NCLEX MENTAL HEALTH EXAM 2026 UPDATED QUESTIONS AND
VERIFIED
A client 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?
1. "You have everything to live for"
2. "Why do you see yourself as this failure?"
3. "Feeling like this is all part of being depressed"
4. "You've been feeling like a failure for a while?"
4. "You've been feeling like a failure for a while?"
When the community health nurse visits a client at home, the client states, "I haven't slept at all
the last couple of nights." Which response by the nurse illustrates a therapeutic communication
response to this client?
1. "I see."
2. "Really?"
3. "You're having difficulty sleeping?"
4. "Sometimes, I have trouble sleeping too"
3. "You're having trouble sleeping?"
, A client experiencing disturbed thought processes believes that his food is being poisoned.
Which communication technique should the nurse use to encourage the client to eat?
1. Using open-ended questions and silence
2. Sharing personal preference regarding food choices
3. Documenting reasons why the client does not want to eat.
4. Offering opinions about the necessity of adequate nutrition.
1. Using open ended questions and silence
A client admitted to a mental health unit for treatment of psychotic behavior spends hours at
the locked exit door shouting "Let me out. There's nothing wrong with me. I don't belong here."
What defense mechanism is the client implementing?
1. Denial
2. Projection
3. Regression
4. Rationalization
1. Denial
A client 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?
1. "Have you shared your feelings with your family?"
2. "I think we should talk more about your anger with your family."
VERIFIED
A client 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?
1. "You have everything to live for"
2. "Why do you see yourself as this failure?"
3. "Feeling like this is all part of being depressed"
4. "You've been feeling like a failure for a while?"
4. "You've been feeling like a failure for a while?"
When the community health nurse visits a client at home, the client states, "I haven't slept at all
the last couple of nights." Which response by the nurse illustrates a therapeutic communication
response to this client?
1. "I see."
2. "Really?"
3. "You're having difficulty sleeping?"
4. "Sometimes, I have trouble sleeping too"
3. "You're having trouble sleeping?"
, A client experiencing disturbed thought processes believes that his food is being poisoned.
Which communication technique should the nurse use to encourage the client to eat?
1. Using open-ended questions and silence
2. Sharing personal preference regarding food choices
3. Documenting reasons why the client does not want to eat.
4. Offering opinions about the necessity of adequate nutrition.
1. Using open ended questions and silence
A client admitted to a mental health unit for treatment of psychotic behavior spends hours at
the locked exit door shouting "Let me out. There's nothing wrong with me. I don't belong here."
What defense mechanism is the client implementing?
1. Denial
2. Projection
3. Regression
4. Rationalization
1. Denial
A client 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?
1. "Have you shared your feelings with your family?"
2. "I think we should talk more about your anger with your family."
