NUR2459 Exam 3 V3 | NUR 2459 Mental and
Behavioral Health Nursing Exam Q&A |
Rasmussen University
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This comprehensive exam-style resource is designed to prepare students for behavioral health
nursing assessments focused on addiction management, psychiatric crisis care, and complex
behavioral health interventions. The material emphasizes safe psychiatric nursing practices
and evidence-based therapeutic care.
The questions are structured to closely mirror actual course exams while reinforcing analytical
reasoning, psychiatric prioritization, and patient care decision-making skills. Detailed expert
explanations support deeper understanding and successful exam performance.
════════════════════════════════════
The Exam Covers:
• Detoxification nursing care
• Substance abuse interventions
• Suicide risk management
• Crisis stabilization techniques
• Personality disorder management
• Family support in behavioral health
• Community psychiatric resources
• Behavioral health nursing ethics
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1. A client is admitted to the detoxification unit for acute alcohol withdrawal. Which of the
following medications should the nurse expect to administer as a first-line treatment to
manage tremors and prevent seizures?
A. Chlordiazepoxide
B. Methadone
,C. Naloxone
D. Disulfiram
Correct Answer: A
Expert Explanation: Chlordiazepoxide is a long-acting benzodiazepine commonly used to
manage the physical symptoms of alcohol withdrawal. It helps stabilize vital signs and
increases the seizure threshold by enhancing GABA activity in the central nervous system.
This medication is essential during the early stages of detox to prevent life-threatening
complications like delirium tremens.
2. A nurse is caring for a client with Borderline Personality Disorder who alternates between
overvaluing and devaluing the nursing staff. This behavior is known as:
A. Projection
B. Splitting
C. Reaction Formation
D. Rationalization
Correct Answer: B
Expert Explanation: Splitting is a common defense mechanism in Borderline Personality
Disorder where the individual perceives people or situations as either all good or all bad.
This inability to integrate positive and negative qualities of others leads to unstable
relationships and intense emotional shifts. Recognizing this behavior is vital for the nursing
team to maintain consistent boundaries and prevent staff manipulation.
,3. Which question is the priority for a nurse to ask during a suicide risk assessment of a client
who expresses feelings of hopelessness?
A. ‘How long have you felt this way?’
B. ‘Do you have a specific plan to end your life?’
C. ‘Who is your primary support person?’
D. ‘Are you taking your medications as prescribed?’
Correct Answer: B
Expert Explanation: The priority in any suicide risk assessment is to determine the
lethality and imminence of the threat. Asking if the client has a specific plan and access to
means allows the nurse to implement immediate safety precautions. This direct approach
is necessary to ensure the client is placed in a secure environment to prevent self-harm.
4. A client is brought to the emergency department after an opioid overdose. The nurse
prepares to administer Naloxone. What is the primary therapeutic effect of this medication?
A. It blocks opioid receptors to reverse respiratory depression.
B. It increases the patient’s respiratory rate by acting as a stimulant.
C. It provides long-term maintenance to prevent future drug use.
D. It reduces the cravings associated with opioid withdrawal.
Correct Answer: A
, Expert Explanation: Naloxone is an opioid antagonist that rapidly displaces opioids from
their receptors in the brain. This reversal is critical for restoring a safe respiratory rate in a
patient experiencing overdose-induced respiratory depression. Because Naloxone has a
shorter half-life than most opioids, the nurse must monitor the patient closely for the
return of overdose symptoms.
5. Following a devastating hurricane, a community member seeks help at a crisis clinic. The
nurse recognizes this as which type of crisis?
A. Maturational crisis
B. Adventitious crisis
C. Situational crisis
D. Internal crisis
Correct Answer: B
Expert Explanation: An adventitious crisis is a rare, unplanned event that is catastrophic
or violent in nature, such as a natural disaster, a national emergency, or a crime of violence.
Unlike maturational or situational crises, these events are not a part of everyday life and
affect large groups of people. Nursing interventions focus on immediate safety and basic
needs followed by psychological support.
