PNC Licensing Examination Mental Health and Psychiatric Nursing Syllabus

Mental Health and Psychiatric Nursing syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Mental Health and Psychiatric Nursing in PNC Licensing Examination, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Foundations of Mental Health

   3 topics

   • Concepts of mental health and illness
   • Classification of mental disorders
   • Therapeutic communication and nurse-patient relationship
2. 2

   Psychiatric Disorders

   3 topics

   • Anxiety and mood disorders
   • Schizophrenia and psychotic disorders
   • Personality and somatoform disorders
3. 3

   Substance Use and Crisis Care

   3 topics

   • Substance abuse and dependence
   • Crisis intervention
   • Suicide assessment and prevention
4. 4

   Psychiatric Treatment and Nursing Care

   3 topics

   • Psychopharmacology
   • Psychotherapies and behavioral therapy
   • Care of patients with psychiatric emergencies

Mental Health and Psychiatric Nursing flashcards for PNC Licensing Examination

22 of 51 cards from the Mental Health and Psychiatric Nursing deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. Define mental health according to the WHO.

   A state of well-being in which an individual realizes their own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively, and is able to contribute to their community.

2. What is mental illness?

   A clinically significant disturbance in an individual's cognition, emotional regulation, or behavior that reflects dysfunction in psychological, biological, or developmental processes and causes distress or impaired functioning.

3. What is the difference between a sign and a symptom in psychiatry?

   A sign is an objective finding observed by the nurse/clinician (e.g., flat affect, psychomotor retardation); a symptom is a subjective experience reported by the patient (e.g., feeling hopeless, hearing voices).

4. Name the two major classification systems for mental disorders.

   DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition, by the APA) and ICD-11 (International Classification of Diseases, 11th edition, by the WHO).

5. What is the difference between neurosis and psychosis?

   In neurosis the patient retains contact with reality and has insight (e.g., anxiety disorders); in psychosis there is loss of contact with reality, impaired insight, and often delusions or hallucinations (e.g., schizophrenia).

6. What is therapeutic communication?

   A goal-directed, patient-centered, professional interaction in which the nurse uses verbal and nonverbal techniques to encourage the patient to express feelings and explore problems in a supportive way.

7. List the three phases of the therapeutic nurse-patient relationship (Peplau).

   Orientation phase, working phase, and termination phase (Peplau also describes the identification and exploitation subphases within the working phase).

8. Name five therapeutic communication techniques.

   Active listening, open-ended questioning, reflection, clarification, silence (others: restating, focusing, summarizing, offering self).

9. Give three non-therapeutic (blocking) communication techniques to avoid.

   Giving false reassurance, giving advice, asking 'why' questions, being defensive, changing the subject, and making judgmental statements.

10. What is empathy versus sympathy in nursing?

    Empathy is objectively understanding and sharing in the patient's feelings while remaining separate; sympathy is feeling sorry for or pitying the patient, which is non-therapeutic.

11. What is transference and countertransference?

    Transference is when the patient unconsciously redirects feelings about a significant person onto the nurse; countertransference is when the nurse projects their own feelings/conflicts onto the patient.

12. Define anxiety and list its four levels.

    Anxiety is a vague feeling of apprehension or dread in response to a perceived threat. The four levels are mild, moderate, severe, and panic.

13. At which level of anxiety is the perceptual field most expanded and learning enhanced?

    Mild anxiety - the perceptual field is heightened and the person is alert, motivated, and learns effectively.

14. What characterizes a panic level of anxiety?

    Markedly disturbed behavior, loss of rational thought, inability to communicate or function, distorted perceptions, and potential loss of control; it is not sustainable for long periods.

15. What is Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)?

    Excessive, uncontrollable worry about multiple events or activities occurring more days than not for at least 6 months, accompanied by symptoms like restlessness, fatigue, and muscle tension.

16. What is a panic attack and how long does it typically peak?

    An abrupt surge of intense fear with physical symptoms (palpitations, chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, fear of dying) that peaks within about 10 minutes.

17. Differentiate an obsession from a compulsion in OCD.

    An obsession is a recurrent, intrusive, unwanted thought, urge, or image; a compulsion is a repetitive behavior or mental act performed to reduce the anxiety caused by the obsession.

18. What are the major mood (affective) disorders?

    Major depressive disorder, bipolar I disorder, bipolar II disorder, persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia), and cyclothymic disorder.

19. List the core symptoms of major depressive disorder (DSM-5).

    Depressed mood and/or anhedonia plus symptoms such as weight/appetite change, sleep disturbance, psychomotor changes, fatigue, worthlessness/guilt, poor concentration, and suicidal ideation - 5 or more for at least 2 weeks.

20. What are the characteristic features of a manic episode?

    Elevated/expansive or irritable mood with increased energy lasting at least 1 week, plus grandiosity, decreased need for sleep, pressured speech, flight of ideas, distractibility, and risky behavior.

21. Differentiate Bipolar I from Bipolar II disorder.

    Bipolar I requires at least one full manic episode (with or without depression); Bipolar II requires at least one hypomanic episode plus at least one major depressive episode, with no full manic episode.

22. What is the priority nursing concern during a manic episode regarding nutrition?

    The patient may not sit still to eat, so provide high-calorie, high-protein finger foods and fluids that can be consumed on the move to prevent exhaustion and malnutrition.

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