NURS 350 Exam 2 Study Questions and
Correct Answers
Neurtransmitter associated with pain, memory, mood and has calming effects ✅GABA
Med class most commonly used anti-anxiety agents ✅benzodiazepine
Benzodiazepines affect this neurotransmitter ✅GABA
4 common benzodiazepines used to treat anxiety ✅diazepam (valium), clonazepam
(klonopin), alprazolam (xanax), lorazepam (ativan)
5 benzodiazepines approved by FDA to treat insomnia and hypnotic effect
✅flurazepam (dalmane), temazepam (restoril), triazolam (halcion), estazolam
(prosom), quazepam (doral)
3 reasons benzodiazepines used in medical treatment ✅anticonvulsant, decrease
anxiety, reduce neuronal overexcitement of alcohol withdrawal
Name of classification of meds that is considered the first line of defense in most anxiety
and OCD disorders? ✅SSRI
Two ssris that have a more calming effect ✅sertraline (zoloft) and paroxetine (paxil)
SSRI that is serotonin-norepinephrine repute inhibitor that works well in treatment of
several anxiety disorders ✅venlafaxine (effexor)
Classification of meds most commonly used to treat anxiety disorders because they
have a quick onset of action ✅benzodiazepines
Benzodiazepines should be used to treat anxiety symptoms for only short period of time
due to what reason? ✅potential for dependence
3 important side effects of benzodiazpines ✅sedation, ataxia, decreased cognitive
function
Benzodiazepines are not recommended for patients with what type of health concerns?
✅known substance abuse problem, women during pregnancy, while breast feeding
Patient and family teaching r/t anti anxiety meds ✅don't change dose, don't operate
mechanical equipment, don't drink alcohol, don't take other anti anxiety meds because
depressant effects of both will be potentiated
,5 important facts about buspirone (buspar) ✅nonbenzodiazepine, doesn't cause
dependence, takes 2-4 weeks to reach full effects, long term treatment, need to take
schedule-everyday
Hydroxyzine (vistaril, atarax) ✅antihistamine, used prn to treat anxiety, nonaddictive,
treat anxiety in patients with substance abuse problems
Propranolol (inderal) ✅beta blockers, blocks nerves that stimulate heart to beat faster,
used to treat sanxietyd, need to take vital signs before giving each dose
Agoraphobia ✅anxiety disorder characterized by fear of being in places or situation in
which escape might be difficult or embarrassing or in which help may not be available
should an anxiety attack occur
Antianxiety (anxiolytic) drugs ✅drugs that increase effectiveness of GABA; generally
prescribed to reduce anxiety but on short-term basis due to problems with addiction
Anxiety ✅state of feeling apprehension, uneasiness, uncertainty, dread; results from
real or perceived threat whose actual source is unknown or unrecognized
Body dysmorphic disorder ✅characterized by disordered images of self, impulsive and
unpredictable behavior, marked shifts in mood, and instability in relationships with
others
Defense mechanisms ✅unconscious intrapsychic processes used to ward off anxiety
by preventing conscious awareness of threatening feelings; health or not health
Fear ✅unpleasant emotion r/t specific danger
Generalized anxiety disorder ✅anxiety disorder characterized by excessive anxiety or
worry about numerous things
Hair pulling disorder ✅trichotillomania; distressing problem in which individuals
complulsively pull hair out, resulting in varying degrees of disability, social stigma, and
altered appearance
Hoarding disorder ✅obsessive accumulation of belongings that may have little or no
value and that prevents people from leading normal lives
Mild anxiety ✅first level of anxiety occurs in normal experience of everyday living and
allows people to perceive reality in sharp focus
, Moderate anxiety ✅second level of anxiety results in selective inattention and some
diminished thinking, although learning and problem solving can still occur; symptoms
include tension, pouring heart, increased pulse and respiration rate, perspiration, gastric
discomfort, headache, urinary urgency, voice tremors, and shaking
OCD ✅obsessions are thoughts, impulses, or images that persist or recur; ritualistic
behaviors an individual feels driven to perform or reduce anxiety; symptoms occur on
daily basis and may involve issues of sexuality, violence, contamination, illness, or
death
Panic ✅fourth and most extreme level of anxiety and results in a markedly disturbed
behavior; unable to process what is going on in environment and may lose touch with
reality
Panic disorder ✅anxiety disorder in which panic attacks are key feature
Separation anxiety disorder ✅exhibiting developmentally inappropriate levels of
concern over being away from significant other
Severe anxiety ✅third level of anxiety debilitating and causes a person to focus on one
particular detail or many scattered details; learning cannot occur, and other aspects of
the environment go unnoticed, even when another points them out
Skin picking disorder ✅dermotillomania; anxiety-relieving activity in which individuals
consciously pick at their skin; distressing problem that may result in varying degrees of
disability, social stigma, and altered appearance
Social anxiety disorder ✅social phobia; characterized by severe anxiety or fear
provoked by exposure to a social or performance situation that will be evaluated
negatively by others
Specific phobia ✅fear and avoidance of a single object, situation, or activity; common
in general population
Hildegard Peplau ✅operationally defined concepts and levels of anxiety and suggest
specific nursing interventions appropriate to each four levels of anxiety
Similarity between anxiety and fear ✅both physiological response to the experiences
are the same (fight or flight)
Normal anxiety ✅motivating force that provides energy to carrying out task of living
Mild anxiety manifestation ✅restlessness, irritable; mild-tension relieving behaviors
