Nursing Elites

1. How do neurotransmitters affect behavior and mental processes?

• A. Neurotransmitters have little effect on behavior.
• B. Neurotransmitters are chemicals that influence mood, thought, and behavior.
• C. Neurotransmitters have a minor role in mental health.
• D. Neurotransmitters determine intelligence levels.

Correct answer: B

Rationale: Neurotransmitters are chemicals that influence mood, thought, and behavior, playing a significant role in mental health. Choice A is incorrect as neurotransmitters do have a notable effect on behavior. Choice C is incorrect as neurotransmitters have a major role in mental health. Choice D is incorrect as neurotransmitters do not solely determine intelligence levels.

2. Why is it discouraged to use terms such as 'schizophrenic', 'autistic', and 'retarded' when referring to people with mental illness?

• A. These terms are no longer in the DSM
• B. There are only a small number of people diagnosed with these terms
• C. There is nothing wrong in using these terms
• D. Because people with mental illness are not defined by their condition

Correct answer: D

Rationale: It is discouraged to use terms like 'schizophrenic', 'autistic', and 'retarded' when referring to people with mental illness because people with mental illness should not be defined solely by their condition. Using such labels can reduce individuals to just their diagnosis, overlooking their individuality and other aspects of their identity. It is essential to treat individuals with mental illness with respect and dignity, focusing on their humanity rather than reducing them to a label. Choices A, B, and C are incorrect because the main reason for discouraging these terms lies in not defining individuals by their conditions, rather than the terms being in or out of the DSM, the number of diagnosed individuals, or the perception of whether there is anything wrong with using such terms.

3. Nearly all adults who were children living in Saigon when the U.S. armed forces left Vietnam in 1975 report that their lives were changed by those events. This exemplifies which of the following?

• A. Normative age-graded influence
• B. Social clock
• C. Critical period
• D. Sensitive period

Correct answer: C

Rationale: The correct answer is C. This scenario exemplifies a critical period in development. Critical periods are specific times in an individual's life when certain events have a profound impact on their development. In this case, the events surrounding the departure of the U.S. armed forces from Saigon in 1975 had a lasting influence on the children living there at that time. Choices A, B, and D are incorrect. Normative age-graded influence refers to events that are common to people of a particular age group, the social clock relates to the culturally preferred timing of social events, and a sensitive period is a time when an individual is more susceptible to environmental influences but does not result in lifelong consequences as with critical periods.

4. In order to develop chicken pox, one must be exposed to the virus that causes chicken pox. Note, however, that not everyone who is exposed to the virus is affected. In other words, the virus is a ________

• A. risk factor.
• B. necessary cause.
• C. sufficient cause.
• D. contributory cause.

Correct answer: B

Rationale: The correct answer is B: 'necessary cause.' A necessary cause must be present for a disorder to occur. In the context of developing chicken pox, being exposed to the virus is a necessary condition for contracting the disease. Choices A, C, and D are incorrect. A 'risk factor' increases the probability of developing a disease but is not essential for its occurrence. A 'sufficient cause' can produce the outcome on its own, which is not the case with exposure to the chicken pox virus. A 'contributory cause' adds to other causes to produce an effect, but in this scenario, exposure to the virus is crucial by itself.

5. Biological discoveries ________.

• A. have lessened the subjectivity of definitions of abnormality.
• B. demonstrate that the environment plays only a minimal role in the development of psychopathology.
• C. make it clear that mental disorders are diseases and should be dealt with by the medical profession.
• D. have led to a recognition of the role that genetic factors and other biological influences play in the development of many disorders.

Correct answer: D

Rationale: Biological discoveries have indeed led to a recognition of the role that genetic factors and other biological influences play in the development of many disorders. This understanding has shifted the focus from purely environmental explanations to acknowledging the significant impact of genetics and biology on mental health. Choices A, B, and C are incorrect because biological discoveries have not specifically addressed the subjectivity of definitions of abnormality, minimized the role of the environment in psychopathology, or definitively classified mental disorders as diseases that should only be handled by the medical profession.

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