LVN Mental Health & Psychiatric Nursing 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A patient taking an MAOI (monoamine oxidase inhibitor) asks what foods to avoid. The LVN correctly teaches the patient to avoid:
- Fresh fruits and leafy vegetables
- Aged cheeses, cured meats, and red wine (Correct answer)
- Whole grains and dairy products
- Caffeine and carbonated beverages
Correct answer: Aged cheeses, cured meats, and red wine
MAOIs interact with tyramine-rich foods (aged cheeses, cured meats, red wine) to cause a hypertensive crisis, which can be life-threatening.
Question 2: A patient with dementia becomes increasingly confused and agitated every evening. The LVN should document this pattern as:
- Confabulation
- Sundowning (Correct answer)
- Perseveration
- Delirium
Correct answer: Sundowning
Sundowning describes increased confusion, agitation, and behavioral disturbances that occur in the late afternoon or evening in patients with dementia.
Question 3: Which statement correctly describes the difference between delirium and dementia?
- Delirium develops gradually over years; dementia has an abrupt onset
- Delirium has an abrupt onset and is often reversible; dementia develops gradually and is generally irreversible (Correct answer)
- Both are irreversible but delirium is more treatable
- Dementia causes hallucinations while delirium does not
Correct answer: Delirium has an abrupt onset and is often reversible; dementia develops gradually and is generally irreversible
Delirium is characterized by acute onset and fluctuating course and is often reversible with treatment of the underlying cause, while dementia is a progressive, irreversible decline.
Question 4: A patient with schizophrenia states, 'The television is sending me secret messages.' The LVN should document this as:
- An auditory hallucination
- A delusion of reference (Correct answer)
- Thought broadcasting
- Loosening of associations
Correct answer: A delusion of reference
A delusion of reference is a false belief that external events, objects, or people have special personal significance or secret messages directed at oneself.
Question 5: When developing a therapeutic relationship, which behavior by the LVN would be most likely to damage trust with a psychiatric patient?
- Setting clear and consistent limits
- Making promises that cannot be kept (Correct answer)
- Maintaining professional boundaries
- Listening actively without interrupting
Correct answer: Making promises that cannot be kept
Making promises that cannot be kept destroys trust, which is the foundation of the therapeutic relationship, particularly with vulnerable psychiatric patients.
Question 6: A patient taking clozapine (Clozaril) must have routine blood tests because this medication carries a risk of:
- Hypertension and tachycardia
- Agranulocytosis (Correct answer)
- Hepatotoxicity
- Hyperthyroidism
Correct answer: Agranulocytosis
Clozapine can cause agranulocytosis, a life-threatening drop in white blood cells, requiring regular WBC and ANC monitoring throughout treatment.
Question 7: An LVN caring for a patient with antisocial personality disorder should expect the patient to display:
- Excessive fear of abandonment and impulsive self-harm
- Disregard for the rights of others and lack of remorse (Correct answer)
- Grandiosity, need for admiration, and lack of empathy
- Pervasive distrust and suspicion of others' motives
Correct answer: Disregard for the rights of others and lack of remorse
Antisocial personality disorder is characterized by a persistent pattern of violating others' rights, deceitfulness, impulsivity, and absence of remorse.
LVN Mental Health & Psychiatric Nursing 5
A patient taking an MAOI (monoamine oxidase inhibitor) asks what foods to avoid.
The LVN correctly teaches the patient to avoid: