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 Mental Health and Psychiatric Nursing flashcards as text
A patient with schizophrenia is prescribed clozapine. Which laboratory monitoring is MOST critical due to the risk of agranulocytosis?
Answer: Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) per REMS protocol
Clozapine carries a black box warning for agranulocytosis, requiring ANC monitoring through the Clozapine REMS program before dispensing.
A PMHNP is assessing a patient using motivational interviewing. Which technique best exemplifies the 'rolling with resistance' strategy?
Answer: Reflecting the patient's ambivalence without challenging it directly
Rolling with resistance in motivational interviewing involves acknowledging ambivalence and reflecting it back rather than confronting or arguing, reducing defensiveness.
A patient reports racing thoughts, decreased need for sleep, grandiosity, and increased goal-directed activity for 5 days without hospitalization. The PMHNP should document this episode as:
Answer: Manic episode
A manic episode requires at least 7 days (or any duration if hospitalization is needed) of elevated/expansive/irritable mood with 3+ symptoms; 5 days with functional impairment severe enough to describe meets manic criteria.
A teenager presents with sudden onset of paralysis in one arm with no neurological findings on MRI. The patient recently witnessed a traumatic accident. The PMHNP suspects which condition?
Answer: Conversion disorder (Functional Neurological Symptom Disorder)
Conversion disorder presents with neurological symptoms (paralysis, blindness, seizures) incompatible with neurological disease, often triggered by psychological stress.
Which medication is considered first-line pharmacotherapy for PTSD according to current evidence-based guidelines?
Answer: Sertraline
Sertraline (and paroxetine) are FDA-approved SSRIs for PTSD and are recommended as first-line pharmacotherapy by VA/DoD and APA guidelines.
A PMHNP prescribes lithium for a patient with bipolar I disorder. Which patient statement indicates a need for additional teaching?
Answer: I can skip blood levels once I feel stable on lithium.
Lithium has a narrow therapeutic index and requires ongoing serum level monitoring even when the patient feels stable to prevent toxicity.
A patient with opioid use disorder is being discharged from the hospital. Which medication has the strongest evidence base for reducing mortality and preventing relapse in outpatient treatment?
Answer: Buprenorphine/naloxone (Suboxone)
Buprenorphine/naloxone is the most accessible evidence-based medication for OUD, shown to reduce overdose mortality, illicit opioid use, and improve retention in treatment.