The Adult Psychiatric & Mental Health NP exam is a comprehensive and challenging assessment for men and women who want to work in this burgeoning field of healthcare.
The content of the assessment is divided into the following domains of practice:
- health promotion and disease prevention (24 questions, 16% of the exam)
- assessment of acute and chronic disease states (35 questions, 23%)
- nurse practitioner and patient relationship (13 questions, 9%)
- clinical management (51 questions, 34%)
- professional role and policy (18 questions, 12%)
- research (9 questions, 6%)
The professional role and policy domain of the Adult Psychiatric & Mental Health NP Exam includes questions related to healthcare/public policy, ethics, scope of practice, access to care, coordination of services, and scholarly activities.
The research content domain includes the following topics: research processes, research utilization, continuous process improvement, outcome evaluation, and peer review.
The Adult Psychiatric & Mental Health NP Exam was developed by the American Nurses Credentialing Center.
Practice Questions
1. Which of the following statements are true about risk of suicide?
- Suicide risk declines with age, reaching its lowest level among persons 65 years of age and older
- Of all racial groups, African Americans have the highest suicide risk
- Women have a higher risk of completed suicide per attempt than do men
- Suicide risk is elevated by a history of suicide in a first-degree relative, especially the same-sex parent
2. Motivational interviewing for reduction of high-risk behaviors includes which of the following components?
- Vigorous confrontation of resistance to change
- Maintenance of a detached, impersonal attitude
- Encouragement of the client to accept the therapist as authoritative and to foster dependency
- Developing discrepancy by helping the client to see how their day-to-day behavior deviates from their ideals
3. Which of the following situations does NOT correlate with an increased risk of vulnerability to unhealthy levels of stress?
- Working more than 48 hours per week
- Having been divorced or separated in the past year
- Having a network of friends and acquaintances
- Drinking alcohol, smoking, or using drugs to relax
4. All of the following are questions included in the CAGE screening test for alcohol problems EXCEPT:
- Have you ever felt you should cut down on your drinking?
- Have you ever annoyed people by your drinking?
- Have you ever felt tired and fatigued after drinking?
- Have you ever had a drink first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or to get rid of a hangover (eye opener)?
5. The following prevalence rates for schizophrenia in specific populations are accurate EXCEPT:
- General population 1%
- Non-twin sibling of a schizophrenic patient 16%
- Child with one schizophrenic parent 12%
- Child of two schizophrenic parents 40%
Answers
1. D: Suicide risk increases with age and is highest in persons older than 65 years. Whites have the highest rate of suicide, followed by Native Americans, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Asian Americans. Women attempt suicide at a higher rate than do men, but men succeed more often.
2. D: Motivational interviewing is a client-centered approach that involves “rolling with the resistance” rather than confronting it, expressing empathy and viewing the situation from the client’s perspective, supporting self-efficacy by explicitly embracing client autonomy, and developing discrepancy.
3. C: Some of the many factors that increase stress levels are social isolation, financial instability, job loss, divorce or separation, and physical illness. Signs of stress include irritability, loss of interest, sleep disturbance, weight loss, increased use of alcohol or drugs, increased use of sick time from work, and increased levels of physical complaints and symptoms.
4. C: The correct formats from the CAGE – (Cut down, Annoyed, Guilty, Eye opener).
5. B: The prevalence of schizophrenia among non-twin siblings of a schizophrenic patient is 8%. Being a dizygotic twin of a schizophrenic patient raises the prevalence rate to 12%, and being a monozygotic twin of a schizophrenic patient raises the prevalence rate to 47%.