MENTAL HEALTH PRACTICE EXAM
QUESTIONS EXAM WITH CORRECT
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 2025
The nurse is conducting discharge teaching for a client with schizophrenia
who plans to live in a group home. Which statement is most indicative of the
need for careful follow-up after discharge?
a. Crickets are a good source of protein.
b. I have not heard any voices for a week.
c. Only my belief in God can help me.
d. Sometimes I have a hard time sitting still - CORRECT-ANSWERS*C. Only
my belief in God can help me.*
The most frequent cause of increased symptoms in psychotic clients is non-
compliance with the medication regimen. If clients believe that "God alone"
is going to heal them (C) then they may discontinue their medication, so (C)
would pose the greatest threat to this client's prognosis. (A) would require
further teaching, but is not as significant a statement as (C). (B) indicates an
improvement in the client's condition. (D) may be a sign of anxiety that could
improve with tx, but does not have the priority of (C).
A child is brought to the ER with a broken arm. Because of other injuries, the
nurse suspects the child may be a victim of abuse. When the nurse tries to
,give the child an injection, the child's mother becomes very loud and shouts,
"I won't leave my son! Don't you touch him! You'll hurt my child!" What is the
best interpretation of the mother's statements? The mother is
a. regressing to an earlier behavior pattern.
b. sublimating her anger.
c. projecting her feelings onto the nurse.
d. suppressing her fear. - CORRECT-ANSWERS*C. projecting her feelings onto
the nurse.*
Projection is attributing one's own thoughts, impulses, or behaviors onto
another--it is the mother who is probably harming the child and she is
attributing her actions to the nurse (C). The mother may be immature, but
(A) is not the best description of her behavior. (B) is substituting a socially
acceptable feeling for an unacceptable one. These are not socially
acceptable feelings. The mother may be suppressing her fear (D) by
displaying anger, but such an interpretation cannot be concluded from the
data presented.
An elderly female client with advanced dementia is admitted to the hospital
with a fractured hip. The client repeatedly tells the staff, "Take me home. I
want my Mommy." Which response is best for the nurse to provide?
a. Orient the client to the time, place, and person.
,b. Tell the client that the nurse is there and will help her.
c. Remind the client that her mother is no longer living.
d. Explain the seriousness of her injury and need for hospitalization. -
CORRECT-ANSWERS*B. Tell the client that the nurse is there and will help
her.*
Those with dementia often refer to home or parents when seeking security
and comfort. The nurse should use the techniques of "offering self" and
"talking to the feelings" to provide reassurance (B). Clients with advanced
dementia have permanent physiological changes in the brain (plaques and
tangles) that prevent them from comprehending and retaining new
information, so (A, C, and D) are likely to be of little use to this client and do
not help the clients emotional needs.
A 27 y/o F client is admitted to the psychiatric hospital with a dx of bipolar
disorder, manic phase. She is demanding and active. Which intervention
should the nurse include in this client's plan of care?
a. Schedule her to attend various group activities.
b. Reinforce her ability to make her own decisions.
c. Encourage her to identify feelings of anger.
d. Provide a structured environment with little stimuli. - CORRECT-
ANSWERS*D. Provide a structured environment with little stimuli.*
, Clients in the manic phase of bipolar disorder require decreased stimuli and
a structured environment (D). Plan noncompetitive activities that can be
carried out alone. (A) is contraindicated; stimuli should be reduced as much
as possible. Impulsive decision-making is characteristic of clients with bipolar
disorder. To prevent future complications, the nurse should monitor these
clients' decisions and assist them in decision-making process (B). (C) is more
often associated with depression than with bipolar disorder.
