Comprehensive Mental Health and Psychiatric Nursing Flashcards
7 cards from real Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Exam practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Comprehensive Mental Health and Psychiatric Nursing flashcards as text
A patient describes feeling detached from their own body and observing themselves from the outside during periods of stress. This symptom is BEST described as:
Answer: Depersonalization
Depersonalization is the subjective experience of feeling detached from or outside of one's own body, thoughts, or feelings.
A PMHNP applies the Recovery Model when working with patients with serious mental illness. Which principle is MOST central to this model?
Answer: Self-determination and building a meaningful life despite illness
The Recovery Model emphasizes self-determination, hope, and building a meaningful, satisfying life even in the presence of ongoing psychiatric symptoms.
A patient with major depressive disorder has not responded to two adequate SSRI trials. The PMHNP considers augmentation. Which agent is FDA-approved for adjunctive treatment of MDD?
Answer: Aripiprazole
Aripiprazole is FDA-approved as an adjunctive therapy to antidepressants in adults with major depressive disorder who have had an inadequate response.
Under the duty to protect (Tarasoff ruling), a PMHNP is legally obligated to act when a patient:
Answer: Makes a specific, credible threat against an identifiable third party
The Tarasoff duty to protect is triggered when a patient makes a specific, serious, and credible threat against an identifiable victim, requiring the clinician to warn the potential victim and/or notify law enforcement.
A patient with ADHD and comorbid bipolar disorder requires pharmacological treatment. Which approach is MOST appropriate?
Answer: Stabilize the bipolar disorder with a mood stabilizer before treating ADHD
In ADHD-bipolar comorbidity, the bipolar disorder must be stabilized first with a mood stabilizer to prevent stimulants from triggering mania or rapid cycling.
A patient recently started on lithium complains of a coarse tremor, confusion, and vomiting. Lithium level is 2.4 mEq/L. What is the PRIORITY intervention?
Answer: Administer IV normal saline and arrange urgent hemodialysis consultation
A lithium level above 2.0 mEq/L with neurological and GI toxicity signs constitutes severe lithium toxicity; IV hydration restores renal clearance and hemodialysis may be needed to rapidly reduce levels.
When conducting a cultural formulation interview (CFI), the PMHNP's PRIMARY goal is to:
Answer: Understand the patient's own explanatory model, cultural identity, and psychosocial stressors
The CFI elicits the patient's own perspective on their illness, cultural identity, and social context to inform a culturally sensitive diagnostic and treatment formulation.