NUR 208 Exam 2: Mental Health (Latest 2026/2027 Update) | Q&A |
Grade A | 100% Correct (Verified Answers) – Nursing Program
Subject: NUR 208 Mental Health – Stress Response, Anxiety, Eating Disorders, Sleep
Disorders, Psychotic Disorders, Personality Disorders, Paraphilic Disorders,
Psychopharmacology
Source: Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing / DSM-5-TR / Stress and Coping Theories
Format: Q&A Guide with Psychiatric & Clinical Rationale | 100% Verified
1: What did Walter Cannon research in the sympathetic nervous system?
Correct Answer: He described acute stress response, now commonly described as fight (aggression)
and flight (withdrawal).
1. Cannon coined "fight or flight" in early 20th century.
2. Sympathetic activation prepares body for perceived threat.
2: What are some things that dictate how we react to stressors?
Correct Answer: Developmental stage, previous experiences, and sociocultural background.
1. Individual differences shape stress appraisal and coping.
2. Age, trauma history, and cultural norms influence response.
3: What are some psychological stressors?
Correct Answer: Events like financial challenges, loss of a job, divorce, death of a loved one; also
positive changes like marriage and birth of a baby.
1. Both negative and positive life events require adaptation.
2. Holmes and Rahe Social Readjustment Rating Scale measures cumulative stress.
4: What are some physiological stressors?
Correct Answer: Environmental conditions such as trauma, infection, hemorrhage, hunger, pain,
excessive heat/cold.
1. Physical threats to homeostasis trigger stress response.
2. Allostasis maintains stability through change.
5: What is the HPA axis (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis)?
Correct Answer: Propels us to be alert. The pituitary secretes ACTH, resulting in more cortisol to
increase glucose in blood and increase muscle endurance. Keeps us alert!
1. HPA activation = primary neuroendocrine stress response.
2. Chronic activation leads to maladaptive effects.
, 6: What is the alarm stage of General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) according to Hans
Selye?
Correct Answer: The initial, brief, and adaptive response (fight or flight) to the stressor. Begins with
eyes or ears sending information about a threat to the brain's amygdala.
1. First stage of Selye's three-stage model.
2. Amygdala determines threat level and activates hypothalamus.
7: If the amygdala interprets the stressor as a threat, it tells the ___________.
Correct Answer: Hypothalamus
1. Hypothalamus initiates CRH release → pituitary ACTH → adrenal cortisol.
2. Also activates sympathetic nervous system directly.
8: If the threat subsides, the other part of the autonomic nervous system puts on the
brakes. What is it called?
Correct Answer: Parasympathetic nervous system
1. Parasympathetic "rest and digest" reverses sympathetic activation.
2. Slows heart rate, lowers blood pressure, promotes digestion.
9: If the threat continues, what stage of GAS follows the alarm stage?
Correct Answer: Resistance stage
1. Body attempts to adapt to ongoing stressor.
2. Physiological arousal remains above baseline but lower than alarm stage.
10: What is the third stage of GAS where stress can become chronic and contribute to
disorders?
Correct Answer: Exhaustion stage
1. Resources depleted; maladaptive changes occur.
2. Linked to anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, heart disease.
11: What can acute stress lead to?
Correct Answer: Sad mood, loss of appetite, increased BP, risk for clots/stroke, decreased memory
and learning, impotence
1. Immediate physiological effects of sympathetic activation.
2. Usually reversible when stressor resolves.
12: What can chronic stress lead to?
Correct Answer: Anxiety/panic, major depressive disorder, lowered resistance, anorexia or
overeating, insulin-resistant diabetes, greater risk for cardiac events, respiratory issues,
immunodeficiency, and hypersensitivities
1. Prolonged cortisol elevation damages multiple systems.
2. Associated with allostatic load and accelerated aging.
Grade A | 100% Correct (Verified Answers) – Nursing Program
Subject: NUR 208 Mental Health – Stress Response, Anxiety, Eating Disorders, Sleep
Disorders, Psychotic Disorders, Personality Disorders, Paraphilic Disorders,
Psychopharmacology
Source: Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing / DSM-5-TR / Stress and Coping Theories
Format: Q&A Guide with Psychiatric & Clinical Rationale | 100% Verified
1: What did Walter Cannon research in the sympathetic nervous system?
Correct Answer: He described acute stress response, now commonly described as fight (aggression)
and flight (withdrawal).
1. Cannon coined "fight or flight" in early 20th century.
2. Sympathetic activation prepares body for perceived threat.
2: What are some things that dictate how we react to stressors?
Correct Answer: Developmental stage, previous experiences, and sociocultural background.
1. Individual differences shape stress appraisal and coping.
2. Age, trauma history, and cultural norms influence response.
3: What are some psychological stressors?
Correct Answer: Events like financial challenges, loss of a job, divorce, death of a loved one; also
positive changes like marriage and birth of a baby.
1. Both negative and positive life events require adaptation.
2. Holmes and Rahe Social Readjustment Rating Scale measures cumulative stress.
4: What are some physiological stressors?
Correct Answer: Environmental conditions such as trauma, infection, hemorrhage, hunger, pain,
excessive heat/cold.
1. Physical threats to homeostasis trigger stress response.
2. Allostasis maintains stability through change.
5: What is the HPA axis (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis)?
Correct Answer: Propels us to be alert. The pituitary secretes ACTH, resulting in more cortisol to
increase glucose in blood and increase muscle endurance. Keeps us alert!
1. HPA activation = primary neuroendocrine stress response.
2. Chronic activation leads to maladaptive effects.
, 6: What is the alarm stage of General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) according to Hans
Selye?
Correct Answer: The initial, brief, and adaptive response (fight or flight) to the stressor. Begins with
eyes or ears sending information about a threat to the brain's amygdala.
1. First stage of Selye's three-stage model.
2. Amygdala determines threat level and activates hypothalamus.
7: If the amygdala interprets the stressor as a threat, it tells the ___________.
Correct Answer: Hypothalamus
1. Hypothalamus initiates CRH release → pituitary ACTH → adrenal cortisol.
2. Also activates sympathetic nervous system directly.
8: If the threat subsides, the other part of the autonomic nervous system puts on the
brakes. What is it called?
Correct Answer: Parasympathetic nervous system
1. Parasympathetic "rest and digest" reverses sympathetic activation.
2. Slows heart rate, lowers blood pressure, promotes digestion.
9: If the threat continues, what stage of GAS follows the alarm stage?
Correct Answer: Resistance stage
1. Body attempts to adapt to ongoing stressor.
2. Physiological arousal remains above baseline but lower than alarm stage.
10: What is the third stage of GAS where stress can become chronic and contribute to
disorders?
Correct Answer: Exhaustion stage
1. Resources depleted; maladaptive changes occur.
2. Linked to anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, heart disease.
11: What can acute stress lead to?
Correct Answer: Sad mood, loss of appetite, increased BP, risk for clots/stroke, decreased memory
and learning, impotence
1. Immediate physiological effects of sympathetic activation.
2. Usually reversible when stressor resolves.
12: What can chronic stress lead to?
Correct Answer: Anxiety/panic, major depressive disorder, lowered resistance, anorexia or
overeating, insulin-resistant diabetes, greater risk for cardiac events, respiratory issues,
immunodeficiency, and hypersensitivities
1. Prolonged cortisol elevation damages multiple systems.
2. Associated with allostatic load and accelerated aging.
