A client grieving the recent loss of her husband asks if she is becoming mentally ill because she is so sad. The nurse's best response would be,
- A. You may have a temporary mental illness because you are experiencing so much pain.
- B. You are not mentally ill. This is an expected reaction to the loss you have experienced.
- C. Were you generally dissatisfied with your relationship before your husband's death?
- D. Try not to worry about that right now. You never know what the future brings.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Mental illness includes general dissatisfaction with self, ineffective relationships, ineffective coping, and lack of personal growth. Additionally the behavior must not be culturally expected. Acute grief reactions are expected and therefore not considered mental illness. False reassurance or overanalysis does not accurately address the client's concerns.
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Which of the following statements is true of treatment of people with mental illness in the United States today?
- A. Substance abuse is effectively treated with brief hospitalization
- B. Financial resources are reallocated from state hospitals to community programs and support
- C. Only 25% of people needing mental health services are receiving those services
- D. Emergency department visits by persons who are acutely disturbed are declining.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Only one in four adults needing mental health care receives the needed services. Substance abuse issues cannot be dealt with in the 3 to 5 days typical for admissions in the current managed care environment. Money saved by states when state hospitals were closed has not been transferred to community programs and support. Emergency department visits for acutely disturbed persons have increased in some cities.
Which of the following is defined as an advanced-level function in the practice area of psychiatric mental health nursing?
- A. Case management
- B. Counseling
- C. Evaluation
- D. Health teaching
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Advanced-level functions are psychotherapy, prescriptive authority, consultation and liaison, evaluation, and program development and management. Case management, counseling, and health teaching are basic-level functions in the practice area of psychiatric mental health nursing.
The legislation enacted in 1963 was largely responsible for which of the following shifts in care for the mentally ill?
- A. The widespread use of community-based services
- B. The advancement in pharmacotherapies
- C. Improved rights for clients in long-term institutional care
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The Community Mental Health Centers Construction Act of 1963 accomplished the release of individuals from long-term stays in state institutions, the decrease in admissions to hospitals, and the development of community-based services as an alternative to hospital care.
Psychiatric nursing became a requirement in nursing education in which year?
- A. 1930
- B. 1940
- C. 1950
- D. 1960
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: It was not until 1950 that the National League for Nursing, which accredits nursing programs, required schools to include an experience in psychiatric nursing.
The first training of nurses to work with persons with mental illness was in 1882 in which state?
- A. California
- B. Illinois
- C. Massachusetts
- D. New York
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The first training for nurses to work with persons with mental illness was in 1882 at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts.
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