Psychiatric Nursing Test – Questions with Rationale

1. Answer: D. Echopraxia is a negative symptom wherein the patient would copy other’s movements. It is an involuntary movement in general.

2. Answer: B. Echolalia means that the person is repeating the words being spoken by the other person during a conversation. It is common in autism.

3. Answer: B. All of the following can be allowed except for running shoes since shoe laces can also be used to strangulate a person. A rosary bracelet is nothing than a religious ornament

4. Answer: D. Clang association is group of words the client says that includes rhyming.

5. Answer: D. Blocking means abrupt cessation in train of thought before a though or idea is completed.

6. Answer: B. Word Salad is a manifestation of client that involves train of words that does not have a relation but the client keeps on saying it.

7. Answer: C. This is an example of a paranoid thought content. Phobia means being fearful of certain things that are present.

8. Answer: D. Delusion of grandeur means having a false belief of being an important person rather than what he or she really is.

9. Answer: A. Illusion is a thought process wherein the image seen by the naked eye may not be really what it is.

10. Answer: B. Delusion is a belief that something is going to happen to him or her but actually not. The above example is actually an example of delusion of persecution.

11. Answer: B. Delusion of paranoia means that something or someone is threatening the person which in reality not.

12. Answer: C. Auditory hallucination is a type of perception wherein the person hears someone talking to him or her who in reality no one talks to him or her.

13. Answer: D. Idea of reference is a type of thought that an external source which is no way in relation to the person may pertain something to the person in personal level. The client may thought that he or she is being talked or asked about when in reality it is not him or her.

14. Answer: C. Auditory hallucination is the most common type of hallucination among patients

15. Answer: D. Clang association happens to a patient when he or she would say words that are rhyming.

16. Answer: B. Avoiding to challenge the thought content of the patient can lessen the production of thought content which as delusion in nature. Isolating the patient would not be a correct nursing action since it is dangerous to leave the patient with a delusion alone. Giving a promise is simply not a therapeutic response.

17. Answer: D. using open-ended questions can encourage the patient to vent out the thoughts of the patient without any prejudices.

18. Answer: C. Validating is a type of response wherein you encourage the client to elaborate his answer. It is a non-judgmental approach during a conversation.

19. Answer: B. a mood disorder can be indicated with a flat affect which is being unresponsive in the range of emotion which is common among people diagnosed with schizophrenia or Parkinson’s disease.

20. Answer: A. does not belong to the possible causes of Schizophrenia. According to research these are the following possible cause of Schizophrenia: maternal influenza, birth trauma, head injury, epilepsy, Huntington’s chorea, cerebral tumor, stroke, SLE, myxedema, Parkinsonism.

21. Answer: A. Binge-eating does not belong to the group. A patient who binges are diagnosed a bulimic if he or she binges almost the whole day. The binge-eating episodes can only be interrupted with sleep, taking a bath or any other activities.

22. Answer: D. anorexia nervosa has been recorded to take away lives of teens between 5% to 15%

23. Answer: C. a patient with bulimia may feel this intense feeling of guilt of the previous action. A deeper personal feeling is actually the root of this action. Physical symptoms are not related to this manifestation.

24. Answer: B. securing the side rails is the first intervention that you can make since the patient is restless. Giving diazepam can be indicated only if with physician’s order. Isolating the patient is not a nursing action as well as restraining the patient will need a physician’s order.

25. Answer: B. in the orientation phase, it is very important to provide the patient the time frame that you will be working with him or her. In this way, the expectations can be stated clearly earlier and the termination phase will be easier to be accepted