Mental Health NCLEX Practice Questions

1. The nurse is developing a plan of care for an older client diagnosed with dementia. The nurse develops which realistic outcome for the client?

2. To maintain a safe milieu while addressing the needs of the cognitively impaired clients on the unit, which interventions should the psychiatric nurse implement?

3. A physical assessment is performed on a suicidal client upon admission to the inpatient unit. The nurse understands its importance because it provides information regarding which priority assessment data?

4. A client wanders in and out of other clients’ rooms, taking their possessions while singing to himself and then giggling for no apparent reason. The nurse reacts therapeutically by taking which action?

5. The nurse is caring for a client at risk for suicide. Which client behavior best indicates that the client may be contemplating suicide?

6. The nurse plans care for a client with alcohol abuse disorder based on which support system?

7. Which aspect should the nurse focus on when assessing a client for the vegetative signs of depression? Select all that apply.

8. A client has been using crutches to ambulate for 1 week and now reports pain, fatigue, and frustration with crutch walking. How should the nurse respond when the client states, “I feel like I will always be crippled”?

9. A client diagnosed with angina pectoris appears to be very anxious and states, “So, I had a heart attack, right?” Which response should the nurse make to the client?

10. A client diagnosed with incurable cancer has a life expectancy of a few weeks. Which response indicates that the client’s partner is reacting with an expected coping response?

11. The home care nurse visits a client who is receiving total parenteral nutrition, and the client states, “I really miss eating dinner with my family.” Which statement from the nurse is the most therapeutic?

12. During the nursing assessment, the client states, “My surgeon just told me that my cancer has spread, and I have less than 6 months to live.” Which nursing response would be the most therapeutic?

13. When performing an assessment on a client who is suicidal, which question is the most appropriate for the nurse to ask?

14. A client was just told by the primary care primary health care provider that he will have an exercise stress test to evaluate his status after recent episodes of severe chest pain. As the nurse enters the examining room, the client states, “Maybe I shouldn’t bother going. I wonder if I should just take more medication instead.” Which therapeutic response should the nurse make to the client?

15. The nurse is caring for a client who is in seclusion. Which client statement indicates to the nurse that the seclusion is no longer necessary?

16. The nurse teaches the client with a history of anxiety and command hallucinations to harm self or others appropriate management techniques. Which client statement indicates that the client understands these techniques?

17. The nurse is caring for a client diagnosed with dementia. Which nutritional goal should the nurse plan for with this client?

18. A client diagnosed with delirium anxiously states, “Look at the spiders on the wall.” Which response by the nurse addresses the client’s concerns therapeutically?

19. The nurse is planning the care of a client newly admitted to the mental health unit for suicidal ideations. To provide a caring, therapeutic environment, which intervention should be included in the nursing care plan?

20. The nurse is bathing a client when the client begins to cry. Which action by the nurse is therapeutic at this time?

21. The nurse is caring for a depressed, withdrawn client who was responsible for an automobile accident that recently resulted in the death of a child. What is the nurse’s initial action?

22. A client diagnosed with diabetes mellitus requires the immediate amputation of a leg. The client is very upset and states, “This is the doctor ’s fault! I did everything that I was told to do!” When considering the grieving process, how should the nurse respond to the client’s statement?

23. A client with schizophrenia states to the nurse, “I am a spy for the FBI. I am an eye, an eye in the sky.” Based on this information, the nurse knows that the client is exhibiting which abnormal thought process?

24. A new mother is trying to decide whether to have her baby boy circumcised. The nurse should make which statement to assist the mother with making the decision?

25. A hospitalized client has participated in substance abuse therapy group sessions. Which statement by the client would best indicate that the client has assimilated session topics, understood coping response styles, and processed information effectively for self-use?