Psychiatric Sample Questions

The rating scale that best measures drug-induced unpleasant sensations of inner restlessness is the:

A patient presents to an inpatient psychiatric unit expressing a desire to stop drinking and appears anxious and trembling. The patient claims to have consumed a half-case of beer and a fifth of bourbon every day for the past 2 weeks. The last drink was taken 12 hours ago. Laboratory values are normal except for the AST 180 units/L and the ALT 280 units/L. Which of the following is the best initial treatment for this patient?

A psychiatric pharmacist in a facility for patients with developmental disabilities is reviewing the following documentation: "A 25-year-old male receives chlorpromazine 100 mg b.i.d. for hand waving and hand flapping." Based on these findings, which of the following actions is most appropriate?

A psychiatric pharmacist is asked by a physician about the appropriate initial and target doses for a patient who is to be started on sertraline. In order to answer this question, it is of the foremost importance to ascertain the:

A 56-year-old female patient is being evaluated for new-onset depression after her recent divorce from her husband of 30 years. During the past 2 months, she has experienced uncontrollable crying episodes several times per week, difficulty falling asleep, trouble concentrating at work, extreme fatigue at the beginning and end of the day, and frequent thoughts of death. Her past medical history is notable for hyperlipidemia, fibromyalgia, diastolic hypertension, and a BMI of 32 kg/m2. She is currently on oxycodone sustained-release 30 mg by mouth twice daily, lisinopril 20 mg by mouth once daily, and simvastatin 20 mg by mouth at bedtime.

A 29-year-old patient presents with an erratic history in both occupational and social lives. The patient has made several documented suicide attempts that are considered more of a suicidal "gesture" than actual attempts. The patient was recently diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and was started on fluoxetine 20 mg by mouth daily. Which of the following statements is most accurate regarding the use of fluoxetine in this patient?

A 7-year-old child with separation anxiety disorder has partially responded to the Coping Cat cognitive behavioral therapy program. Which of the following oral medications should be added?

A 62-year-old patient with prostatic hypertrophy and multi-infarct dementia becomes disoriented and agitated, with apparent auditory hallucinations. Clozapine 25 mg by mouth b.i.d. is ordered, and two doses are administered within 12 hours. The next morning, the patient falls upon arising, has BP = 100/50 mm Hg, and reports urinary hesitancy.

These signs and symptoms have most likely been caused by clozapine's:

For patients who are initiated on atypical antipsychotic medications, which baseline monitoring parameter is recommended?

Remission in clinical trials for major depressive disorder is defined as:

A study of the effects of paroxetine on serum sodium revealed that in a group of five healthy volunteers, the mean serum sodium concentration was 140 mmol/L before treatment and 138 mmol/L after treatment with paroxetine. The results of a paired Student's t test revealed that the serum sodium concentrations before and after treatment were not significantly different (p = 0.15).

What conclusion may be drawn from the results of this experiment?

Genetic testing for HLA-B*1502 allele to reduce the risk of Stevens-Johnson Syndrome in persons of Asian descent has been established and is recommended for which of the following?

A 28-year-old female with a history of bipolar disorder is considering becoming pregnant and is worried about possible effects of her medication on the fetus. She is currently taking carbamazepine. The patient should be:

A psychiatric pharmacist is asked to provide in-service consultation to a clinical team regarding a patient who was admitted to the unit after developing mania while taking a natural supplement. What is the most likely supplement?

A psychiatric pharmacist who is providing a presentation for a community group has been specifically asked to address suicidality and suicide associated with antidepressants. What is the most accurate information that the psychiatric pharmacist can provide?

When are research protocols that involve procedures with more than minimal risk acceptable to perform on children?

What is the best description of the National Alliance on Mental Illness?

A psychiatric pharmacist is reviewing medications for a 75-year-old patient with major depression, insomnia, and generalized anxiety disorder. Using the Beers criteria, which medication is most appropriate for this patient?

A psychiatric pharmacist who is reviewing dispensing errors notes that, in 10 incidents over the past 3 months, levofloxacin 500 mg and levetiracetam 500 mg have been confused for each other. Pharmacist A was responsible for seven of the errors, Pharmacist B for two, and Pharmacist C for one. Which of the following is the best recommendation for the future?

Increased satisfaction with inpatient treatment is associated with: