NCLEX Practice Questions for
Foundations of Psychiatric Mental
Health Nursing (RN) fully solved
(D) "You've been feeling like a failure for a while?"
RATIONALE: Responding to the feelings expressed by a patient is an effective therapeutic
communication technique. The correct option is an example of the use of restating. The
remaining options block communication because they minimize the patient's experience and do
not facilitate exploration of the patient's expressed feelings. In additions, use of the word "why"
is nontherapeutic. - correct answer ✔✔ 1. A patient with a diagnosis of major depression who
has attempted suicide says to the nurse, "I should have died. I've always been a failure. Nothing
ever goes right for me." Which response demonstrates therapeutic communication?
a. "You have everything to live for"
b. "Why do you see yourself as a failure?"
c. "Feeling like this is all part of being depressed."
d. "You've been feeling like a failure for a while?"
(C) "You're having difficulty sleeping?"
RATIONALE: The correct option uses the therapeutic communication technique of restatement.
Although restatement is a technique that has a prompting component to it, it repeats the
patients major theme, which assists the nurse to obtain a more specific perception of the
problem from the patient. The remaining options are not therapeutic responses since none
encourage the patient to expand on the problem. Offering personal experiences moves the
focus away from the patient and onto the nurse. - correct answer ✔✔ 2. When the community
health nurse visits a patient at home, the patitent states, "I haven't slept at all the last cople of
nights. Which response by the nurse illustrates a therapeutic communication response to this
patient."
a. "I see."
b. "Really?"
, c. "You're having difficulty sleeping?"
d. "Sometimes, I have trouble sleeping too."
(A) Using open-ended questions and silence
RATIONALE: Open-ended questions and silence are strategies use to encourage patients to
discuss their problems. Sharing personal food preferences is not a patient-centered
intervention. The remaining options are not helpful to the patient because they do not
encourage the patient to express feelings. The nurse should not offer opinions and should
encourage the patient to identify the reasons for the behavior. - correct answer ✔✔ 3. A patient
experiencing disturbed thought processes believes that his food is being poisoned. Which
communication technique should the use to encourage the patient to eat?
a. Using open-ended questions and silence
b. Sharing personal prefernce regarding food choices
c. Documenting reasons why the patient does not wat to eat
d. Offering opinions about the necessity of adequate nutrition
(A) Denial
RATIONALE: Denial is refusal to admit to a painful reality, which is treated as if it does not exist.
In projection, a person unconsciously rejects emotionally unacceptable features and attributes
them to other persons, objects, or situations. Regression allows the patient to return to an
ealier, more comforting, although less mature, way of behaving. Rationalization is justifying
illogical or unreasonable ideas, actions, or feelings by developing acceptable explanations that
satisfy the teller and the listener. - correct answer ✔✔ 4. A patient admitted to a nental health
unit for treatment of psychotic behavior spends hours at teh locked exit door shouting. "Let me
out. Ther's nothing wrong with me. I don't belong here." What defense mechanism is the
patient implementing?
a. Denial
b. Projection
c Regression
d. Rationalization
Foundations of Psychiatric Mental
Health Nursing (RN) fully solved
(D) "You've been feeling like a failure for a while?"
RATIONALE: Responding to the feelings expressed by a patient is an effective therapeutic
communication technique. The correct option is an example of the use of restating. The
remaining options block communication because they minimize the patient's experience and do
not facilitate exploration of the patient's expressed feelings. In additions, use of the word "why"
is nontherapeutic. - correct answer ✔✔ 1. A patient with a diagnosis of major depression who
has attempted suicide says to the nurse, "I should have died. I've always been a failure. Nothing
ever goes right for me." Which response demonstrates therapeutic communication?
a. "You have everything to live for"
b. "Why do you see yourself as a failure?"
c. "Feeling like this is all part of being depressed."
d. "You've been feeling like a failure for a while?"
(C) "You're having difficulty sleeping?"
RATIONALE: The correct option uses the therapeutic communication technique of restatement.
Although restatement is a technique that has a prompting component to it, it repeats the
patients major theme, which assists the nurse to obtain a more specific perception of the
problem from the patient. The remaining options are not therapeutic responses since none
encourage the patient to expand on the problem. Offering personal experiences moves the
focus away from the patient and onto the nurse. - correct answer ✔✔ 2. When the community
health nurse visits a patient at home, the patitent states, "I haven't slept at all the last cople of
nights. Which response by the nurse illustrates a therapeutic communication response to this
patient."
a. "I see."
b. "Really?"
, c. "You're having difficulty sleeping?"
d. "Sometimes, I have trouble sleeping too."
(A) Using open-ended questions and silence
RATIONALE: Open-ended questions and silence are strategies use to encourage patients to
discuss their problems. Sharing personal food preferences is not a patient-centered
intervention. The remaining options are not helpful to the patient because they do not
encourage the patient to express feelings. The nurse should not offer opinions and should
encourage the patient to identify the reasons for the behavior. - correct answer ✔✔ 3. A patient
experiencing disturbed thought processes believes that his food is being poisoned. Which
communication technique should the use to encourage the patient to eat?
a. Using open-ended questions and silence
b. Sharing personal prefernce regarding food choices
c. Documenting reasons why the patient does not wat to eat
d. Offering opinions about the necessity of adequate nutrition
(A) Denial
RATIONALE: Denial is refusal to admit to a painful reality, which is treated as if it does not exist.
In projection, a person unconsciously rejects emotionally unacceptable features and attributes
them to other persons, objects, or situations. Regression allows the patient to return to an
ealier, more comforting, although less mature, way of behaving. Rationalization is justifying
illogical or unreasonable ideas, actions, or feelings by developing acceptable explanations that
satisfy the teller and the listener. - correct answer ✔✔ 4. A patient admitted to a nental health
unit for treatment of psychotic behavior spends hours at teh locked exit door shouting. "Let me
out. Ther's nothing wrong with me. I don't belong here." What defense mechanism is the
patient implementing?
a. Denial
b. Projection
c Regression
d. Rationalization
