Stahl’s Essential Psychopharmacology 5th Edition Test Bank
Neuroscientific Basis and Practical Applications
TESTBANK/STUDY GUIDE EXAM 2024-2025 QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS 100 % PASS SOLUTION A+ GRADE
Chapter 1 Chemical neurotransmission
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. A patient asks the nurse, My wife has breast cancer. Could it be caused by her
chronic depression? Which response is supported by research data?
a. Too much stress has been proven to cause all kinds of cancer.
b. There have been no research studies done on stress and disease yet.
c. Stress does cause the release of factors that suppress the immune system.
d. There appears to be little connection between stress and diseases of the
body
ANS: C
Research indicates that stress causes a release of corticotropin-releasing factors that
suppress the immune system. Studies indicate that psychiatric disorders such as mood
disorders are sometimes associated with decreased functioning of the immune system.
Research does not support a connection between many cancers and stress. There is a
significant amount of research about stress and the body. Research has shown that there
are some connections between stress and physical disease.
2. A patient whose symptoms of mild depression have been managed with antidepressants is
concerned about the affect of accepting a promotion that will require working the night shift.
What will be the basis of the response the nurse gives to address the patients concern?
a. The connection between a new job and possible depression does exist.
b. The medication can be adjusted to manage any increase in depression.
c. The interruption in normal wake-sleep patterns can influence mood
disorders.
d. The change in sleep routine can be managed with a healthy sleep hygiene
routine.
ANS: C
,Many psychiatric and medical disorders occur more frequently or are exacerbated when
sleep patterns and biologic rhythms are disrupted. While the remaining options contain
true information regarding the management of depression that is a result of sleep
disruption, they do not effectively address the patients concern.
3. A patient with chronic schizophrenia had a stroke involving the hippocampus. The patient
will be discharged on low doses of haloperidol. The nurse will need to individualize the
patients medication teaching by:
a. Including the patients caregiver in the education
b. Being careful to stress the importance of taking the medication as prescribed
c. Providing the education at a time when the patient is emotionally calm and
relaxed
d. Encouraging the patient to crush or dissolve the medication to help with
swallowing
ANS: A
The hippocampus plays a major role in short-term memory and, hence, in learning. Taking
the medication as prescribed and providing the education at a time when the patient is
calm and relaxed is information or considerations that all patients should be given. The
medication does not necessarily need to be crushed or dissolved since the stroke would not
have caused difficulty with swallowing.
4. There remains a stigma attached to psychiatric illnesses. The psychiatric nurse makes the
greatest impact on this sociological problem when:
a. Providing educational programming for patients and the public
b. Arranging for adequate and appropriate social support for the patient
c. Assisting the patient to achieve the maximum level of independent
functioning
d. Regularly praising the patient for seeking and complying with appropriate
treatment
ANS: A
,Much of the stigma attached to psychiatric illness is due to a lack of understanding of the
biologic basis of these disorders. Therefore, effective patient, family, and public teaching is
an important function of the role of the psychiatric mental health nurse.
While the remaining options are appropriate, they are not directed towards eliminating
social stigma but rather empowering the patient.
5. A patient with depression mentions to the nurse, My mother says depression is a chemical
disorder. What does she mean? The nurses response is based on the theory
that depression primarily involves which of the following neurotransmitters?
a. Cortisol and GABA
b. COMT and glutamate
c. Monamine and glycine
d. Serotonin and norepinephrine
ANS: D
One possible cause of depression is thought to involve one or more neurotransmitters.
Serotonin and norepinephrine have been found to be important in the regulation of
depression. There is no research to support that the other options play a significant role in
the development of depression.
6. A patient who has a parietal lobe injury is being evaluated for psychiatric
rehabilitation needs. Of the aspects of functioning listed, which will the nurse identify as a
focus of nursing intervention?
a. Expression of emotion
b. Detecting auditory stimuli
c. Receiving visual images
d. Processing associations
ANS: D
The parietal lobe is responsible for associating and processing sensory information that
allows for functions such as following directions on a map, reading a clock, dressing self,
keeping appointments, and distinguishing right from left. Emotional expression is
associated with frontal lobe function. Detecting auditory stimuli is a temporal lobe
function. Receiving visual images is related to occipital lobe function.
, 7. At admission, the nurse learns that some time ago the patient had an infarct in the
right cerebral cortex. During assessment, the nurse would expect to find that the patient:
a. Demonstrates major deficiencies in speech
b. Is unable to effectively hold a spoon in the left hand
c. Has difficulty explaining how to go about using the telephone
d. Cannot use his right hand to shave himself or comb his own hair
ANS: B
The cerebral hemispheres are responsible for functions such as control of muscles. The
right hemisphere mainly controls the motor and sensory functions on the left side of the
body. Damage to the right side would result in impaired function on the left side of the
body. The motor cortex controls voluntary motor activity. Brocas area controls motor
speech. Cognitive functions are attributed to the association cortex.
The right side of the bodys motor activity is controlled by the left cerebral cortex.
8. The patient diagnosed with schizophrenia asks why psychotropic medications are always
prescribed by the doctor. The nurses answer will be based on information that
the therapeutic action of psychotropic drugs is the result of their effect on:
a. The temporal lobe; especially Wernickes area
b. Dendrites and their ability to transmit electrical impulses
c. The regulation of neurotransmitters especially dopamine
d. The peripheral nervous system sensitivity to the psychotropic medications
ANS: C
Medications used to treat psychiatric disorders operate in and around the synaptic cleft
and have action at the neurotransmitter level, especially in the case of schizophrenia, on
dopamine. The Wernickes area, dendrite function, or the sensitivity of the peripheral
nervous system are not relevant to either schizophrenia or psychotropic medications.
9. The physician tells the nurse, The medication Im prescribing for the patient enhances
the g-aminobutyric acid (GABA) system. Which patient behavior will provide evidence that
the medication therapy is successful?
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