WEST COAST UNIVERSITY NURS 301 BEHAVIORAL
HEALTH CASE EXAM 2 PSYCHIATRIC NURSE QUESTIONS
AND CORRECT ANSWER WITH EXPLANATION LATEST
2025-2026
PSYCHIATRIC FOUNDATIONS (1–15)
1. The primary goal of psychiatric nursing is to:
A. Cure mental illness completely
B. Promote mental health and stability
C. Perform surgery
D. Provide housing
Answer: B
Rationale: Psychiatric nursing focuses on improving mental functioning and stability.
2. Mental illness is best described as:
A. Disturbance in thinking, mood, or behavior
B. Physical injury
C. Infection
D. Fever
Answer: A
Rationale: Mental illness affects cognition, emotions, and behavior.
3. The most important first step in psychiatric assessment is:
A. Establishing rapport
B. Giving medication
C. Restraining patient
D. Ignoring patient
Answer: A
Rationale: Trust allows accurate assessment.
,4. Therapeutic relationship is based on:
A. Trust and empathy
B. Authority and control
C. Fear
D. Punishment
Answer: A
Rationale: Effective care requires trust and empathy.
5. Which is an example of non-therapeutic communication?
A. “Why did you do that?”
B. “Tell me more.”
C. “I hear you.”
D. “Can you explain?”
Answer: A
Rationale: “Why” questions are judgmental and can block communication.
6. Active listening means:
A. Paying full attention to patient
B. Interrupting frequently
C. Giving advice only
D. Ignoring feelings
Answer: A
Rationale: Active listening involves focused attention and feedback.
7. A patient who refuses eye contact is showing:
A. Possible anxiety or withdrawal
B. Normal behavior
C. Happiness
D. Aggression only
Answer: A
Rationale: Avoidance may indicate emotional distress.
8. The nurse’s role in mental health care is to:
A. Support coping strategies
, B. Diagnose disease
C. Perform surgery
D. Prescribe drugs
Answer: A
Rationale: Nurses support, not diagnose or prescribe.
9. Therapeutic silence is used to:
A. Encourage reflection
B. Punish patient
C. End session
D. Ignore patient
Answer: A
Rationale: Silence allows processing of thoughts.
10. Countertransference occurs when:
A. Nurse projects feelings onto patient
B. Patient lies
C. Patient improves
D. Medication works
Answer: A
Rationale: Nurse’s emotional reaction affects care.
11. Transference is:
A. Patient projects feelings onto nurse
B. Nurse blames patient
C. Medication effect
D. Surgery effect
Answer: A
Rationale: Emotional displacement onto caregiver.
12. A patient crying uncontrollably is showing:
A. Emotional distress
B. Psychosis
C. Recovery
HEALTH CASE EXAM 2 PSYCHIATRIC NURSE QUESTIONS
AND CORRECT ANSWER WITH EXPLANATION LATEST
2025-2026
PSYCHIATRIC FOUNDATIONS (1–15)
1. The primary goal of psychiatric nursing is to:
A. Cure mental illness completely
B. Promote mental health and stability
C. Perform surgery
D. Provide housing
Answer: B
Rationale: Psychiatric nursing focuses on improving mental functioning and stability.
2. Mental illness is best described as:
A. Disturbance in thinking, mood, or behavior
B. Physical injury
C. Infection
D. Fever
Answer: A
Rationale: Mental illness affects cognition, emotions, and behavior.
3. The most important first step in psychiatric assessment is:
A. Establishing rapport
B. Giving medication
C. Restraining patient
D. Ignoring patient
Answer: A
Rationale: Trust allows accurate assessment.
,4. Therapeutic relationship is based on:
A. Trust and empathy
B. Authority and control
C. Fear
D. Punishment
Answer: A
Rationale: Effective care requires trust and empathy.
5. Which is an example of non-therapeutic communication?
A. “Why did you do that?”
B. “Tell me more.”
C. “I hear you.”
D. “Can you explain?”
Answer: A
Rationale: “Why” questions are judgmental and can block communication.
6. Active listening means:
A. Paying full attention to patient
B. Interrupting frequently
C. Giving advice only
D. Ignoring feelings
Answer: A
Rationale: Active listening involves focused attention and feedback.
7. A patient who refuses eye contact is showing:
A. Possible anxiety or withdrawal
B. Normal behavior
C. Happiness
D. Aggression only
Answer: A
Rationale: Avoidance may indicate emotional distress.
8. The nurse’s role in mental health care is to:
A. Support coping strategies
, B. Diagnose disease
C. Perform surgery
D. Prescribe drugs
Answer: A
Rationale: Nurses support, not diagnose or prescribe.
9. Therapeutic silence is used to:
A. Encourage reflection
B. Punish patient
C. End session
D. Ignore patient
Answer: A
Rationale: Silence allows processing of thoughts.
10. Countertransference occurs when:
A. Nurse projects feelings onto patient
B. Patient lies
C. Patient improves
D. Medication works
Answer: A
Rationale: Nurse’s emotional reaction affects care.
11. Transference is:
A. Patient projects feelings onto nurse
B. Nurse blames patient
C. Medication effect
D. Surgery effect
Answer: A
Rationale: Emotional displacement onto caregiver.
12. A patient crying uncontrollably is showing:
A. Emotional distress
B. Psychosis
C. Recovery