An adult male client who was admitted to the mental hospital 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?
a. You are in the hospital, and I am the nurse caring for you.
b. It must be difficult for you to control your anxious feelings.
c. Go to occupational therapy and start a project.
d. You are not in a war area now; this is the United States. - CORRECT-
ANSWERS* C. Go to occupational therapy and start a project.*
Delusions often generate fear and isolation, so the nurse should help the
client participate in activities that avoid focusing on the false belief and
encourage interaction with others (C). Delusions are often well-fixed, and
though (A) reinforces reality, it is argumentative and dismisses the clients
fears. It is often difficult for the client to recognize the relationship between
QUESTIONS EXAM WITH CORRECT
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 2025
The nurse is conducting discharge teaching for a client with schizophrenia
who plans to live in a group home. Which statement is most indicative of the
need for careful follow-up after discharge?
a. Crickets are a good source of protein.
b. I have not heard any voices for a week.
c. Only my belief in God can help me.
d. Sometimes I have a hard time sitting still - CORRECT-ANSWERS*C. Only
my belief in God can help me.*
The most frequent cause of increased symptoms in psychotic clients is non-
compliance with the medication regimen. If clients believe that "God alone"
is going to heal them (C) then they may discontinue their medication, so (C)
would pose the greatest threat to this client's prognosis. (A) would require
further teaching, but is not as significant a statement as (C). (B) indicates an
improvement in the client's condition. (D) may be a sign of anxiety that could
improve with tx, but does not have the priority of (C).
A child is brought to the ER with a broken arm. Because of other injuries, the
nurse suspects the child may be a victim of abuse. When the nurse tries to
,give the child an injection, the child's mother becomes very loud and shouts,
"I won't leave my son! Don't you touch him! You'll hurt my child!" What is the
best interpretation of the mother's statements? The mother is
a. regressing to an earlier behavior pattern.
b. sublimating her anger.
c. projecting her feelings onto the nurse.
d. suppressing her fear. - CORRECT-ANSWERS*C. projecting her feelings onto
the nurse.*
Projection is attributing one's own thoughts, impulses, or behaviors onto
another--it is the mother who is probably harming the child and she is
attributing her actions to the nurse (C). The mother may be immature, but
(A) is not the best description of her behavior. (B) is substituting a socially
acceptable feeling for an unacceptable one. These are not socially
acceptable feelings. The mother may be suppressing her fear (D) by
displaying anger, but such an interpretation cannot be concluded from the
data presented.
An elderly female client with advanced dementia is admitted to the hospital
with a fractured hip. The client repeatedly tells the staff, "Take me home. I
want my Mommy." Which response is best for the nurse to provide?
a. Orient the client to the time, place, and person.
,b. Tell the client that the nurse is there and will help her.
c. Remind the client that her mother is no longer living.
d. Explain the seriousness of her injury and need for hospitalization. -
CORRECT-ANSWERS*B. Tell the client that the nurse is there and will help
her.*
Those with dementia often refer to home or parents when seeking security
and comfort. The nurse should use the techniques of "offering self" and
"talking to the feelings" to provide reassurance (B). Clients with advanced
dementia have permanent physiological changes in the brain (plaques and
tangles) that prevent them from comprehending and retaining new
information, so (A, C, and D) are likely to be of little use to this client and do
not help the clients emotional needs.
A 27 y/o F client is admitted to the psychiatric hospital with a dx of bipolar
disorder, manic phase. She is demanding and active. Which intervention
should the nurse include in this client's plan of care?
a. Schedule her to attend various group activities.
b. Reinforce her ability to make her own decisions.
c. Encourage her to identify feelings of anger.
d. Provide a structured environment with little stimuli. - CORRECT-
ANSWERS*D. Provide a structured environment with little stimuli.*
, Clients in the manic phase of bipolar disorder require decreased stimuli and
a structured environment (D). Plan noncompetitive activities that can be
carried out alone. (A) is contraindicated; stimuli should be reduced as much
as possible. Impulsive decision-making is characteristic of clients with bipolar
disorder. To prevent future complications, the nurse should monitor these
clients' decisions and assist them in decision-making process (B). (C) is more
often associated with depression than with bipolar disorder.
An adult male client who was admitted to the mental hospital 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?
a. You are in the hospital, and I am the nurse caring for you.
b. It must be difficult for you to control your anxious feelings.
c. Go to occupational therapy and start a project.
d. You are not in a war area now; this is the United States. - CORRECT-
ANSWERS* C. Go to occupational therapy and start a project.*
Delusions often generate fear and isolation, so the nurse should help the
client participate in activities that avoid focusing on the false belief and
encourage interaction with others (C). Delusions are often well-fixed, and
though (A) reinforces reality, it is argumentative and dismisses the clients
fears. It is often difficult for the client to recognize the relationship between
