Mental Health and Psychiatric Nursing Flashcards
6 cards from real BSN practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Mental Health and Psychiatric Nursing flashcards as text
A patient with alcohol use disorder is admitted for detoxification. Which finding indicates the patient may be developing delirium tremens (DTs)?
Answer: Severe agitation, diaphoresis, and visual hallucinations 48–72 hours after last drink
Delirium tremens typically begins 48–72 hours after alcohol cessation and presents with autonomic instability, agitation, and hallucinations.
A patient with anorexia nervosa is admitted for medical stabilization. Which laboratory finding is the most life-threatening concern during refeeding?
Answer: Severe hypophosphatemia (refeeding syndrome)
Refeeding syndrome causes a dangerous shift of phosphate into cells as metabolism resumes, leading to cardiac arrhythmias and respiratory failure.
A patient is admitted after a serious suicide attempt. After stabilization, the patient tells the nurse, 'I feel better now. I don't need to be here.' How should the nurse interpret this statement?
Answer: The statement may indicate the patient has made a decision to complete the act and feels relief
Sudden calm or resolution of distress after a serious attempt can indicate the patient has accepted a plan and feels relieved of their burden—not improvement.
A patient with borderline personality disorder engages in 'splitting' on the inpatient unit, telling one nurse that they are the 'best nurse' while stating another nurse is 'terrible.' The appropriate nursing response is to:
Answer: Communicate consistently with the entire nursing team and maintain uniform boundaries
Splitting is managed by maintaining consistency across all staff through regular team communication and uniform limit-setting.
A patient with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is experiencing a flashback. Which nursing response is most therapeutic?
Answer: Speak in a calm, steady voice and orient the patient to the present environment
Grounding techniques and calm reorientation bring the patient back to the present reality, reducing the intensity of the flashback.
Which statement by a patient taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) indicates correct understanding of the medication?
Answer: 'I may not notice a full improvement in my mood for 4–6 weeks.'
SSRIs have a delayed therapeutic onset of 4–6 weeks due to the time required for neuroadaptive changes in serotonin receptor sensitivity.