Deck 3: Biological Basis for Mental Illness

Question 1

The nurse is caring for a patient diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In this disorder, which element of the nervous system does the nurse identify as malfunctioning?

A) Central
B) Peripheral
C) Sympathetic
D) Parasympathetic

Answer 1

Parasympathetic

Question 2

A nurse is reviewing the stress response. What does she identify as the most important neurotransmitter involved?

A) GABA
B) Serotonin
C) Dopamine
D) Norepinephrine

Answer 2

Norepinephrine

Question 3

A nurse is making an initial psychiatric assessment. What does she realize is the most important part of this process?

A) Providing the DSM-5 diagnosis
B) Gathering information from the family
C) Ruling out a medical causation of symptoms
D) Evaluating the need for psychotropic medication

Answer 3

Ruling out a medical causation of symptoms

Question 4

A patient has lost his home and family as a result of an addiction to alcohol. What does the nurse understand about the patient's condition?

A) Addictive behavior involves the limbic system.
B) Addictive behavior is indicative of character flaws.
C) Addictive behavior has a variety of neurological patterns.
D) Addictive behavior is related to dysfunctional parent-child relationships.

Question 5

A nurse is caring for a patient who is experiencing visual hallucinations. Which neuroanatomical structure does the nurse recognize as the source of the patient's manifestations?

A) Parietal lobe
B) Occipital lobe
C) Temporal lobe
D) Right frontal lobe

Question 6

A patient with bipolar disorder asks the nurse what caused the illness. What will the nurse tell the patient regarding the genetic transmission of bipolar disorder?

A) Bipolar disorder is caused by environmental factors.
B) There is one single gene responsible for bipolar disorder.
C) There is no known cause for the development of bipolar disorder.
D) There appears to be a genetic link in the transmission of bipolar disease.

Question 7

A patient tells visiting family that a test was done to examine how the patient's brain is functioning. Which type of test does the nurse recognize as the test the patient is describing?

A) Positron emission test (PET)
B) Computerized tomography (CT)
C) Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
D) Single photon-emission computed tomography (SPECT)

Question 8

The patient reports to her nurse that she has experienced a significant reduction in her energy level. What neurotransmitter might the nurse suspect is involved in this change?

A) GABA
B) Dopamine
C) Serotonin
D) Norepinephrine

Question 9

A nurse is assessing a patient who presented to the emergency department after a public fight. The patient is crying and claiming that he does not remember how the fight started. What sensory functions should the nurse check as part of the patient's initial psychiatric assessment? Select all that apply.

A) Pain
B) Smell
C) Pressure
D) Temperature
E) Proprioception

Question 10

The nurse is researching the pathophysiology and etiology of major depressive disorder. What will the nurse learn is true regarding neurological structure alterations and the development of major depressive disorder? Select all that apply.

A) An increase in the central nervous system (CNS) volume is associated with major depressive disorder.
B) Excessive levels of serotonin and norepinephrine have been associated with major depressive disorder.
C) Impairments to cerebral structural plasticity and neuronal cellular resilience have been noted with major depressive disorder.
D) An increase in the numbers and sizes of glia and neurons in some areas of the brain have been noted with major depressive disorder.
E) Dysfunction of cerebral blood flow and glucose metabolism in some areas of the brain has been noted with major depressive disorder.

Question 11

A patient is hospitalized for symptoms that include auditory hallucinations and paranoid delusions. Based on the nurse's understanding of neurobiology, which neurotransmitter alteration causes these manifestations?

A) Serotonin
B) Dopamine
C) Acetylcholine
D) Norepinephrine

Question 12

A nurse is conducting an intake interview for a patient newly admitted to the hospital. The patient reports that the only medication she is currently taking is an SSRI. The nurse suspects the patient is most likely to have which condition?

A) Depression
B) Bipolar disorder
C) Schizophrenia
D) Sexual dysfunction

Question 13

A psychiatric nurse is preparing nursing staff education on the role of neurotransmitters in neurobiology. Which statement will the nurse include in the teaching presentation?

A) "There are two classes of neurotransmitters."
B) "Each neurotransmitter functions in the same manner."
C) "Neurotransmitters and receptors do not vary in their affinity for each other."
D) "Neurotransmitters consistently act in either an excitatory or inhibitory manner."

Question 14

A patient asks a nurse to explain why morphine is used for significant pain. What is the most appropriate response the nurse might make?

A) Morphine is an opioid drug. It affects a pain modulation circuit that contains certain cell structures that bind with morphine and have a significant pain modulating and relief effect.
B) Morphine is a serotonin-stimulating drug. It affects a pain modulation circuit that contains certain cell structures that bind with morphine and have a significant pain modulating and relief effect.
C) Morphine is a norepinephrine-stimulating drug. It affects a pain modulation circuit that contains certain cell structures that bind with morphine and have a significant pain modulating and relief effect.
D) Morphine is a dopamine medication. It affects a pain modulation circuit that contains certain cell structures that bind with morphine and have a significant pain modulating and relief effect.

Question 15

A novice nurse is learning the difference between pain and suffering. What kind of experience does the nurse associate with suffering? Select all that apply.

A) Mental
B) Spiritual
C) Emotional
D) Physiological
E) Psychological

Question 16

During assessment, the nurse determines that the patient is having trouble learning from the past, difficulty dressing self, and cannot recognize written words. The nurse suspects that the patient's symptoms are a manifestation of dysfunction in which brain structure?

A) Frontal lobe
B) Temporal lobe
C) Parietal lobe
D) Occipital lobe

Question 17

A patient with bipolar disorder is being treated with lithium. What laboratory test will provide the nurse with information on the effectiveness and toxicity of the patient's lithium levels?

A) Complete blood count
B) Basic metabolic panel
C) Urinalysis
D) Serum level test

Question 18

A patient with paraplegia tells the nurse that paraplegia has some advantages. What are some secondary gains to which the patient may be referring? Select all that apply.

A) Attention
B) Sympathy
C) Personal services
D) Disability benefits
E) Escape from some responsibilities

Question 19

A teenage patient was recently in a motorcycle accident and suffered a closed head injury. Although the patient's family said the patient has always been even-tempered and reasonable, now the patient is frequently angry and is demonstrating poor impulse control. Which area of the patient's brain does the nurse suspect may have been injured in the accident?

A) Temporal lobe
B) Frontal lobe
C) Occipital lobe
D) Parietal lobe

Question 20

Several nurses are discussing whether or not there is a single universally accepted hypothesis that provides an explanation about the pathophysiology and etiology of depression. Which statement by the nurse is accurate?

A) "Cerebral structure is responsible for depression."
B) "We know that heredity is the single cause of depression."
C) "Because all patients respond the same to SSRIs, we have a thorough understanding of the neurochemistry of depression."
D) "There is no unified hypothesis regarding pathophysiology and etiology of depression, in part because patients demonstrate individualized responses to treatments."