TIA Mental Health Nursing 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A patient with major depressive disorder is started on an SSRI. The nurse should teach the patient that the antidepressant effect typically takes:
- 24–48 hours
- 3–5 days
- 2–4 weeks (Correct answer)
- 6–8 weeks for full effect
Correct answer: 2–4 weeks
SSRIs take 2–4 weeks to show initial antidepressant effects, with full therapeutic benefit often at 6–8 weeks.
Question 2: A patient with anorexia nervosa is admitted weighing 82 lbs at 5'4". Which initial intervention is the priority?
- Initiate psychotherapy for distorted body image
- Assess and stabilize vital signs and electrolytes (Correct answer)
- Create a behavioral contract about meal completion
- Begin a structured exercise program
Correct answer: Assess and stabilize vital signs and electrolytes
Physiologic stabilization — addressing electrolyte imbalances, hypotension, and cardiac dysrhythmias — is the priority in severe anorexia nervosa.
Question 3: A patient with borderline personality disorder repeatedly calls the nursing station requesting different nurses. The most therapeutic response is to:
- Accommodate each request to build therapeutic alliance
- Maintain consistent staff assignments and clear limits (Correct answer)
- Ignore the requests to extinguish the behavior
- Medicate the patient with a PRN sedative
Correct answer: Maintain consistent staff assignments and clear limits
Consistency and limit-setting are the cornerstones of care for borderline personality disorder to address splitting behavior.
Question 4: A patient is prescribed a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI). Which food must be strictly avoided?
- Fresh apples and bananas
- Aged cheeses and cured meats (Correct answer)
- Cooked vegetables and white rice
- Decaffeinated coffee and herbal tea
Correct answer: Aged cheeses and cured meats
MAOIs combined with tyramine-rich foods (aged cheeses, cured meats) can cause a hypertensive crisis.
Question 5: A nurse is caring for a patient who was involuntarily committed to a psychiatric unit. Which patient right must still be upheld?
- The right to refuse all medications permanently
- The right to communicate with an attorney (Correct answer)
- The right to leave the unit at will
- The right to refuse physical examination
Correct answer: The right to communicate with an attorney
Even involuntarily committed patients retain the right to legal counsel and communication with an attorney.
Question 6: A patient with OCD spends 3 hours each morning washing their hands until bleeding occurs. The most evidence-based therapeutic approach is:
- Supportive therapy and allowing the rituals for comfort
- Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy (Correct answer)
- Psychoanalysis to uncover childhood trauma
- Systematic desensitization using visual imagery only
Correct answer: Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is the gold-standard psychotherapy for OCD, gradually exposing the patient to triggers without allowing compulsive rituals.
TIA Mental Health Nursing 2
A patient with major depressive disorder is started on an SSRI.
The nurse should teach the patient that the antidepressant effect typically takes: