Mental health nursing worksheet with answers

Why should nurses usually avoid asking patients "why" questions, such as "Why did you do that?"

1. AThey can make the patient feel judged and defensive
2. BThey make assessment shorter
3. CThey are always against the law
4. DThey are too open

Which group of features is typical of dementia with Lewy bodies?

1. ASudden step-by-step decline after small strokes
2. BEarly personality change and loss of social inhibition
3. CFluctuating alertness, detailed visual hallucinations and parkinsonism
4. DMemory loss only, with no other symptoms or changes in alertness for many years

What is anticipatory grief?

1. AGrief that never ends and stops the person from functioning
2. BGrief that is hidden from others because the loss is not openly recognised or socially accepted
3. CGrief that appears for the first time many years after a loss
4. DGrief that begins before an expected loss, such as during a terminal illness

A patient with schizophrenia says, "The voices are telling me I'm evil." Which response is best?

1. A"If you hear voices, you must be very ill."
2. B"The voices aren't real, so just ignore them."
3. C"Let's not talk about the voices for now. Tell me about your family and your plans instead."
4. D"I don't hear the voices, but I can see they are upsetting you. What are they saying to you?"

A patient who started a high-dose corticosteroid (prednisolone or prednisone) a week ago is now euphoric, sleeping little and talking very fast. What should the nurse suspect?

1. ALithium toxicity
2. BA normal reaction to feeling better from the treatment
3. CMood changes caused by the corticosteroid
4. DAlcohol withdrawal

What is the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS) used for?

1. ATo screen for and monitor tardive dyskinesia
2. BTo measure the severity of alcohol withdrawal
3. CTo assess the risk of a patient becoming violent
4. DTo rate the severity of depression

An older woman living with her son looks thin and unkempt. She says her son "looks after the money" and she is often hungry. What should the nurse do?

1. AIgnore it, because family finances are a private matter
2. BAsk the son in front of her whether he is stealing her money
3. CTell her that she must move out of her son's home at once and stay with friends until the matter is sorted out
4. DTalk to her privately, document the findings and raise an adult safeguarding concern

An 8-year-old with separation anxiety disorder has missed two weeks of school. What is the most helpful approach?

1. ATell him that he is being silly and must go
2. BSupport a gradual, planned return to school with a consistent goodbye routine
3. CLet a parent stay with him in class every day for the rest of the year
4. DAllow him to stay at home until he wants to go back