CMHT STUDY GUIDE 2026 EXAM QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS RATED A+
✔✔d - ✔✔The night before her final exam, the nursing student cannot sleep, and is
convinced she will fail. Which of the following actions will help to promote a more
positive outlook?
Select one:
a. Continue to study rather than continue attempting to sleep.
b. Accept the possibility of failure and plan to repeat the course.
c. Use the negative thoughts as motivation.
d. Visualize staying relaxed during the exam and successfully passing.
✔✔c - ✔✔An adolescent caught stealing a classmate's laptop says that he needed it to
write his paper and the classmate "has enough money to buy another one anyway" is
demonstrating which of the following defense mechanisms?
Select one:
a. Denial
b. Restitution
c. Rationalization
d. Conversion
✔✔c - ✔✔An elderly man has serious vision problems and is no longer allowed to
obtain a driver's license. He has been very independent until this time. Which nursing
diagnosis is most appropriate for this situation?
Select one:
a. Confusion, chronic
b. Coping, ineffective
c. Self-esteem, risk for situational low
d. Grieving, dysfunctional
✔✔a - ✔✔Her speech is very pressured, and she is telling everyone in the waiting room
about a date she had the previous evening. The next visit she is dressed in old, drab
clothes and has no makeup on. She has a flat affect and is not making eye contact. The
most probable cause of her behaviors is which of the following conditions?
Select one:
a. Bipolar I disorder
b. Psychosis
c. Bipolar II disorder
d. Major depressive episode
✔✔b - ✔✔Self-protective responses are seen in behaviors that meet basic:
Select one:
a. Goals
b. Needs
c. Wants
d. Demands
,✔✔d - ✔✔A female client is 3 days postoperative and has been receiving meperidine
(Demerol) for pain control. The family mentions to the nurse that the client has been
taking phenelzine (Nardil) for years for her depression. The client did not list this
medication on admission. What signs and symptoms should the nurse look for in case
of reaction between these two medications?
Select one:
a. Increased pulse and respirations
b. Hyperactivity and difficulty concentrating
c. Increased tearing and increased urinary output
d. Sedation, disorientation, and hallucinations
✔✔c - ✔✔It is important for the nurse to be familiar with the religious practices of clients
cared for most often in a particular region because attitudes toward health and illness,
death and burial, food, and procreation have a strong impact on a client's beliefs and
practices. The nurse knows that the religion practiced most often around the world is:
Select one:
a. Buddhism
b. Jehovah's Witness
c. Christianity
d. Ahmadiyya
✔✔b - ✔✔The nurse asks the client a series of questions upon entry into a mental
health care system. This action is an example of which phase of the nursing process?
Select one:
a. Evaluation
b. Assessment
c. Intervention
d. Planning
✔✔a - ✔✔As the caregiver for a male client whose mental retardation level is classified
at a moderate level, the nurse's most appropriate action is to:
Select one:
a. Encourage him to work in a supervised setting at a fast food restaurant.
b. Persuade him to look for an apartment in which he can live on his own.
c. Find a group home that he would adjust well to.
d. Seek placement for him in a long-term setting for clients with cognitive disabilities.
✔✔d - ✔✔During the continuation phase of therapy, a client with a diagnosis of
depression asks, "What is the goal of therapy during this 4- to 9-month period?" What is
the nurse's best response?
Select one:
a. "We are going to work together to try to reduce your symptoms."
b. "Our goal is to determine the cause of your depression and cure it."
c. "We want to prevent you from ever having any depressive episodes in the future."
,d. "Our goal is to prevent you from relapsing and experiencing distressing emotional
states.
✔✔a - ✔✔Paranoid personality disorders are diagnosed more often in:
Select one:
a. Men
b. Women
c. Children
d. Adolescents
✔✔a - ✔✔During the interview process with a homeless client, which is an appropriate
nursing action?
Select one:
a. Wait until later in the interview to ask questions such as address or nearest relative.
b. Ask the client early in the interview what is his or her highest education level.
c. Ask the client where he or she planned to sleep that night.
d. Encourage the client to bathe as soon as possible.
✔✔c - ✔✔The nurse assessing the newborn shortly after delivery notes that the infant is
very jittery, irritable, and has a high- pitched cry. The nurse suspects that the mother
took which substance during pregnancy?
