RN Mental Health Final Exam Practice Questions with
Answers all are correct answers
1. A nursing student new to psychiatric-mental health nursing asks a peer what
resources he can use to figure out which symptoms are present in a specific
psychiatric disorder. The best answer would be:
a. Nursing Interventions Classification (NIC)
b. Nursing Outcomes Classification (NOC)
c. NANDA-I nursing diagnoses
d. DSM-5
2. Epidemiological studies contribute to improvements in care for individuals with
mental disorders by:
a. Providing information about effective nursing techniques.
b. Identifying risk factors that contribute to the development of a disorder.
c. Identifying individuals in the general population who will develop a
specific disorder.
d. Identifying which individuals will respond favorably to a specific
treatment.
3. Besides antianxiety agents, which classification of drugs is also commonly
given to treat anxiety and anxiety disorders?
a. Antipsychotics
, b. Mood stabilizers
c. Antidepressants
d. Cholinesterase inhibitors
4. What assessment question will provide the nurse with information regarding the
effects of a woman’s circadian rhythms on her quality of life?
a. “How much sleep do you usually get each night?”
b. “Does your heart ever seem to skip a beat?”
c. “When was the last time you had a fever?”
d. “Do you have problems urinating?”
5. You realize that your patient who is being treated for a major depressive
disorder requires more teaching when she makes the following statement:
a. “I have been on this antidepressant for 3 days. I realize that the full effect
may not happen for a period of weeks.”
b. “I am going to ask my nurse practitioner to discontinue my Prozac today
and let me start taking a monoamine oxidase inhibitor tomorrow.”
c. “I may ask to have my medication changed to Wellbutrin due to the
problems I am having being romantic with my wife.”
d. “I realize that there are many antidepressants and it might take a while
until we find the one that works best for me.”
6. A patient being treated for insomnia is prescribed ramel-teon (Rozerem). Which
comorbid mental health condition would make this medication the hypnotic of
choice for this particular patient?
, a. Obsessive-compulsive disorder
b. Generalized anxiety disorder
c. Persistent depressive disorder
d. Substance use disorder
7. Which statement made by a patient prescribed bupropion (Wellbutrin)
demonstrates that the medication education the patient received was effective?
Select all that apply.
a. “I hope Wellbutrin will help my depression and also help me to finally
quit smoking.”
b. “I’m happy to hear that I won’t need to worry too much about weight
gain.”
c. “It’s okay to take Wellbutrin since I haven’t had a seizure in 6 months.”
d. “I need to be careful about driving since the medication could make me
drowsy.”
e. “My partner and I have discussed the possible effects this medication
could have on our sex life.”
8. Which drug group calls for nursing assessment for development of abnormal
movement disorders among individuals who take therapeutic dosages?
a. SSRIs
b. antipsychotics
c. benzodiazepines
, d. tricyclic antidepressants
9. The nurse administers each of the following drugs to various patients. The
patient who should be most carefully assessed for fluid and electrolyte imbalance is
the one receiving:
a. lithium (Eskalith)
b. clozapine (Clozaril)
c. diazepam (Valium)
d. amitriptyline
10. A psychiatric nurse is reviewing prescriptions for a patient with major
depression at the county clinic. Since the patient has a mild intellectual disability,
the nurse would question which classification of antidepressant drugs:
a. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
b. Monoamine oxidase inhibitors
c. Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors
d. All of the above
11. The mental health team is determining treatment options for a male patient who
is experiencing psychotic symptoms. Which question(s) should the team answer to
determine whether a community outpatient or inpatient setting is most appropriate?
Select all that apply.
a. “Is the patient expressing suicidal thoughts?”
Answers all are correct answers
1. A nursing student new to psychiatric-mental health nursing asks a peer what
resources he can use to figure out which symptoms are present in a specific
psychiatric disorder. The best answer would be:
a. Nursing Interventions Classification (NIC)
b. Nursing Outcomes Classification (NOC)
c. NANDA-I nursing diagnoses
d. DSM-5
2. Epidemiological studies contribute to improvements in care for individuals with
mental disorders by:
a. Providing information about effective nursing techniques.
b. Identifying risk factors that contribute to the development of a disorder.
c. Identifying individuals in the general population who will develop a
specific disorder.
d. Identifying which individuals will respond favorably to a specific
treatment.
3. Besides antianxiety agents, which classification of drugs is also commonly
given to treat anxiety and anxiety disorders?
a. Antipsychotics
, b. Mood stabilizers
c. Antidepressants
d. Cholinesterase inhibitors
4. What assessment question will provide the nurse with information regarding the
effects of a woman’s circadian rhythms on her quality of life?
a. “How much sleep do you usually get each night?”
b. “Does your heart ever seem to skip a beat?”
c. “When was the last time you had a fever?”
d. “Do you have problems urinating?”
5. You realize that your patient who is being treated for a major depressive
disorder requires more teaching when she makes the following statement:
a. “I have been on this antidepressant for 3 days. I realize that the full effect
may not happen for a period of weeks.”
b. “I am going to ask my nurse practitioner to discontinue my Prozac today
and let me start taking a monoamine oxidase inhibitor tomorrow.”
c. “I may ask to have my medication changed to Wellbutrin due to the
problems I am having being romantic with my wife.”
d. “I realize that there are many antidepressants and it might take a while
until we find the one that works best for me.”
6. A patient being treated for insomnia is prescribed ramel-teon (Rozerem). Which
comorbid mental health condition would make this medication the hypnotic of
choice for this particular patient?
, a. Obsessive-compulsive disorder
b. Generalized anxiety disorder
c. Persistent depressive disorder
d. Substance use disorder
7. Which statement made by a patient prescribed bupropion (Wellbutrin)
demonstrates that the medication education the patient received was effective?
Select all that apply.
a. “I hope Wellbutrin will help my depression and also help me to finally
quit smoking.”
b. “I’m happy to hear that I won’t need to worry too much about weight
gain.”
c. “It’s okay to take Wellbutrin since I haven’t had a seizure in 6 months.”
d. “I need to be careful about driving since the medication could make me
drowsy.”
e. “My partner and I have discussed the possible effects this medication
could have on our sex life.”
8. Which drug group calls for nursing assessment for development of abnormal
movement disorders among individuals who take therapeutic dosages?
a. SSRIs
b. antipsychotics
c. benzodiazepines
, d. tricyclic antidepressants
9. The nurse administers each of the following drugs to various patients. The
patient who should be most carefully assessed for fluid and electrolyte imbalance is
the one receiving:
a. lithium (Eskalith)
b. clozapine (Clozaril)
c. diazepam (Valium)
d. amitriptyline
10. A psychiatric nurse is reviewing prescriptions for a patient with major
depression at the county clinic. Since the patient has a mild intellectual disability,
the nurse would question which classification of antidepressant drugs:
a. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
b. Monoamine oxidase inhibitors
c. Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors
d. All of the above
11. The mental health team is determining treatment options for a male patient who
is experiencing psychotic symptoms. Which question(s) should the team answer to
determine whether a community outpatient or inpatient setting is most appropriate?
Select all that apply.
a. “Is the patient expressing suicidal thoughts?”
