ATI Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders
and Psychosis Exam Questions and
Answers 2026
1. A nurse is providing information about hallucinations to a client who has
schizophrenia. Which of the following statements should the nurse make?
a. "It is a belief that something is real when in reality it is not."
b. "It is when behaviors that you typically display are abnormally absent."
c. "It is when you see or hear things that others are not experiencing."
d. "It is when you experience symptoms that affect your memory."
• c. "It is when you see or hear things that others are not experiencing."
2. A nurse is speaking with a client about the potential impact of living with a
serious mental illness. Which of the following pieces of information should the
nurse share?
a. having a job is positively associated with recovery from serious mental illness
(SMI)
b. the stigma over SMIs has improved dramatically in recent years in the United
States
c. males who have SMIs are more likely to be victimized than females who have
SMIs
d. once housing is secured, clients who have SMIs generally do not have issues
with housing insecurity
• a. having a job is positively associated with recovery from serious
mental illness (SMI)
3. A nurse is caring for a client who has schizophrenia. The client states, "My
health care provider indicated that I likely got schizophrenia due to complications
experienced in utero." Which of the following risk factors is this complication
linked to?
,a. Genetics
b. Physiological
c. Biochemical
d. Environmental
• b. Physiological
4. A nurse is caring for a client who is experiencing psychosis. Which of the
following manifestations should the nurse identify as a positive symptom of
schizophrenia?
a. flat affect
b. hearing voices
c. difficulty concentrating
d. withdrawn socially
• b. hearing voices
5. A nurse is caring for a client who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. Which
of the following should the nurse identify as a positive symptom?
a. alogia
b. hallucination
c. avolition
d. anhedonia
• b. hallucination
6. A nurse is assessing a client with schizophrenia who reports hearing voices that
tell him to harm himself. Which of the following is the nurse’s priority action?
a. Ask the client what the voices are saying
b. Place the client in seclusion
c. Administer an antipsychotic medication
d. Ensure a safe environment and stay with the client
• d. Ensure a safe environment and stay with the client
,7. A nurse is teaching a client’s family about negative symptoms of schizophrenia.
Which of the following should the nurse include? (Select all that apply)
a. Anhedonia
b. Avolition
c. Hallucinations
d. Flat affect
e. Delusions
• a. Anhedonia, b. Avolition, d. Flat affect
8. A client with schizophrenia tells the nurse, "The FBI is monitoring my thoughts
through a chip in my brain." Which term best describes this statement?
a. Hallucination
b. Delusion of persecution
c. Thought broadcasting
d. Ideas of reference
• b. Delusion of persecution
9. A nurse is caring for a client with schizoaffective disorder. Which of the
following distinguishes this disorder from schizophrenia?
a. Presence of mood episodes
b. Absence of hallucinations
c. Only negative symptoms
d. Onset after age 40
• a. Presence of mood episodes
10. A nurse is administering clozapine to a client with treatment-resistant
schizophrenia. Which laboratory value requires immediate intervention?
a. WBC count 2,500/mm³
b. Hemoglobin 12 g/dL
c. Platelet count 150,000/mm³
d. Random glucose 140 mg/dL
• a. WBC count 2,500/mm³ (Risk of agranulocytosis)
, 11. A client with schizophrenia is experiencing akathisia after starting risperidone.
Which of the following describes this condition?
a. Involuntary muscle contractions and twisting movements
b. Restlessness and inability to sit still
c. Muscle rigidity and cogwheeling
d. Lip smacking and tongue protrusion
• b. Restlessness and inability to sit still
12. A nurse is providing education about first-generation antipsychotics. Which
side effect is unique to this class compared to second-generation?
a. Weight gain
b. Tardive dyskinesia
c. Sedation
d. Hyperprolactinemia
• b. Tardive dyskinesia (higher risk with first-generation, but both can cause;
however, classic teaching is that first-generation have higher EPS/TD risk)
13. A client with schizophrenia is started on olanzapine. Which metabolic change
should the nurse monitor closely?
a. Hypoglycemia
b. Weight gain and increased blood glucose
c. Hyponatremia
d. Hypokalemia
• b. Weight gain and increased blood glucose
14. A nurse is caring for a client who states, "The voices are telling me I am
worthless." Which nursing intervention is most appropriate?
a. Tell the client to ignore the voices
b. Agree with the client that the voices are real
c. Acknowledge the client’s distress and redirect to reality-based activities
d. Ask the client to describe the voices in detail
and Psychosis Exam Questions and
Answers 2026
1. A nurse is providing information about hallucinations to a client who has
schizophrenia. Which of the following statements should the nurse make?
a. "It is a belief that something is real when in reality it is not."
b. "It is when behaviors that you typically display are abnormally absent."
c. "It is when you see or hear things that others are not experiencing."
d. "It is when you experience symptoms that affect your memory."
