MENTAL HEALTH ATI EXAM 3 NEWEST 2025/2026 COMPLETE
ALL QUESTIONS AND CORRECT DETAILED ANSWERS (VERIFIED
ANSWERS) |ALREADY GRADED A+||BRAND NEW VERSION!!
A nurse on an inpatient mental health unit is caring for a client who is angry and
showing signs of potential violence. Which of the following actions should the
nurse take to de-escalate the client's anger?
A. Call security personnel for a show of force
B. Inform the client that restraints will be used as a consequence for verbal abuse
C. Speak to the client in a loud, forceful voice
D. Give the client extra personal space
Give the client extra personal space
*A client who is experiencing escalating anger requires additional space to feel
less threatened. The nurse should stand 1 foot farther away from the client than
the client's arms and legs can reach
A nurse is planning care for a client who has dissociative disorder and is
experiencing flashbacks while in public. Which of the following interventions
should the nurse include in the plan to help the client recognize and counter the
flashbacks?
A. Encourage reality testing
B. Provide opportunities for socialization
C. Consistently remind the client of past traumatic events
D. Discourage client expressions of negative feelings
Encourage reality testing
*Reality testing involves scanning the surrounding to see if others are afraid and
1|Page
, MENTAL HEALTH ATI EXAM 3
reorientations to time and place. This can help clients recognize that the
flashbacks are not real
A nurse is caring for a client who has post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and
who is undergoing eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)
therapy. The nurse should identify that EMDR includes which of the following
strategies?
A. Exposes the client to circumstances that trigger the PTSD
B. Assists the client with behavioral modification
C. Encourages the client to visualize a relaxing scene when traumatic memories
occur
D. Uses stimuli to change how the client processes the trauma
Uses stimuli to change how the client processes the trauma
*EMDR uses stimuli such as tapping, eye movements, or audio sounds combined
with verbalization of the traumatic event by the client. While the client recalls the
traumatic event, these stimuli create neurological and physiological changes in
how the client integrates the memories. EMDR is a type of psychotherapy carried
out during several sessions by a therapist who is trained in the method
A nurse in a rehabilitation center for clients with substance use disorders is
collecting data from a client who is being admitted. The client tells the nurse, "I
am afraid of other people finding out that I am in a rehabilitation center." Which
of the following responses should the nurse make?
A. "You don't need to worry about that."
B. "You should be proud of yourself for getting treatment."
C. "Why do you care what other people think?"
D. "Tell me more about how you are feeling about being here."
"Tell me more about how you are feeling about being here."
2|Page
, MENTAL HEALTH ATI EXAM 3
*The nurse is using therapeutic communication by exploring the client's feelings
and encouraging the client to discuss them.
A nurse is discussing family therapy with a client. Which of the following
statements by the nurse is therapeutic?
A. "Family therapy helped my family."
B. "I need to sign you up for family therapy."
C. "Family therapy can bring about change."
D. "Why do you think you need family therapy?"
"Family therapy can bring about change."
*The nurse is using the therapeutic communication technique of providing
information. By explaining what family therapy can offer, the nurse can empower
the client to make a better decision about whether to pursue such therapy
A nurse is assisting with preparing an in-service session about Alzheimer's disease
for a group of newly licensed nurses. Which of the following findings should the
nurse include as an early manifestation in the progression of the disease?
A. Forgetting material that was just read
B. Losing the ability to feel emotions
C. Experiencing changes in physical abilities such as swallowing
D. Having difficulty controlling the bladder
Forgetting material that was just read
*Forgetting material that has just been read is a sign of mild Alzheimer's and is an
early manifestation of the disease. Mild memory impairment includes recent
memory. Gradually, deterioration progresses to include both recent and remote
memory
A nurse is caring for a client who has anxiety disorder. Which of the following
statements by the client should the nurse recognize as demonstrating the defense
3|Page
, MENTAL HEALTH ATI EXAM 3
mechanism of displacement?
A. "I smoked for years, but now I cannot stand to be around cigarette smoke."
B. "I didn't get the promotion at work because my boss hates me."
C. "My partner yelled at me, so I made the cat go outdoors."
D. "I won't worry about losing my job until my child's break from school is over."
"My partner yelled at me, so I made the cat go outdoors."
*This statement is consistent with the use of displacement. Displacement is the
transference of emotions associated with a person, object, or situation to another
non-threatening person, object, or situation.
A nurse is reinforcing teaching about decreasing codependent behaviors with the
family of a client who has alcohol use disorder. Which of the following statements
by a family member indicates an understanding of the teaching?
A. "We will help her financially if she loses her job."
B. "We will not hold her responsible for her alcohol use."
C. "We will routinely search for and remove any alcohol in her home."
D. "We will not let our moods be changed by her behavior."
"We will not let our moods be changed by her behavior."
*The nurse should explain to the family that alcohol use is self-inflicted and that
the client must take responsibility for her actions. The family should not allow the
client's dysfunctional behavior to control their environment. Establishing
boundaries with the client is the family's first step in reducing the codependent
behaviors
A nurse in a rehabilitation center is planning to reinforce medication teaching with
a client who is being discharged following treatment for opioid use disorder.
Which of the following medications should then nurse expect the provider to
prescribe for the client?
4|Page