Mental Health NCLEX Practice Questions 69 Mental Health NCLEX Questions 25 NCLEX Style Practice Questions Related to Mental Health 1 / 25 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? A. The client will complete all activities of daily living independently within a 1- to 1½-hour time frame B. The client will be admitted to a nursing home to have the needs of activities of daily living met C. The client will function at the highest level of independence possible D. The nursing staff will attend to all of the client’s activities of daily living needs during the hospital stay 2 / 25 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? A. Use distracting techniques when appropriate B. Provide reality orientation to the clients as needed C. Be consistently visible and available to the clients D. Anticipate the needs of the clients as much as possible E. Segregate potentially volatile clients from the other clients 3 / 25 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? A. Both subjective and objective baseline data B. Existing medical problems and complaints C. Evidence of physical self-harm D. The presence of abnormalities 4 / 25 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? A. Taking the client to the lounge and saying, “Sit here and try to behave yourself.” B. Taking the client to the seclusion room until he cooperates with unit rules C. Putting arms around the client, saying, “You’re okay. You just need a hug.” D. Saying, “I can see you are very anxious today. Let’s go and play the piano.” 5 / 25 5. The nurse is caring for a client at risk for suicide. Which client behavior best indicates that the client may be contemplating suicide? A. Sitting and crying for long periods of time B. Sharing that she or he is finally happy C. Preferring to spend long periods of time alone D. Reporting a variety of sleep pattern disturbances 6 / 25 6. The nurse plans care for a client with alcohol abuse disorder based on which support system? A. Fresh Start, is an option for families of addicts B. Al- Anon, an option for parents of children who abuse substances C. Alcoholics Anonymous, a major self-help organization for the treatment of alcohol abuse D. Families Anonymous, an option for those addicted to nicotine 7 / 25 7. Which aspect should the nurse focus on when assessing a client for the vegetative signs of depression? Select all that apply. A. Sleep patterns B. Appetite C. Rational decision making D. Suicidal ideations E. Weight F. Psychomotor activity 8 / 25 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”? A. “Why don’t you take a couple of days off of work and rest?” B. “I know how you feel. I had to use crutches before too.” C. “Just remember, you’ll be done with the crutches in another month.” D. “Tell me what makes this so bothersome for you.” 9 / 25 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? A. “No. That is not why you are hospitalized.” B. “No, but there could be some minimal damage to your heart.” C. “No, not this time and we will do our best to prevent a future heart attack” D. “No, but it’s necessary to monitor you and control or eliminate your pain.” 10 / 25 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? A. Expresses anger with his God B. Not allowing the death to occur at home C. Refusing to visit the client D. Sending the children to live with relatives 11 / 25 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? A. “Tell me more about your family dinners.” B. “In a few weeks, you may be allowed to eat.” C. “What you are feeling is very common.” D. “You can sit down to dinner even if you do not eat.” 12 / 25 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? A. “I hope you’ll focus on the fact that your doctor says you have 6 months to live and that you’ll think of how you’d like to live.” B. “I know it seems desperate, but there have been a lot of breakthroughs. Something might come along in a month or so to change your status drastically.” C. “I am sorry. There are no easy answers in times like this, are there?” D. “I am sorry. Would you like to discuss this with me some more?” 13 / 25 13. When performing an assessment on a client who is suicidal, which question is the most appropriate for the nurse to ask? A. “Do you wish your life was over?” B. “Do you have any thoughts of killing yourself?” C. “Do you have a death wish?” D. “Do you ever think about ending it all?” 14 / 25 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? A. “Can you tell me more about how you’re feeling?” B. “Don’t you really want to control your heart disease?” C. “Most people tolerate the procedure well without any complications.” D. “Don’t worry. Emergency equipment is available if it should be needed.” 15 / 25 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? A. “I need to use the restroom right away.” B. “I can’t breathe in here. It feels like the walls are closing in on me.” C. “I’d like to go back to my room and be alone for a while.” D. “I am in control of myself now.” 16 / 25 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? A. “I can call my counselor so that I can talk about my feelings and not hurt anyone.” B. "I can go to group and talk about my feelings to hurt myself or others.” C. “If I get enough sleep and eat well, I won’t be as likely to get anxious and hear things.” D. “If I take my prescribed medication as I’m supposed too, I won’t be as anxious.” 17 / 25 17. The nurse is caring for a client diagnosed with dementia. Which nutritional goal should the nurse plan for with this client? A. Client will be able to prepare simple foods by discharge B. Client will feed self with cueing within 24 hours C. Client will be free of hallucinations D. Client will identify favorite foods by the time of discharge 18 / 25 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? A. “You are having a hallucination; I’m sure there are no spiders in this room.” B. “While there may be spiders on the wall, they are not going to hurt you.” C. “Would you like me to kill the spiders for you?” D. “I know that you are frightened, but I do not see any spiders on the wall.” 19 / 25 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? A. Placing the client in charge of a meaningful unit activity, such as the morning chess tournament B. Placing the client in a private room to ensure privacy and confidentiality C. Placing the client in a private room to ensure privacy and confidentiality D. Maintaining a distance of 10 inches in order to ensure the client that personal control will be provided 20 / 25 20. The nurse is bathing a client when the client begins to cry. Which action by the nurse is therapeutic at this time? A. Continue bathing the client and say nothing B. Stop the bath, cover the client, and allow the client private time C. Call the primary health care provider to report the signs of depression D. Stop the bath, cover the client, and sit with the client 21 / 25 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? A. Reinforce to the client that the child’s death was a result of an accident B. Inform the primary health care provider of the client’s possible need for medication to cope C. Allow the client to have some time alone to grieve over the loss D. Communicate in a manner that acknowledges and respects the client’s depressed state 22 / 25 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? A. Notify the agency’s risk management department B. Help the client consider alternatives to treatment C. Allow the client to use anger as a coping mechanism D. Allow the client to use anger as a coping mechanism 23 / 25 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? A. Echolalia B. Clang associations C. Word salad D. Loosened associations 24 / 25 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? A. “You know they say it prevents cancer and sexually transmitted infections, so I would definitely have my son circumcised.” B. “Circumcision is a difficult decision. Here, read this pamphlet that discusses the pros and cons, and we will talk about any questions that you have after you read it.” C. “Discuss the procedure with the male members of your family.” D. “Circumcision is a difficult decision, but your primary health care provider is the best, and it’s better to get it done now than later.” 25 / 25 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? A. “I know I’m ready to be discharged. I feel like I’ll have no problem saying no and leaving a group of friends if they are drinking.” B. “I’ll keep all my appointments, and I’ll do everything I’m supposed to. That way nothing will go wrong.” C. “This group has really helped a lot. I know that it will be different when I go home. But I’m sure that my family and friends will all help me, like the people in this group have. They’ll all help me, I know they will. They won’t let me go back to old ways.” D. “I’m looking forward to leaving here, but I know that I will miss all of you. So, I’m happy, and I’m sad. I’m excited, and I’m scared. I know that I have to work hard to be strong and that everyone isn’t going to be as helpful as you all have been. I know it isn’t going to be easy, but I’m going to try as hard as I can.” Your score is The average score is 44% Restart quiz Home/Practice NCLEX Questions/NCLEX Mental Heath Quesitons