NR 326 Mental Health Nursing Exam 1 Practice 2026 |Chamberlain
College
1. A nurse is talking with a client who is frustrated with their treatment
progress. The nurse says, ‘You feel that your current therapy is not helping you?’
Which therapeutic technique is the nurse using?
A. Reflecting
B. Restating
C. Summarizing
D. Focusing
Answer: B
Rationale: Restating involves repeating the main idea expressed by the client to clarify
that the nurse has understood. Reflecting usually directs questions or feelings back to the
client.
2. A client is admitted to the psychiatric unit involuntarily. Which of the
following rights does this client still maintain?
A. The right to leave the hospital at any time
B. The right to keep all personal belongings
C. The right to refuse psychotropic medications
D. The right to carry out illegal acts
Answer: C
Rationale: Even involuntarily committed clients retain the right to refuse
treatment/medications unless a court has deemed them incompetent or there is an
emergency.
,3. A nurse is in the orientation phase of the nurse-client relationship. Which of
the following tasks should be performed?
A. Promoting the client’s problem-solving skills
B. Overcoming resistance behaviors
C. Establishing the parameters of the relationship
D. Evaluating progress toward goals
Answer: C
Rationale: The orientation phase involves establishing rapport, parameters, contracts, and
confidentiality settings.
4. A nurse notices a client with Schizophrenia becomes angry and yells at
another peer. The client later tells the nurse, ‘He’s the one who is angry, not
me.’ This is an example of:
A. Rationalization
B. Reaction Formation
C. Projection
D. Sublimation
Answer: C
Rationale: Projection is a defense mechanism where an individual attributes their own
unacceptable feelings or impulses to another person.
5. Which neurotransmitter is primarily associated with the ‘fight or flight’
response and anxiety disorders?
A. Serotonin
B. Dopamine
C. Acetylcholine
D. Norepinephrine
Answer: D
, Rationale: Norepinephrine plays a key role in the stress response and high levels are often
associated with anxiety.
6. A client is prescribed a Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI). Which
symptom should the nurse instruct the client to report immediately?
A. Mild nausea
B. Increased appetite
C. Dry mouth
D. Muscle rigidity and fever
Answer: D
Rationale: Muscle rigidity, fever, and autonomic instability are signs of Serotonin
Syndrome, a potentially life-threatening emergency.
7. According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, which of the following is the
highest priority for a client in a mental health crisis?
A. Self-esteem
B. Safety and security
C. Physiological needs
D. Self-actualization
Answer: C
Rationale: Basic physiological needs (food, water, air, sleep) must be met before any other
higher-level needs can be addressed.
8. A nurse is caring for a client from a different culture. To provide culturally
competent care, the nurse should first:
A. Perform a cultural self-assessment
B. Ask the client about their religious beliefs
C. Study the history of the client’s country
D. Provide an interpreter for all interactions
Answer: A
College
1. A nurse is talking with a client who is frustrated with their treatment
progress. The nurse says, ‘You feel that your current therapy is not helping you?’
Which therapeutic technique is the nurse using?
A. Reflecting
B. Restating
C. Summarizing
D. Focusing
Answer: B
Rationale: Restating involves repeating the main idea expressed by the client to clarify
that the nurse has understood. Reflecting usually directs questions or feelings back to the
client.
2. A client is admitted to the psychiatric unit involuntarily. Which of the
following rights does this client still maintain?
A. The right to leave the hospital at any time
B. The right to keep all personal belongings
C. The right to refuse psychotropic medications
D. The right to carry out illegal acts
Answer: C
Rationale: Even involuntarily committed clients retain the right to refuse
treatment/medications unless a court has deemed them incompetent or there is an
emergency.
,3. A nurse is in the orientation phase of the nurse-client relationship. Which of
the following tasks should be performed?
A. Promoting the client’s problem-solving skills
B. Overcoming resistance behaviors
C. Establishing the parameters of the relationship
D. Evaluating progress toward goals
Answer: C
Rationale: The orientation phase involves establishing rapport, parameters, contracts, and
confidentiality settings.
4. A nurse notices a client with Schizophrenia becomes angry and yells at
another peer. The client later tells the nurse, ‘He’s the one who is angry, not
me.’ This is an example of:
A. Rationalization
B. Reaction Formation
C. Projection
D. Sublimation
Answer: C
Rationale: Projection is a defense mechanism where an individual attributes their own
unacceptable feelings or impulses to another person.
5. Which neurotransmitter is primarily associated with the ‘fight or flight’
response and anxiety disorders?
A. Serotonin
B. Dopamine
C. Acetylcholine
D. Norepinephrine
Answer: D
, Rationale: Norepinephrine plays a key role in the stress response and high levels are often
associated with anxiety.
6. A client is prescribed a Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI). Which
symptom should the nurse instruct the client to report immediately?
A. Mild nausea
B. Increased appetite
C. Dry mouth
D. Muscle rigidity and fever
Answer: D
Rationale: Muscle rigidity, fever, and autonomic instability are signs of Serotonin
Syndrome, a potentially life-threatening emergency.
7. According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, which of the following is the
highest priority for a client in a mental health crisis?
A. Self-esteem
B. Safety and security
C. Physiological needs
D. Self-actualization
Answer: C
Rationale: Basic physiological needs (food, water, air, sleep) must be met before any other
higher-level needs can be addressed.
8. A nurse is caring for a client from a different culture. To provide culturally
competent care, the nurse should first:
A. Perform a cultural self-assessment
B. Ask the client about their religious beliefs
C. Study the history of the client’s country
D. Provide an interpreter for all interactions
Answer: A
