NU473 HESI PSYCHIATRIC/MENTAL HEALTH
PRACTICE EXAM 2025 – NURSING QUESTIONS WITH
ANSWERS AND RATIONALES
An adult female client has been increasingly restless, and the nurse finds her trying to leave
the psychiatric unit. She tells the nurse, "Please let me go! I must leave because the secret
police are after me." Which response is best for the nurse to make?
o No one is after you, you're safe here.
o You'll feel better after you have rested.
o I know you must feel lonely and frightened.
o Come with me to your room and I will sit with you.
o Come with me to your room and I will sit with you.
· The best response offers support without judgment or demands. The other responses are
not therapeutic communication for a client who is hallucinating or experiencing a delusion,
which are perceive by this client as a crisis.
At a support meeting for parents of a teenager with polysubstance dependency, a parent
states, "Each time my son tries to quit taking drugs, he gets so depressed that I'm afraid he
will commit suicide." The nurse's response should be based on which information?
,o Addiction is a chronic, incurable disease.
o Tolerance to the effects of drugs causes feelings of depression.
o Feelings of depression frequently lead to drug abuse and addiction.
o Careful monitoring should be provided during withdrawal from the drugs.
o Careful monitoring should be provided during withdrawal from the drugs.
· The priority is to teach the parents that their son will need monitoring and support during
withdrawal to ensure that he does not attempt suicide. The other responses are not
indicated.
An anxious client expressing a fear of people and open places is admitted to the psychiatric
unit. What is the most effective way for the nurse to assist this client?
o Plan an outing with the peer group within the first week of admission.
o Distract the client whenever discomfort about being with others is expressed..
o Confront fears and discuss the possible causes of these fears with the client.
o Accompany the client outside for an increasing amount of time each day.
,o Accompany the client outside for an increasing amount of time each day.
· The process of gradual desensitization by controlled exposure to the situation which is
feared, is the treatment of choice in phobic reactions. The other options are not indicated
in the initial phase of desensitization.
An adult male client who was admitted to the mental health unit yesterday tells the nurse
that microchips were planted in his head for military surveillance of his every move. Which
response is best for the nurse to provide?
o You are in the hospital, and I am the nurse caring for you.
o It must be difficult for you to control your anxious feelings.
o Go to occupational therapy and start a project.
o You are not in a war area now; this is the United States.
o Go to occupational therapy and start a project.
· Delusions, which are often well-fixed, often generate fear and isolation. The nurse should
help the client participate in activities that avoid focusing on the false belief and encourage
interaction with others. The other responses are not indicated and do not distract the client
or reassure that he is in a safe place.
, Over a period of several weeks, a male participant of a socialization group at a community
day care center for the elderly monopolizes most of the group's time and interrupts others
when they are talking. What is the best action for the nurse to take in this situation?
o Talk to the client outside the group about his behavior during group meetings.
o Remind the client to allow others in the group a chance to talk.
o Allow the group to handle the problem.
o Ask the client to join another group.
o Allow the group to handle the problem.
· The phase the group process is in--initial, working, or termination--this will help determine
communication styles between the group members. After several weeks, the group is in the
working phase and the group members should be allowed to determine the direction of the
group. The nurse should ignore the client's comments and allow the group to address the
situation.
At the first meeting of a group of older adults at a daycare center for the elderly, the nurse
asks one of the members what kinds of things would one like to do with the group. The
older woman shrugs her shoulders and says, "You tell me, you're the leader." What is the
best response for the nurse to make?
o I am the leader today. Would you like to be the leader tomorrow?
PRACTICE EXAM 2025 – NURSING QUESTIONS WITH
ANSWERS AND RATIONALES
An adult female client has been increasingly restless, and the nurse finds her trying to leave
the psychiatric unit. She tells the nurse, "Please let me go! I must leave because the secret
police are after me." Which response is best for the nurse to make?
o No one is after you, you're safe here.
o You'll feel better after you have rested.
o I know you must feel lonely and frightened.
o Come with me to your room and I will sit with you.
o Come with me to your room and I will sit with you.
· The best response offers support without judgment or demands. The other responses are
not therapeutic communication for a client who is hallucinating or experiencing a delusion,
which are perceive by this client as a crisis.
At a support meeting for parents of a teenager with polysubstance dependency, a parent
states, "Each time my son tries to quit taking drugs, he gets so depressed that I'm afraid he
will commit suicide." The nurse's response should be based on which information?
,o Addiction is a chronic, incurable disease.
o Tolerance to the effects of drugs causes feelings of depression.
o Feelings of depression frequently lead to drug abuse and addiction.
o Careful monitoring should be provided during withdrawal from the drugs.
o Careful monitoring should be provided during withdrawal from the drugs.
· The priority is to teach the parents that their son will need monitoring and support during
withdrawal to ensure that he does not attempt suicide. The other responses are not
indicated.
An anxious client expressing a fear of people and open places is admitted to the psychiatric
unit. What is the most effective way for the nurse to assist this client?
o Plan an outing with the peer group within the first week of admission.
o Distract the client whenever discomfort about being with others is expressed..
o Confront fears and discuss the possible causes of these fears with the client.
o Accompany the client outside for an increasing amount of time each day.
,o Accompany the client outside for an increasing amount of time each day.
· The process of gradual desensitization by controlled exposure to the situation which is
feared, is the treatment of choice in phobic reactions. The other options are not indicated
in the initial phase of desensitization.
An adult male client who was admitted to the mental health unit yesterday tells the nurse
that microchips were planted in his head for military surveillance of his every move. Which
response is best for the nurse to provide?
o You are in the hospital, and I am the nurse caring for you.
o It must be difficult for you to control your anxious feelings.
o Go to occupational therapy and start a project.
o You are not in a war area now; this is the United States.
o Go to occupational therapy and start a project.
· Delusions, which are often well-fixed, often generate fear and isolation. The nurse should
help the client participate in activities that avoid focusing on the false belief and encourage
interaction with others. The other responses are not indicated and do not distract the client
or reassure that he is in a safe place.
, Over a period of several weeks, a male participant of a socialization group at a community
day care center for the elderly monopolizes most of the group's time and interrupts others
when they are talking. What is the best action for the nurse to take in this situation?
o Talk to the client outside the group about his behavior during group meetings.
o Remind the client to allow others in the group a chance to talk.
o Allow the group to handle the problem.
o Ask the client to join another group.
o Allow the group to handle the problem.
· The phase the group process is in--initial, working, or termination--this will help determine
communication styles between the group members. After several weeks, the group is in the
working phase and the group members should be allowed to determine the direction of the
group. The nurse should ignore the client's comments and allow the group to address the
situation.
At the first meeting of a group of older adults at a daycare center for the elderly, the nurse
asks one of the members what kinds of things would one like to do with the group. The
older woman shrugs her shoulders and says, "You tell me, you're the leader." What is the
best response for the nurse to make?
o I am the leader today. Would you like to be the leader tomorrow?
