Nursing MCQ 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 Nursing MCQ flashcards as text
Which of the following best describes the primary goal of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) as originally developed for borderline personality disorder?
Answer: Balancing acceptance and change strategies to reduce emotional dysregulation
DBT integrates acceptance-based strategies (drawn from mindfulness) with change-based cognitive-behavioral techniques to treat emotional dysregulation.
A 70-year-old patient develops sudden onset confusion, agitation, and disorganized thinking 2 days after hip replacement surgery. The most likely diagnosis is:
Answer: Delirium
Delirium is characterized by acute onset, fluctuating course, and disturbed attention/cognition, commonly precipitated by surgery, infection, or medications in older adults.
A PMHNP considers prescribing valproate to a woman of childbearing age. Which critical counseling point is mandatory?
Answer: Valproate is a Category X teratogen associated with neural tube defects and requires effective contraception
Valproate is a potent teratogen with a high risk of neural tube defects, spina bifida, and cognitive impairment in the fetus; contraception counseling is mandatory.
A patient newly diagnosed with ADHD-combined type is a 28-year-old with a history of stimulant misuse. Which is the most appropriate first-line treatment?
Answer: Atomoxetine (Strattera)
Atomoxetine is a non-stimulant SNRI approved for ADHD and is preferred in patients with substance use history due to its lack of abuse potential.
Which cognitive distortion is characterized by a patient concluding they are a 'complete failure' after receiving one negative performance review?
Answer: Overgeneralization
Overgeneralization involves drawing broad negative conclusions from a single event, such as labeling oneself a total failure based on one setback.
A patient taking lithium presents with coarse tremor, ataxia, slurred speech, and confusion. Serum lithium is 2.4 mEq/L. What is the priority nursing action?
Answer: Prepare the patient for hemodialysis and ensure IV access
A lithium level above 2.0 mEq/L with neurological symptoms is a life-threatening emergency; hemodialysis is the definitive treatment to rapidly remove lithium.
A PMHNP is conducting a risk assessment using the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS). Which finding indicates the highest level of suicidal ideation?
Answer: Active ideation with a specific plan and intent to act
On the C-SSRS, ideation with a specific plan AND intent to act represents the most severe and clinically urgent category requiring immediate intervention.