Mental Health Nursing: cram pack

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

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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

Which side effects should the nurse monitor for in a patient starting donepezil?

  1. ANausea, diarrhoea and a slow heart rate
  2. BWeight gain and high blood glucose
  3. CTremor, thirst and passing large amounts of urine
  4. DDry mouth, constipation and urinary retention
2.Mental health nursingHard

A man with schizophrenia who has been well for 2 years wants to stop his antipsychotic. Which approach best reflects recovery-oriented care?

  1. AReport him to the police and his employer for non-adherence to treatment
  2. BDiscuss benefits and risks, decide together with the prescriber and agree a relapse plan
  3. CAdvise him to stop it suddenly on his own and see what happens over the next month
  4. DTell him he must take it for life and refuse to discuss it
3.Clinical psychologyMedium

Which defence mechanism is shown when someone with strong hostile feelings towards a colleague acts in an excessively friendly way towards them?

  1. AReaction formation
  2. BDisplacement
  3. CDenial
  4. DRationalisation
4.Clinical psychologyHard

A chronic heavy drinker develops confusion, an unsteady gait and abnormal eye movements. Which deficiency must be treated urgently?

  1. AThiamine (vitamin B1)
  2. BVitamin C
  3. CVitamin D
  4. DIron
5.PharmacologyMedium

Which adverse effect of doxorubicin requires monitoring of heart function?

  1. ACumulative heart muscle damage leading to heart failure
  2. BRapid rise in cholesterol
  3. CSevere hypertension during the infusion itself
  4. DPericarditis caused by infection
6.PharmacologyHard

A drug is ordered at 5 micrograms/kg/min for an 80 kg patient. The infusion contains 1,600 micrograms per mL. What rate in mL/h is needed?

  1. A25 mL/h
  2. B150 mL/h
  3. C4 mL/h
  4. D15 mL/h

3Solutions

1.Mental health nursing

Answer: A · Nausea, diarrhoea and a slow heart rate

Why this is the answer

Cholinesterase inhibitors increase cholinergic activity. Common effects include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and loss of appetite; bradycardia and fainting can also occur.

Answer

A · Nausea, diarrhoea and a slow heart rate
2.Mental health nursing

Answer: B · Discuss benefits and risks, decide together with the prescriber and agree a relapse plan

Why this is the answer

Recovery-oriented care values the person's choices and shared decision-making. Any change is planned with the prescriber, often by tapering slowly, with clear early warning signs and a plan for what to do if they appear.

Answer

B · Discuss benefits and risks, decide together with the prescriber and agree a relapse plan
3.Clinical psychology

Answer: A · Reaction formation

Why this is the answer

Reaction formation turns an unacceptable impulse into its opposite, often in an exaggerated form.

Answer

A · Reaction formation
4.Clinical psychology

Answer: A · Thiamine (vitamin B1)

Why this is the answer

Wernicke's encephalopathy results from thiamine deficiency and presents with confusion, ataxia and eye signs. Untreated, it can progress to Korsakoff syndrome with severe amnesia and confabulation.

Answer

A · Thiamine (vitamin B1)
5.Pharmacology

Answer: A · Cumulative heart muscle damage leading to heart failure

Why this is the answer

Anthracyclines such as doxorubicin can damage heart muscle, and the risk increases with cumulative dose. Heart function is assessed before and during treatment; the drug can also turn urine red.

Answer

A · Cumulative heart muscle damage leading to heart failure
6.Pharmacology

Answer: D · 15 mL/h

Why this is the answer

5 × 80 = 400 micrograms/min, × 60 = 24,000 micrograms/h, ÷ 1,600 micrograms/mL = 15 mL/h. Weight-based infusions are double-checked because errors are easy to make.

Answer

D · 15 mL/h

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