PMHNP Certification Q & A

Pediatric Developmental Assessment

A 5-year-old child presents for evaluation with her mother. The mother is concerned that the child might have autism spectrum disorder and asks for a comprehensive evalua

Therapeutic Alliance in a Court-Ordered Patient

The PMHNP is seeing a 22-year-old male patient for his initial evaluation.  The appointment is court ordered and the patient seems very uncomfortable being there and answ

Adverse Drug Effects in Psychiatric Treatment

The PMHNP is evaluating a patient new to the practice. He is a 27-year-old male with a long history of bipolar depression, generalized anxiety disorder, and a remote hist

Social Determinants of Health Domains

Social determinants of health (SDOH) are recognized by the World Health Organization as non-medical conditions that can often outweigh genetic or clinical medical access

Therapeutic Modalities for Depressive Symptoms

The PMHNP is working with a patient who is struggling with significant depressive symptoms. The patient is a 34-year-old female who is lives alone and works in a job that

Treatment Considerations for Bipolar Depression

The PMHNP is managing a patient with bipolar disorder. While the patient has had manic episodes historically, the dominant pole of his disorder is depression. He is curre

Adverse Effects of Olanzapine Therapy

The PMHNP is seeing a patient in follow-up. The patient has a diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder and has been taking the second-generation antipsychotic olanzapine for

Considerations for Self-Disclosure

The PMHNP is considering the case of a patient who is struggling with significant depressive symptoms following a difficult divorce. The symptoms are having a direct impa

Managing Treatment-Resistant Schizophrenia

The PMHNP is managing a patient with treatment-resistant schizophrenia who continues to have positive symptoms despite appropriate trials with two different antipsychotic

Laboratory Abnormalities in a Patient With Anorexia Nervosa

The PMHNP has just accepted a position at an eating disorders clinic which offers a multi-disciplinary approach to the management of eating disorders, including psychiatr

Adolescent Insomnia in a Patient With Generalized Anxiety Disorder

A 14-year-old patient is being managed for generalized anxiety disorder and has been responding well to fluoxetine. However, both the patient and his mother report that h

Reactive Attachment Disorder in a 5-Year-Old Child

A 5-year-old child is accompanied by the foster mother for evaluation of behavioral problems. The foster mother is experienced and has been very successful with children,

Pharmacotherapeutic Pattern Recognition

Jennifer is a 27-year-old female who has been in psychiatric care for several months for a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. She has not responded to three different pharmac

Treatment Resistance Presentation

A patient is mandated to care by court for evaluation and treatment of substance use disorder. He has a history of polysubstance abuse including ETOH, benzodiazepines, an

Situational Insomnia Management

A 39-year-old male patient presents asking for pharmacotherapy to help with difficulty falling asleep. He denies any psychiatric history and is in good health. He is curr

Naloxone Allergy Verification

The PMHNP has assumed care of a 32-year-old patient who is being managed for opioid use disorder with buprenorphine-naloxone 8.2 mg films t.i.d.  The patient’s previous p

Postural Intention Tremor Evaluation

A 27-year-old female patient presents for a follow-up appointment for generalized anxiety disorder. She has a complex history including polysubstance use disorder and bor

Carbamazepine Prescribing Risks

The PMHNP is managing a patient of Chinese ancestry with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. The patient is currently experiencing some symptoms consistent with an early man

Antipsychotic Adverse Reactions

The PMHNP is called to the emergency department to evaluate a patient with an acute onset mental status change. The patient has a long history of schizophrenia and has be

Major Neurocognitive Disorder Causes

The PMHNP is evaluating a 73-year-old patient who has just been discharged from the hospital after being treated for a urinary tract infection with associated delirium. S