Select one:
a. Alcohol
b. Heroin
c. Cocaine
d. Analgesics
✔✔a - ✔✔Which of the following is an effective communication technique that should be
included in the teaching plan for the family members of a woman in whom Alzheimer's
disease has been diagnosed recently?
Select one:
a. Use simple, familiar words, along with short and simple sentences.
b. If the client tends to pace a lot, be sure to encourage her to sit during interactions.
c. If she doesn't understand the communication, change key words.
d. Use hand gestures when speaking to try to explain what is being said.
✔✔a - ✔✔The drug most often abused by adolescents is:
Select one:
a. Alcohol
b. Cocaine
c. Tobacco
d. Marijuana
✔✔not b - ✔✔Child prostitution in Thailand is widespread, and it is estimated that
_____% of these children have AIDS.
Select one:
, a. 10
b. 25
c. 50
d. 75
✔✔d - ✔✔The concerns of children in whom terminal conditions have been diagnosed
focus on how the illness affects the child's:
Select one:
a. Loss of a future
b. Family and friends
c. Social activities
d. Activities of daily living
✔✔c - ✔✔Approximately _____% of individuals with chronic mental illness use or abuse
drugs.
Select one:
a. 25
b. 50
c. 75
d. 100
✔✔b - ✔✔A male client with schizophrenia lives in an assisted-living complex for
individuals with mental health disorders. He is tired of the Parkinson-like symptoms he
experiences with his antipsychotic medication and therefore stops taking his medication
after much discussion with his treatment team. He is progressively withdrawing from
reality but is not a safety risk at this point to himself or others. What is the best response
of the nurse and treatment team?
Select one:
a. Try to coerce him into taking his medication.
b. Ensure that the client and those around him are safe, and monitor for additional
symptoms of his schizophrenia while maintaining trust with the client.
c. Crush his antipsychotic medications and put them in his food to stop the process of
his withdrawal from reality.
d. Speak to his family about seeking an involuntary emergency hold in a mental health
facility to get him back on his medications.
✔✔b - ✔✔Vascular dementia is more common in individuals living in:
Select one:
a. The United States
b. Japan
c. France
d. Australia
✔✔c - ✔✔The last stage of growth and development is called:
Select one:
a. Dying
ANSWERS RATED A+
✔✔d - ✔✔The night before her final exam, the nursing student cannot sleep, and is
convinced she will fail. Which of the following actions will help to promote a more
positive outlook?
Select one:
a. Continue to study rather than continue attempting to sleep.
b. Accept the possibility of failure and plan to repeat the course.
c. Use the negative thoughts as motivation.
d. Visualize staying relaxed during the exam and successfully passing.
✔✔c - ✔✔An adolescent caught stealing a classmate's laptop says that he needed it to
write his paper and the classmate "has enough money to buy another one anyway" is
demonstrating which of the following defense mechanisms?
Select one:
a. Denial
b. Restitution
c. Rationalization
d. Conversion
✔✔c - ✔✔An elderly man has serious vision problems and is no longer allowed to
obtain a driver's license. He has been very independent until this time. Which nursing
diagnosis is most appropriate for this situation?
Select one:
a. Confusion, chronic
b. Coping, ineffective
c. Self-esteem, risk for situational low
d. Grieving, dysfunctional
✔✔a - ✔✔Her speech is very pressured, and she is telling everyone in the waiting room
about a date she had the previous evening. The next visit she is dressed in old, drab
clothes and has no makeup on. She has a flat affect and is not making eye contact. The
most probable cause of her behaviors is which of the following conditions?
Select one:
a. Bipolar I disorder
b. Psychosis
c. Bipolar II disorder
d. Major depressive episode
✔✔b - ✔✔Self-protective responses are seen in behaviors that meet basic:
Select one:
a. Goals
b. Needs
c. Wants
d. Demands
,✔✔d - ✔✔A female client is 3 days postoperative and has been receiving meperidine
(Demerol) for pain control. The family mentions to the nurse that the client has been
taking phenelzine (Nardil) for years for her depression. The client did not list this
medication on admission. What signs and symptoms should the nurse look for in case
of reaction between these two medications?
