NCLEX PRACTICE QUESTIONS FOR FOUNDATIONS
OF PSYCHIATRIC MENTAL HEALTH NURSING RN
2026
(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 patient states, "I haven't slept at all the
,last couple 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 preference regarding food choices
c. Documenting reasons why the patient does not want 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 earlier, 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 mental health unit for treatment of psychotic behavior spends hours at the
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
(C) "You're feeling angry that your family continues to hope for you to be cured?"
RATIONALE: Restating is a therapeutic communication technique in which the
nurse repeats what the patient says to show understanding and to review what
was said. While it is appropriate for the nurse to attempt to assess the patient's
ability to discuss feelings openly with family members, it does not help the patient
discuss the feelings causing the anger. The nurse's attempt to focus on the central
issue of anger is premature. The nurse would never make a judgment regarding
the reason for the patient's feeing; this is non-therapeutic in the one-to-one
relationship. - CORRECT ANSWER 5. A patient diagnosed with terminal cancer says
to the nurse "I'm going to die, and I wish my family would stop hoping for a cure! I
get so angry when they carry on like this. After all, I'm the one who's dying."
Which response by the nurse is therapeutic?
a. "Have you shared your feelings with your family?"
b. "I think we should talk more about your anger with your family."
c. "You're feeling angry that your family continues to hope for you to be cured?"
d. "You are probably very depressed, which is untestable with such a diagnosis"
OF PSYCHIATRIC MENTAL HEALTH NURSING RN
2026
(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 patient states, "I haven't slept at all the
,last couple 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 preference regarding food choices
c. Documenting reasons why the patient does not want 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 earlier, 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 mental health unit for treatment of psychotic behavior spends hours at the
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
(C) "You're feeling angry that your family continues to hope for you to be cured?"
RATIONALE: Restating is a therapeutic communication technique in which the
nurse repeats what the patient says to show understanding and to review what
was said. While it is appropriate for the nurse to attempt to assess the patient's
ability to discuss feelings openly with family members, it does not help the patient
discuss the feelings causing the anger. The nurse's attempt to focus on the central
issue of anger is premature. The nurse would never make a judgment regarding
the reason for the patient's feeing; this is non-therapeutic in the one-to-one
relationship. - CORRECT ANSWER 5. A patient diagnosed with terminal cancer says
to the nurse "I'm going to die, and I wish my family would stop hoping for a cure! I
get so angry when they carry on like this. After all, I'm the one who's dying."
Which response by the nurse is therapeutic?
a. "Have you shared your feelings with your family?"
b. "I think we should talk more about your anger with your family."
c. "You're feeling angry that your family continues to hope for you to be cured?"
d. "You are probably very depressed, which is untestable with such a diagnosis"
