L A N I F · H TL A E H L A T N E M
✧ ATI Nursing Education
A
★
Assessment Technologies Institute — Ascend Learning
EST. 1998
E D U C AT I N G T O M O R R O W ' S N U R S E S
ATI Mental Health — Final Examination
CO M P R E H E N S I V E R E V I E W · A L Z H E I M E R 'S · S U BSTA N C E US E · P E RS O N A L I TY
D I S O R D E RS · PSYC H O P H A R M ACO LO G Y
INSTITUTION ATI Nursing Education (Ascend EXAM TYPE Mental Health Final Examination
Learning)
PROGRAM Registered Nurse (RN) ACADEMIC YEAR
TOTAL QUESTIONS 50 Questions COURSE TITLE Mental Health Nursing
FORMAT Multiple Choice — Select the HQ Leawood, Kansas
Single Best Answer
EXAMINATION INSTRUCTIONS
▸ Select the single best answer for each question.
▸ Content spans Alzheimer's disease, eating disorders, substance use disorders, personality disorders,
psychopharmacology, and therapeutic communication.
▸ Correct answers and detailed rationales appear below each question for NCLEX preparation.
▸ All content reflects current psychiatric-mental health nursing standards.
, SECTION I — ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE, DEMENTIA, EATING
Questions 1 – 15
DISORDERS & ANXIETY
1. A client with Alzheimer's disease becomes agitated and combative when approached for
nursing care. What is the appropriate action?
A. Call security and apply physical restraints.
B. Remain calm and talk quietly to the client.
C. Leave the client alone and do not provide care.
D. Administer antipsychotic medication immediately.
CORRECT ANSWER B — Remain calm and talk quietly to the client.
RATIONALE Clients with Alzheimer's disease often experience catastrophic reactions when
overwhelmed. A calm, quiet, non-threatening approach de-escalates agitation.
The nurse should use a soft tone, simple language, approach from the front, and
avoid rushing. Restraints (A) are a last resort. Leaving the client alone (C) may be
appropriate if the client needs space but care must still be provided. Medication
(D) may be used but is not the first-line approach. Environmental modification
and communication techniques are primary interventions for behavioral
symptoms of dementia.
2. What is a typical characteristic of clients with anorexia nervosa?
A. Sedentary lifestyle
B. Relentless exercise
C. Excessive appetite
D. Acknowledgment of being underweight
CORRECT ANSWER B — Relentless exercise
RATIONALE Clients with anorexia nervosa often engage in compulsive, relentless exercise as a
method of weight control — exercising for hours despite fatigue, injury, or illness.
This is a core feature of the disorder, reflecting the obsessive drive for thinness.
They are hyperactive despite severe malnutrition. A sedentary lifestyle (A) is not
characteristic. Excessive appetite (C) is seen in bulimia/binge eating. Clients with
anorexia typically deny being underweight and have distorted body image (D).
Physical findings include lanugo, amenorrhea, bradycardia, and hypothermia.
, 3. An elderly client with Alzheimer's disease has begun to strike out and is awake and
restless most of the night. The nurse contacts the provider for a medication order. Which
medication should the nurse anticipate?
A. Methylphenidate
B. Lorazepam as needed
C. Amphetamine salts
D. Bupropion
CORRECT ANSWER B — Lorazepam as needed
RATIONALE Lorazepam (a benzodiazepine) may be prescribed for acute agitation and
restlessness in dementia, though it should be used cautiously in the elderly due
to fall risk and paradoxical reactions. Non-pharmacological interventions should
be tried first. Benzodiazepines are not the first-line treatment for chronic
behavioral symptoms — atypical antipsychotics or SSRIs may be preferred.
However, for acute agitation with physical aggression, a short-acting
benzodiazepine may be ordered. The nurse must monitor for oversedation,
confusion, and increased fall risk in elderly clients.
4. A nurse is questioning the use of a benzodiazepine for treatment of which condition?
A. Acute alcohol withdrawal
B. Generalized anxiety disorder
C. Chronic pain syndrome
D. Panic disorder
CORRECT ANSWER C — Chronic pain syndrome
RATIONALE Benzodiazepines are NOT indicated for chronic pain syndrome — they carry high
risk of dependence, tolerance, and abuse when used long-term, and do not
address the underlying pain mechanism. They are appropriately used for: acute
alcohol withdrawal (A — prevents seizures and delirium tremens), generalized
anxiety disorder (B — short-term or adjunctive), and panic disorder (D —
especially clonazepam or alprazolam). For chronic pain, non-opioid analgesics,
antidepressants (duloxetine, amitriptyline), anticonvulsants (gabapentin),
physical therapy, and CBT are evidence-based treatments.