Select one:
a. Increased pulse and respirations
b. Hyperactivity and difficulty concentrating
c. Increased tearing and increased urinary output
d. Sedation, disorientation, and hallucinations
✔✔c - ✔✔It is important for the nurse to be familiar with the religious practices of clients
cared for most often in a particular region because attitudes toward health and illness,
death and burial, food, and procreation have a strong impact on a client's beliefs and
practices. The nurse knows that the religion practiced most often around the world is:
Select one:
a. Buddhism
b. Jehovah's Witness
c. Christianity
d. Ahmadiyya
✔✔b - ✔✔The nurse asks the client a series of questions upon entry into a mental
health care system. This action is an example of which phase of the nursing process?
Select one:
a. Evaluation
b. Assessment
c. Intervention
d. Planning
✔✔a - ✔✔As the caregiver for a male client whose mental retardation level is classified
at a moderate level, the nurse's most appropriate action is to:
Select one:
a. Encourage him to work in a supervised setting at a fast food restaurant.
b. Persuade him to look for an apartment in which he can live on his own.
c. Find a group home that he would adjust well to.
d. Seek placement for him in a long-term setting for clients with cognitive disabilities.
✔✔d - ✔✔During the continuation phase of therapy, a client with a diagnosis of
depression asks, "What is the goal of therapy during this 4- to 9-month period?" What is
the nurse's best response?
Select one:
a. "We are going to work together to try to reduce your symptoms."
b. "Our goal is to determine the cause of your depression and cure it."
c. "We want to prevent you from ever having any depressive episodes in the future."
,d. "Our goal is to prevent you from relapsing and experiencing distressing emotional
states.
✔✔a - ✔✔Paranoid personality disorders are diagnosed more often in:
Select one:
a. Men
b. Women
c. Children
d. Adolescents
✔✔a - ✔✔During the interview process with a homeless client, which is an appropriate
nursing action?
Select one:
a. Wait until later in the interview to ask questions such as address or nearest relative.
b. Ask the client early in the interview what is his or her highest education level.
c. Ask the client where he or she planned to sleep that night.
d. Encourage the client to bathe as soon as possible.
✔✔c - ✔✔The nurse assessing the newborn shortly after delivery notes that the infant is
very jittery, irritable, and has a high- pitched cry. The nurse suspects that the mother
took which substance during pregnancy?
Select one:
a. Alcohol
b. Heroin
c. Cocaine
d. Analgesics
✔✔a - ✔✔Which of the following is an effective communication technique that should be
included in the teaching plan for the family members of a woman in whom Alzheimer's
disease has been diagnosed recently?
Select one:
a. Use simple, familiar words, along with short and simple sentences.
b. If the client tends to pace a lot, be sure to encourage her to sit during interactions.
c. If she doesn't understand the communication, change key words.
d. Use hand gestures when speaking to try to explain what is being said.
✔✔a - ✔✔The drug most often abused by adolescents is:
Select one:
a. Alcohol
b. Cocaine
c. Tobacco
d. Marijuana
✔✔not b - ✔✔Child prostitution in Thailand is widespread, and it is estimated that
_____% of these children have AIDS.
Select one:
, a. 10
b. 25
c. 50
d. 75
✔✔d - ✔✔The concerns of children in whom terminal conditions have been diagnosed
focus on how the illness affects the child's:
Select one:
a. Loss of a future
b. Family and friends
c. Social activities
d. Activities of daily living
✔✔c - ✔✔Approximately _____% of individuals with chronic mental illness use or abuse
drugs.
Select one:
a. 25
b. 50
c. 75
d. 100
✔✔b - ✔✔A male client with schizophrenia lives in an assisted-living complex for
individuals with mental health disorders. He is tired of the Parkinson-like symptoms he
experiences with his antipsychotic medication and therefore stops taking his medication
after much discussion with his treatment team. He is progressively withdrawing from
reality but is not a safety risk at this point to himself or others. What is the best response
of the nurse and treatment team?
Select one:
a. Try to coerce him into taking his medication.
b. Ensure that the client and those around him are safe, and monitor for additional
symptoms of his schizophrenia while maintaining trust with the client.
c. Crush his antipsychotic medications and put them in his food to stop the process of
his withdrawal from reality.
d. Speak to his family about seeking an involuntary emergency hold in a mental health
facility to get him back on his medications.
✔✔b - ✔✔Vascular dementia is more common in individuals living in:
Select one:
a. The United States
b. Japan
c. France
d. Australia
✔✔c - ✔✔The last stage of growth and development is called:
Select one:
a. Dying
