Deck 23: Introduction to Psychopathology

Question 1

A general psychotherapeutic management guideline nurses should apply when caring for all patients is to:

A) strengthen patients' self-esteem.
B) keep reality testing to a minimum.
C) ignore hostile behavior when possible.
D) provide unrestricted opportunities for self-expression.

Answer 1

strengthen patients' self-esteem.

Question 2

What is the purpose of the DSM-V?

A) It provides a detailed list of clinical psychiatric disorders.
B) It details data and statistics about mental disorders in the United States.
C) It serves as the official American resource manual detailing diagnostic criteria of psychiatric disorders.
D) It acts as a compendium of the international demographics of substance abuse and mental disorders.

Answer 2

It serves as the official American resource manual detailing diagnostic criteria of psychiatric disorders.

Question 3

Long- and short-term goals are documented in which part of the plan of care?

A) Assessment
B) Diagnosis
C) Outcomes
D) Interventions
E) Evaluation

Answer 3

Outcomes

Question 4

Which principle is applicable to nursing care of patients with all types of psychopathology?

A) Avoid competitive situations.
B) Treat patients as individuals.
C) Confront patients with consequences of behavior.
D) Assume that patients will make self-enhancing decisions.

Question 5

A patient with low self-esteem and feelings of failure would benefit most from which activity?

A) Attending a dance
B) Playing board games
C) Leading the chorus for a party
D) Helping make favors for a party

Question 6

A patient's areas of strength are documented in which part of the plan of care?

A) Assessment
B) Diagnosis
C) Outcome identification
D) Interventions
E) Evaluation

Question 7

Which guidelines should be included by the nurse who will provide staff development training to unlicensed assistive personnel about psychotherapeutic management? Select all that apply.

A) Support should be minimal to prevent development of dependence.
B) Norms and limits are more important than individual needs.
C) Hostility should run its course without staff interference.
D) Plan opportunities to strengthen patients' self-esteem.
E) Provide encouragement for patients in distress.

Question 8

Which adjective best describes a therapeutic psychiatric nurse?

A) Holistic
B) Organized
C) Diplomatic
D) Compassionate

Question 9

Which assessment finding should be documented as objective information?

A) Rated anxiety 8 on a scale of 10
B) Reported depressed mood
C) Reports of headache
D) Wore layered clothing

Question 10

A nurse reads this information in a patient's record: suffered anoxia at birth; foster home placement at age 3; taunted by peers during childhood; low self-esteem since adolescence. Which item would be classified as a biologic factor associated with the patient's mental illness?

A) Anoxia at birth
B) Low self-esteem
C) Taunted by peers
D) Trauma caused by parental death

Question 11

Which argument effectively supports the importance of funding services for persons with mental illness in the United States?

A) During any given year 25% of Americans are affected by mental disorders.
B) Increasing toxins in the environment are increasing the incidence of mental illness.
C) The high prevalence of mental illness is directly linked to increasing violence in the media.
D) The incidence of mental illness is increasing because of deterioration of the American family.

Question 12

Which assessment finding should be documented as subjective information?

A) Flushed face
B) White blood cell ( WBC ) count 12,000 cells/mL
C) Lithium level 1.2 mEq/L
D) Reports of abdominal pain

Question 13

The nurse reads this information in a patient's record: history of agranulocytosis from antipsychotic medication; victim of childhood sexual abuse; weight loss of 27 lb in 3 months; parent diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Which item would be classified as a psychodynamic factor associated with the patient's mental illness?

A) History of agranulocytosis from antipsychotic medication
B) Parent diagnosed with bipolar disorder
C) Weight loss of 27 lb in 3 months
D) Victim of childhood sexual abuse

Question 14

What is the most prevalent psychopathologic condition diagnosed in the United States?

A) Schizophrenia
B) Mood disorder
C) Anxiety disorder
D) Alcohol dependency

Question 15

A patient who has taken antipsychotic medication for a year presents with these signs and symptoms: jaundice, headache, pruritus, and abdominal discomfort. Which finding should be documented as objective data?

A) Pruritus
B) Jaundice
C) Headache
D) Abdominal discomfort

Question 16

How does a multiaxial diagnostic and classification tool contribute to successful treatment of persons with mental illness?

A) It provides for consistency and continuity in formulation of diagnoses.
B) It assesses more dimensions of illness than simply the medical diagnosis.
C) It establishes prevalence rates for psychiatric disorders across various cultural groups.
D) It provides treatment algorithms for psychotherapeutic management of persons with mental illness.

Question 17

Prevalence rates for substance abuse disorders in the United States are:

A) higher for men.
B) higher for women.
C) equal for both genders.
D) higher than anxiety disorders.