Behavioral Health Nursing Exam Q&A |
Rasmussen University
────────────────────────────────────
This comprehensive exam-style resource is designed to prepare students for behavioral health
nursing assessments focused on addiction management, psychiatric crisis care, and complex
behavioral health interventions. The material emphasizes safe psychiatric nursing practices
and evidence-based therapeutic care.
The questions are structured to closely mirror actual course exams while reinforcing analytical
reasoning, psychiatric prioritization, and patient care decision-making skills. Detailed expert
explanations support deeper understanding and successful exam performance.
════════════════════════════════════
The Exam Covers:
• Detoxification nursing care
• Substance abuse interventions
• Suicide risk management
• Crisis stabilization techniques
• Personality disorder management
• Family support in behavioral health
• Community psychiatric resources
• Behavioral health nursing ethics
════════════════════════════════════
1. A client is admitted to the detoxification unit for acute alcohol withdrawal. Which of the
following medications should the nurse expect to administer as a first-line treatment to
manage tremors and prevent seizures?
A. Chlordiazepoxide
B. Methadone
,C. Naloxone
D. Disulfiram
Correct Answer: A
Expert Explanation: Chlordiazepoxide is a long-acting benzodiazepine commonly used to
manage the physical symptoms of alcohol withdrawal. It helps stabilize vital signs and
increases the seizure threshold by enhancing GABA activity in the central nervous system.
This medication is essential during the early stages of detox to prevent life-threatening
complications like delirium tremens.
2. A nurse is caring for a client with Borderline Personality Disorder who alternates between
overvaluing and devaluing the nursing staff. This behavior is known as:
A. Projection
B. Splitting
C. Reaction Formation
D. Rationalization
Correct Answer: B
Expert Explanation: Splitting is a common defense mechanism in Borderline Personality
Disorder where the individual perceives people or situations as either all good or all bad.
This inability to integrate positive and negative qualities of others leads to unstable
relationships and intense emotional shifts. Recognizing this behavior is vital for the nursing
team to maintain consistent boundaries and prevent staff manipulation.
,3. Which question is the priority for a nurse to ask during a suicide risk assessment of a client
who expresses feelings of hopelessness?
A. ‘How long have you felt this way?’
B. ‘Do you have a specific plan to end your life?’
C. ‘Who is your primary support person?’
D. ‘Are you taking your medications as prescribed?’
Correct Answer: B
Expert Explanation: The priority in any suicide risk assessment is to determine the
lethality and imminence of the threat. Asking if the client has a specific plan and access to
means allows the nurse to implement immediate safety precautions. This direct approach
is necessary to ensure the client is placed in a secure environment to prevent self-harm.
4. A client is brought to the emergency department after an opioid overdose. The nurse
prepares to administer Naloxone. What is the primary therapeutic effect of this medication?
A. It blocks opioid receptors to reverse respiratory depression.
B. It increases the patient’s respiratory rate by acting as a stimulant.
C. It provides long-term maintenance to prevent future drug use.
D. It reduces the cravings associated with opioid withdrawal.
Correct Answer: A
, Expert Explanation: Naloxone is an opioid antagonist that rapidly displaces opioids from
their receptors in the brain. This reversal is critical for restoring a safe respiratory rate in a
patient experiencing overdose-induced respiratory depression. Because Naloxone has a
shorter half-life than most opioids, the nurse must monitor the patient closely for the
return of overdose symptoms.
5. Following a devastating hurricane, a community member seeks help at a crisis clinic. The
nurse recognizes this as which type of crisis?
A. Maturational crisis
B. Adventitious crisis
C. Situational crisis
D. Internal crisis
Correct Answer: B
Expert Explanation: An adventitious crisis is a rare, unplanned event that is catastrophic
or violent in nature, such as a natural disaster, a national emergency, or a crime of violence.
Unlike maturational or situational crises, these events are not a part of everyday life and
affect large groups of people. Nursing interventions focus on immediate safety and basic
needs followed by psychological support.
