Mental Health Nursing: cram pack

Formula sheets, the key method steps for every topic and 6 practice problems, with full solutions at the back.

New problemsBack to the course

In the print window, choose “Save as PDF” to keep a copy on your device.

1Formulas and methods

Mental health nursing

Method

  1. Decide whether there is an immediate risk: suicide, violence, a drug emergency or a physical illness.
  2. Act on safety first: observe, remove means, de-escalate, stop a harmful drug, get help.
  3. Choose the therapeutic response: acknowledge feelings, present reality, avoid false reassurance and “why” questions.
  4. Respect rights: the least restrictive option, consent and confidentiality with its limits.

2Practice problems

1.Mental health nursingMedium

An 84-year-old asks for an over-the-counter sleep aid containing diphenhydramine. What is the main concern?

  1. AIt has no effects at all in people over 80, so it will not help her sleep
  2. BIt is a strong opioid that causes severe dependence
  3. CIts anticholinergic effects can cause confusion, urine retention and falls
  4. DIt raises blood pressure to dangerous levels in older adults
2.Mental health nursingHard

A patient who has worked well with the nurse for three weeks becomes angry and refuses to attend their sessions after being told that discharge is planned for next week. What is the best interpretation?

  1. AThe patient no longer needs the sessions and should be discharged at once
  2. BThe patient has developed a new psychotic illness
  3. CThe nurse has made an error and should cancel the discharge
  4. DThe patient is reacting to the coming end of the relationship
3.Clinical psychologyMedium

According to Clark's cognitive model of panic, panic attacks arise from:

  1. AA shortage of rewarding activities in daily life
  2. BUnconscious conflict between the id and the superego over forbidden impulses
  3. CFear of evaluation by other people
  4. DCatastrophic misinterpretation of normal bodily sensations
4.Clinical psychologyHard

A clinician considers whether a categorical or dimensional approach to personality disorders is better. Which point favours a dimensional approach?

  1. ACategories have been shown to give perfect inter-rater reliability
  2. BPersonality traits are either fully present or fully absent in any one person
  3. CDimensional models cannot be measured with questionnaires or interviews
  4. DTraits vary continuously, and categories overlap with arbitrary cut-offs
5.PharmacologyMedium

During adult cardiac arrest, how often is IV adrenaline (epinephrine) usually repeated?

  1. AEvery 30 seconds
  2. BEvery 3–5 minutes
  3. COnce only, at the start
  4. DEvery 15–20 minutes
6.PharmacologyHard

Beta-lactam antibiotics show time-dependent killing. What does this mean for administration?

  1. ADoses should be given on time at evenly spaced intervals
  2. BDoses should be given only when the patient has a fever
  3. CA single very large daily dose works best
  4. DDoses can be given at any time as long as the daily total is right

3Solutions

1.Mental health nursing

Answer: C · Its anticholinergic effects can cause confusion, urine retention and falls

Why this is the answer

Diphenhydramine is strongly anticholinergic and sedating. In older adults, it can cause delirium, constipation, urinary retention and falls, and is generally avoided.

Answer

C · Its anticholinergic effects can cause confusion, urine retention and falls
2.Mental health nursing

Answer: D · The patient is reacting to the coming end of the relationship

Why this is the answer

Anger, withdrawal or return of symptoms are common responses to termination. The nurse acknowledges the feelings, reviews progress and helps the patient prepare for the ending.

Answer

D · The patient is reacting to the coming end of the relationship
3.Clinical psychology

Answer: D · Catastrophic misinterpretation of normal bodily sensations

Why this is the answer

Clark proposed that people interpret sensations like palpitations or dizziness as signs of imminent disaster, which raises anxiety and the sensations, forming a vicious circle.

Answer

D · Catastrophic misinterpretation of normal bodily sensations
4.Clinical psychology

Answer: D · Traits vary continuously, and categories overlap with arbitrary cut-offs

Why this is the answer

Categorical diagnoses overlap heavily and treat a continuum as present/absent. DSM-5 Section III and ICD-11 therefore offer trait-based dimensional models of personality disorder.

Answer

D · Traits vary continuously, and categories overlap with arbitrary cut-offs
5.Pharmacology

Answer: B · Every 3–5 minutes

Why this is the answer

In adult advanced life support, adrenaline 1 mg IV or IO is repeated every 3–5 minutes during the arrest. High-quality CPR and defibrillation for shockable rhythms remain the priorities.

Answer

B · Every 3–5 minutes
6.Pharmacology

Answer: A · Doses should be given on time at evenly spaced intervals

Why this is the answer

For beta-lactams, efficacy depends on the time the drug level stays above the minimum inhibitory concentration. Evenly spaced, on-time doses, or extended infusions, support this.

Answer

A · Doses should be given on time at evenly spaced intervals

ExamProblems · examproblems.com/courses/mental-health-nursing