✧ ATI Nursing Education
A
★
Assessment Technologies Institute — Ascend Learning
EST. 1998
E D U C AT I N G T O M O R R O W ' S N U R S E S
ATI Mental Health — Final Examination
CO M P R E H E N S I V E R E V I E W · A L Z H E I M E R 'S · S U BSTA N C E US E · P E RS O N A L I TY
D I S O R D E RS · PSYC H O P H A R M ACO LO G Y
INSTITUTION ATI Nursing Education (Ascend EXAM TYPE Mental Health Final Examination
Learning)
PROGRAM Registered Nurse (RN) ACADEMIC YEAR
TOTAL QUESTIONS 50 Questions COURSE TITLE Mental Health Nursing
FORMAT Multiple Choice — Select the HQ Leawood, Kansas
Single Best Answer
EXAMINATION INSTRUCTIONS
▸ Select the single best answer for each question.
▸ Content spans Alzheimer's disease, eating disorders, substance use disorders, personality disorders,
psychopharmacology, and therapeutic communication.
▸ Correct answers and detailed rationales appear below each question for NCLEX preparation.
▸ All content reflects current psychiatric-mental health nursing standards.
, SECTION I — ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE, DEMENTIA, EATING
Questions 1 – 15
DISORDERS & ANXIETY
1. A client with Alzheimer's disease becomes agitated and combative when approached for
nursing care. What is the appropriate action?
A. Call security and apply physical restraints.
B. Remain calm and talk quietly to the client.
C. Leave the client alone and do not provide care.
D. Administer antipsychotic medication immediately.
CORRECT ANSWER B — Remain calm and talk quietly to the client.
RATIONALE Clients with Alzheimer's disease often experience catastrophic reactions when
overwhelmed. A calm, quiet, non-threatening approach de-escalates agitation.
The nurse should use a soft tone, simple language, approach from the front, and
avoid rushing. Restraints (A) are a last resort. Leaving the client alone (C) may be
appropriate if the client needs space but care must still be provided. Medication
(D) may be used but is not the first-line approach. Environmental modification
and communication techniques are primary interventions for behavioral
symptoms of dementia.
2. What is a typical characteristic of clients with anorexia nervosa?
A. Sedentary lifestyle
B. Relentless exercise
C. Excessive appetite
D. Acknowledgment of being underweight
CORRECT ANSWER B — Relentless exercise
RATIONALE Clients with anorexia nervosa often engage in compulsive, relentless exercise as a
method of weight control — exercising for hours despite fatigue, injury, or illness.
This is a core feature of the disorder, reflecting the obsessive drive for thinness.
They are hyperactive despite severe malnutrition. A sedentary lifestyle (A) is not
characteristic. Excessive appetite (C) is seen in bulimia/binge eating. Clients with
anorexia typically deny being underweight and have distorted body image (D).
Physical findings include lanugo, amenorrhea, bradycardia, and hypothermia.
, 3. An elderly client with Alzheimer's disease has begun to strike out and is awake and
restless most of the night. The nurse contacts the provider for a medication order. Which
medication should the nurse anticipate?
A. Methylphenidate
B. Lorazepam as needed
C. Amphetamine salts
D. Bupropion
CORRECT ANSWER B — Lorazepam as needed
RATIONALE Lorazepam (a benzodiazepine) may be prescribed for acute agitation and
restlessness in dementia, though it should be used cautiously in the elderly due
to fall risk and paradoxical reactions. Non-pharmacological interventions should
be tried first. Benzodiazepines are not the first-line treatment for chronic
behavioral symptoms — atypical antipsychotics or SSRIs may be preferred.
However, for acute agitation with physical aggression, a short-acting
benzodiazepine may be ordered. The nurse must monitor for oversedation,
confusion, and increased fall risk in elderly clients.
4. A nurse is questioning the use of a benzodiazepine for treatment of which condition?
A. Acute alcohol withdrawal
B. Generalized anxiety disorder
C. Chronic pain syndrome
D. Panic disorder
CORRECT ANSWER C — Chronic pain syndrome
RATIONALE Benzodiazepines are NOT indicated for chronic pain syndrome — they carry high
risk of dependence, tolerance, and abuse when used long-term, and do not
address the underlying pain mechanism. They are appropriately used for: acute
alcohol withdrawal (A — prevents seizures and delirium tremens), generalized
anxiety disorder (B — short-term or adjunctive), and panic disorder (D —
especially clonazepam or alprazolam). For chronic pain, non-opioid analgesics,
antidepressants (duloxetine, amitriptyline), anticonvulsants (gabapentin),
physical therapy, and CBT are evidence-based treatments.