• c. "It is when you see or hear things that others are not experiencing."
2. A nurse is speaking with a client about the potential impact of living with a
serious mental illness. Which of the following pieces of information should the
nurse share?
a. having a job is positively associated with recovery from serious mental illness
(SMI)
b. the stigma over SMIs has improved dramatically in recent years in the United
States
c. males who have SMIs are more likely to be victimized than females who have
SMIs
d. once housing is secured, clients who have SMIs generally do not have issues
with housing insecurity
• a. having a job is positively associated with recovery from serious
mental illness (SMI)
3. A nurse is caring for a client who has schizophrenia. The client states, "My
health care provider indicated that I likely got schizophrenia due to complications
experienced in utero." Which of the following risk factors is this complication
linked to?
,a. Genetics
b. Physiological
c. Biochemical
d. Environmental
• b. Physiological
4. A nurse is caring for a client who is experiencing psychosis. Which of the
following manifestations should the nurse identify as a positive symptom of
schizophrenia?
a. flat affect
b. hearing voices
c. difficulty concentrating
d. withdrawn socially
• b. hearing voices
5. A nurse is caring for a client who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. Which
of the following should the nurse identify as a positive symptom?
a. alogia
b. hallucination
c. avolition
d. anhedonia
• b. hallucination
6. A nurse is assessing a client with schizophrenia who reports hearing voices that
tell him to harm himself. Which of the following is the nurse’s priority action?
a. Ask the client what the voices are saying
b. Place the client in seclusion
c. Administer an antipsychotic medication
d. Ensure a safe environment and stay with the client
• d. Ensure a safe environment and stay with the client
,7. A nurse is teaching a client’s family about negative symptoms of schizophrenia.
Which of the following should the nurse include? (Select all that apply)
a. Anhedonia
b. Avolition
c. Hallucinations
d. Flat affect
e. Delusions
• a. Anhedonia, b. Avolition, d. Flat affect
8. A client with schizophrenia tells the nurse, "The FBI is monitoring my thoughts
through a chip in my brain." Which term best describes this statement?
a. Hallucination
b. Delusion of persecution
c. Thought broadcasting
d. Ideas of reference
• b. Delusion of persecution
9. A nurse is caring for a client with schizoaffective disorder. Which of the
following distinguishes this disorder from schizophrenia?
a. Presence of mood episodes
b. Absence of hallucinations
c. Only negative symptoms
d. Onset after age 40
• a. Presence of mood episodes
10. A nurse is administering clozapine to a client with treatment-resistant
schizophrenia. Which laboratory value requires immediate intervention?
a. WBC count 2,500/mm³
b. Hemoglobin 12 g/dL
c. Platelet count 150,000/mm³
d. Random glucose 140 mg/dL
• a. WBC count 2,500/mm³ (Risk of agranulocytosis)
, 11. A client with schizophrenia is experiencing akathisia after starting risperidone.
Which of the following describes this condition?
a. Involuntary muscle contractions and twisting movements
b. Restlessness and inability to sit still
c. Muscle rigidity and cogwheeling
d. Lip smacking and tongue protrusion
• b. Restlessness and inability to sit still
12. A nurse is providing education about first-generation antipsychotics. Which
side effect is unique to this class compared to second-generation?
a. Weight gain
b. Tardive dyskinesia
c. Sedation
d. Hyperprolactinemia
• b. Tardive dyskinesia (higher risk with first-generation, but both can cause;
however, classic teaching is that first-generation have higher EPS/TD risk)
13. A client with schizophrenia is started on olanzapine. Which metabolic change
should the nurse monitor closely?
a. Hypoglycemia
b. Weight gain and increased blood glucose
c. Hyponatremia
d. Hypokalemia
• b. Weight gain and increased blood glucose
14. A nurse is caring for a client who states, "The voices are telling me I am
worthless." Which nursing intervention is most appropriate?
a. Tell the client to ignore the voices
b. Agree with the client that the voices are real
c. Acknowledge the client’s distress and redirect to reality-based activities
d. Ask the client to describe the voices in detail
