RN MENTAL HEALTH B NGN EXAM QUESTIONS
WITH 100 % CORRECT ANSWERS
1. A nurse is caring for 4 clients who are displaying the use of defense mechanisms.
Which of the following clients should the nurse identify as using a maladaptive defense
mechanism?
A. A client with multiple sclerosis stops taking their medication and says their diagnosis
is wrong.
B. An adolescent client who has difficulty with reading and becomes a star athlete.
C. A client admires a highschool principal who seperated two students who were
having a fight.
D. A client who has a gambling disorde: A. A client with multiple sclerosis
stops taking their medication and says their diagnosis is wrong.
Suppression is the blocking of thoughts or feelings that a client finds
unacceptable. Denying the presence of an illness is a maladaptive use
of a defense mechanism.
,2. A nurse is caring for a client who is taking lithium and reports presisant nausea
and vomiting for 2 days. Which of the following lab values should the nurse report to
the provider?
A. Potassium 4.0 mEq/L
B. Lithium 0.9 mEq/L
C. BUN 12 mg/dL
D. Sodium 132 mEq/L: D. Sodium 132 mEq/L
The nurse should identify that a sodium level of 132 mEq/L is not within
the expected reference range of 136 to 145 mEq/L. This finding
indicates hyponatremia, which can lead to lithium accumulation and
places the client at risk for lithium toxicity. The nurse should report this
finding to the provider.
3. A nurse is collecting data from a client who is taking valproic acid for the
treatment of BPD. Which of the following findings is priority to report to the
provider?
,A. Dizziness
B. Weight gain
C. Constipation
D.Yellow sclerae: D. Yellow sclerae
When using the urgent vs. nonurgent approach to client care, the nurse
should deter- mine that the priority finding is yellow sclerae because of
the risk for hepatotoxicity.
4. A nurse is reinforcing teaching about foods that contain tyramine with a client
who has a prescription for phenelzine. Which of the following foods should the
nurse instruct the client to avoid?
A. Fried chicken
B. Oranges
C. Smoked sausage
D. Lentils: C. Smoked sausage
, Smoked sausages are high in tyramine. Clients who are prescribed
monoamine oxi- dase inhibitors (MAOIs) should avoid food that contain
tyramine because consuming them can cause a hypertensive crisis.
5. A nurse is caring for a client who recently lost their child in a motor-vehicle crash.
The client is expressing feelings of hopelessness. Which of the follow- ing questions is
the most important for the nurse to ask?
A. "Are there times when you feel more upset than others?"
B. "Have you had any thoughts of harming yourself?"
C. "What type of support system do you currently have?"
D. "During difficult times in the past, what did you do to cope?": B. "Have you had
any thoughts of harming yourself?"
The greatest risk to this client is self-injury due to suicide. Asking
whether or not the client has plans to hurt themselves is the most
important question for the nurse to ask at this time because a positive
response can alert the nurse to the need for suicide precautions and
intervention.
WITH 100 % CORRECT ANSWERS
1. A nurse is caring for 4 clients who are displaying the use of defense mechanisms.
Which of the following clients should the nurse identify as using a maladaptive defense
mechanism?
A. A client with multiple sclerosis stops taking their medication and says their diagnosis
is wrong.
B. An adolescent client who has difficulty with reading and becomes a star athlete.
C. A client admires a highschool principal who seperated two students who were
having a fight.
D. A client who has a gambling disorde: A. A client with multiple sclerosis
stops taking their medication and says their diagnosis is wrong.
Suppression is the blocking of thoughts or feelings that a client finds
unacceptable. Denying the presence of an illness is a maladaptive use
of a defense mechanism.
,2. A nurse is caring for a client who is taking lithium and reports presisant nausea
and vomiting for 2 days. Which of the following lab values should the nurse report to
the provider?
A. Potassium 4.0 mEq/L
B. Lithium 0.9 mEq/L
C. BUN 12 mg/dL
D. Sodium 132 mEq/L: D. Sodium 132 mEq/L
The nurse should identify that a sodium level of 132 mEq/L is not within
the expected reference range of 136 to 145 mEq/L. This finding
indicates hyponatremia, which can lead to lithium accumulation and
places the client at risk for lithium toxicity. The nurse should report this
finding to the provider.
3. A nurse is collecting data from a client who is taking valproic acid for the
treatment of BPD. Which of the following findings is priority to report to the
provider?
,A. Dizziness
B. Weight gain
C. Constipation
D.Yellow sclerae: D. Yellow sclerae
When using the urgent vs. nonurgent approach to client care, the nurse
should deter- mine that the priority finding is yellow sclerae because of
the risk for hepatotoxicity.
4. A nurse is reinforcing teaching about foods that contain tyramine with a client
who has a prescription for phenelzine. Which of the following foods should the
nurse instruct the client to avoid?
A. Fried chicken
B. Oranges
C. Smoked sausage
D. Lentils: C. Smoked sausage
, Smoked sausages are high in tyramine. Clients who are prescribed
monoamine oxi- dase inhibitors (MAOIs) should avoid food that contain
tyramine because consuming them can cause a hypertensive crisis.
5. A nurse is caring for a client who recently lost their child in a motor-vehicle crash.
The client is expressing feelings of hopelessness. Which of the follow- ing questions is
the most important for the nurse to ask?
A. "Are there times when you feel more upset than others?"
B. "Have you had any thoughts of harming yourself?"
C. "What type of support system do you currently have?"
D. "During difficult times in the past, what did you do to cope?": B. "Have you had
any thoughts of harming yourself?"
The greatest risk to this client is self-injury due to suicide. Asking
whether or not the client has plans to hurt themselves is the most
important question for the nurse to ask at this time because a positive
response can alert the nurse to the need for suicide precautions and
intervention.
