HESI Mental Health Exam 2
2025/2026 | 50 Verified Questions &
Answers for NCLEX and Psychiatric
Nursing
, 1. A client diagnosed with schizophrenia reports hearing voices telling them to harm
themselves. What is the nurse’s priority action?
a. Encourage the client to ignore the voices
b. Assess the client’s risk for self-harm ✔
c. Provide distraction techniques
d. Tell the client the voices are not real
2. Which communication technique is most therapeutic when caring for a client with depression?
a. Giving advice
b. Using open-ended questions ✔
c. Providing false reassurance
d. Changing the topic
3. A client taking lithium should be monitored for which laboratory value?
a. Sodium level ✔
b. Potassium level
c. Hemoglobin level
d. Platelet count
4. A client receiving haloperidol develops muscle rigidity and high fever. The nurse suspects
which condition?
a. Serotonin syndrome
b. Neuroleptic malignant syndrome ✔
c. Lithium toxicity
d. Anticholinergic crisis
5. Which behavior indicates mania in a client with bipolar disorder?
a. Slow speech and fatigue
b. Grandiosity and decreased need for sleep ✔
c. Persistent sadness
d. Social withdrawal
6. A nurse is caring for a client experiencing panic attack symptoms. What is the priority
intervention?
a. Encourage deep breathing ✔
b. Leave the client alone
c. Provide complex explanations
d. Restrict fluids
7. Which medication is classified as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI)?
2025/2026 | 50 Verified Questions &
Answers for NCLEX and Psychiatric
Nursing
, 1. A client diagnosed with schizophrenia reports hearing voices telling them to harm
themselves. What is the nurse’s priority action?
a. Encourage the client to ignore the voices
b. Assess the client’s risk for self-harm ✔
c. Provide distraction techniques
d. Tell the client the voices are not real
2. Which communication technique is most therapeutic when caring for a client with depression?
a. Giving advice
b. Using open-ended questions ✔
c. Providing false reassurance
d. Changing the topic
3. A client taking lithium should be monitored for which laboratory value?
a. Sodium level ✔
b. Potassium level
c. Hemoglobin level
d. Platelet count
4. A client receiving haloperidol develops muscle rigidity and high fever. The nurse suspects
which condition?
a. Serotonin syndrome
b. Neuroleptic malignant syndrome ✔
c. Lithium toxicity
d. Anticholinergic crisis
5. Which behavior indicates mania in a client with bipolar disorder?
a. Slow speech and fatigue
b. Grandiosity and decreased need for sleep ✔
c. Persistent sadness
d. Social withdrawal
6. A nurse is caring for a client experiencing panic attack symptoms. What is the priority
intervention?
a. Encourage deep breathing ✔
b. Leave the client alone
c. Provide complex explanations
d. Restrict fluids
7. Which medication is classified as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI)?
