ATI RN
Behavioral Health Nursing Questions
Question 1 of 5
A cruel and abusive person often uses rationalization to explain the behavior. Which comment demonstrates use of this defense mechanism?
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Rationale: C is the correct answer as it demonstrates rationalization by shifting blame to the provoked person. This deflects responsibility from the abuser's actions by justifying them based on the other person's actions. A admits lack of awareness, B cites personal struggle, and D shows self-awareness, but they do not involve rationalization as in C.
Question 2 of 5
A patient diagnosed with depersonalization disorder tells the nurse, "It's starting again. I feel as though I'm going to float away." Which intervention would be most appropriate at this point?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The correct answer is B: Engage the patient in a physical activity such as exercise. Physical activity can help ground the patient by redirecting their focus and decreasing feelings of detachment and floating. Exercise releases endorphins which can improve mood and reduce anxiety. A: Notifying the health care provider may be necessary but engaging the patient in physical activity is the immediate priority. C: Isolating the patient may exacerbate feelings of detachment and increase anxiety. D: Administering antianxiety medication may be necessary in some cases, but engaging in physical activity is a non-pharmacological intervention that should be attempted first.
Question 3 of 5
Which assessment finding best supports dissociative fugue? The patient states
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The correct answer is A because dissociative fugue involves sudden, unexpected travel away from home, with inability to recall one's past and personal identity. Choice A directly relates to memory loss regarding current circumstances, a hallmark feature of dissociative fugue. Choices B, C, and D do not align with the diagnostic criteria of dissociative fugue as they describe different symptoms such as feeling dreamy, experiencing internal conflict within the body, and feeling anxious, respectively.
Question 4 of 5
A patient has blindness related to conversion (functional neurological) disorder but is unconcerned about this problem. Which understanding should guide the nurse's planning for this patient?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Step-by-step rationale for the correct answer (B): 1. Conversion disorder involves physical symptoms without underlying medical cause. 2. The patient's blindness is related to conversion disorder, indicating a psychological origin. 3. Unconcerned attitude suggests relief from anxiety through the physical symptom. 4. Nurse should focus on addressing underlying anxiety to help alleviate the symptom. 5. By addressing anxiety, the patient may experience improvement in the physical symptom. Summary of why other choices are incorrect: A: Incorrect because suppression of accurate feelings is not the primary issue in conversion disorder. C: Incorrect as the blindness is not due to physical impairment of the optic nerve. D: Incorrect assumption as the patient's lack of concern does not imply non-disclosure of fears.
Question 5 of 5
A patient reports fears of having cervical cancer and says to the nurse, "I've had Pap smears by six different doctors. The results were normal, but I'm sure that's because of errors in the laboratory." Which disorder would the nurse suspect?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The correct answer is B: Illness anxiety disorder (hypochondriasis). This is because the patient's persistent fear of having cervical cancer despite normal test results suggests excessive anxiety about their health. This disorder involves preoccupation with having a serious illness despite medical reassurance. The patient's mistrust in laboratory results indicates a belief that they are ill, even when evidence suggests otherwise. A: Conversion disorder involves neurological symptoms that cannot be explained by medical conditions. C: Somatic symptom disorder involves excessive focus on physical symptoms, not fear of a specific illness. D: Factitious disorder involves intentionally producing or feigning physical or psychological symptoms for attention or to assume the sick role.