ What is Maslows hierarchy of needs? Top to bottom.. Answer: Self-
transcendence, self actualization (potential), Esteem, Love and
belonging needs, safety needs, physiological needs.
◉ Eriksons stage infancy-1.5 years?. Answer: Trust vs mistrust:
attachment
URC: difficulties relating to people, suspicion, trust/fear conflict.
◉ Eriksons stage preschool-3 years?. Answer: Autonomy vs shame
and doubt: control some of self/enviroment
URC: Independence/fear conflict, severe feelings of self-doubt.
COMPREHENSIVE SCRIPT 2026 QUESTIONS
WITH SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
◉ Mental health continuum. Answer: A conceptual line used to
represent levels of mental health and mental illness that vary from
person to person and vary for a particular person over time.
◉ Phenomena of concern for nurses. Answer: Promotion of optimal
health. Impaired ability to function. Alterations in cognition.
Potential danger.
Emotional stress related to issues. Symptom management, side
effects, or toxicities associated with self-administered drugs.
Barriers to treatment posed by alcohol/substance
abuse/dependence. Dev psych issues. Physical/psychological
symptoms connected to psychological status. Ability to maintain
meaningful lives.
◉ Prevelance. Answer: The total number of cases of a disease within
a population at a given time. (old and new)
◉ Psychiatric mental health nursing. Answer: A specialty area in
nursing that promotes mental health through use of the nursing
process in the treatment of mental health problems and psychiatric
disorders.
,◉ Definition of mental health in psychiatry. Answer: It evolves over
time and is shaped by the prevailing culture and societal values. It
reflects changes in cultural norms, societal expectations, political
climates, and even reimbursement criteria by third-party payers.
◉ Registered nurse-psychiatric mental health (RN-PMH). Answer: A
registered nurse with experience as a psychiatric mental health
nurse who may be employed as a staff nurse, case manager, or home
care nurse.
◉ Resilience. Answer: The ability to adapt and cope that helps
people to face tragedies, loss, trauma, and severe stress.
◉ Id, super ego, and ego?. Answer: Id: Pleasure principle, source of
all drives, instincts, reflexes, needs. Selfish from infancy
SE: Moral component, middle ground
Ego:Problem solver, reality tester, negotiates with outside world.
◉ Levels of awareness. Answer: Conscious: material that a person is
aware of
Preconscious: Material that can be retrieved through conscious
effort
Unconscious: Repressed memories, passions, and unacceptable
urges.
, ◉ Cathartic method. Answer: Freuds method to deal with
conflicts/stresses known to us as getting things off our chest.
◉ Ideas of Freud that are important in nursing. Answer:
Transference: patients transfers feelings they have for a mother onto
you.
Counter-transference: how you feel about said patient can affect
how you treat them.
Importance of attentive listening for cathartics.
◉ What is Maslows hierarchy of needs? Top to bottom.. Answer: Self-
transcendence, self actualization (potential), Esteem, Love and
belonging needs, safety needs, physiological needs.
◉ Eriksons stage infancy-1.5 years?. Answer: Trust vs mistrust:
attachment
URC: difficulties relating to people, suspicion, trust/fear conflict.
◉ Eriksons stage preschool-3 years?. Answer: Autonomy vs shame
and doubt: control some of self/enviroment
URC: Independence/fear conflict, severe feelings of self-doubt.
