Psychiatric/Mental Health Assignment Exam Hesi Practice 2025

The nurse is caring for an adult male client with catatonic schizophrenia who is mute and motionless. What is the priority nursing problem? A. Impaired mobility. B. Ineffective individual coping. C. Impaired verbal communication. D. High risk for fluid and electrolyte imbalance. - ANSWER ANS: D. High risk for fluid and electrolyte imbalance. Maintaining physiological stability by first addressing basic physiological needs is the priority. A client who is in a catatonic or stuporous state is at risk for malnutrition and dehydration. Fluid and electrolyte imbalance is the priority nursing problem for this client at this time. The other problems are not lifethreatening. A female client comes to an outpatient therapy appointment intoxicated. The spouse tells the nurse, "There wasn't anything I could do to stop her drinking this morning." What intervention should the nurse take at this time? A. Arrange for emergency admission to a detoxification unit. B. Talk to the spouse about strategies to limit the client's drinking. C. Have the client admitted to the inpatient psychiatric unit. D. Tell the client that therapy cannot take place while she is intoxicated. - ANSWER ANS: D. Tell the client that therapy cannot take place while she is intoxicated