ATI Mental Health Practice A Proctored Exam with Explanations 2023

1. A nurse is collecting data from a client who is experiencing alcohol withdrawal. Which of the following manifestations should the nurse expect? - Diaphoresis The nurse should expect a client who is experiencing alcohol withdrawal to experience diaphoresis, or increased sweating. 2. A nurse in a long-term care center is caring for an adult client who has Alzheimer's disease and whose partner died several years ago. The client appears upset and asks the nurse when his partner will visit again. The nurse states, "It seems like you are feeling lonely. Let's take a walk outside and talk." Which of the following communication strategies is the nurse using? - Validation therapy The nurse is using validation therapy as a strategy to communicate with the client. This strategy validates the client's feelings and emotions, even when they don't coincide with reality. The nurse should also attempt to integrate redirection techniques without the client realizing he is being redirected. 3. A nurse is reinforcing teaching with a client who has schizophrenia and a new prescription for chlorpromazine. Which of the following statements should the nurse include in the teaching? - "The voices you have been hearing should decrease" The nurse should instruct the client that hallucinations and agitated behavior, which are positive symptoms of schizophrenia, are targeted by conventional antipsychotic agents, such as chlorpromazine. 4. A nurse is reinforcing teaching with a client who has generalized anxiety disorder and is to start therapy with buspirone. Which of the following statements should the nurse identify as an indication that the client understands the information? - "I should expect some improvement of my symptoms in about 10 days." The nurse should instruct the client to expect some improvement of symptoms after 7 to 10 days. However, it takes 2 to 4 weeks for buspirone to reach its full effect. 5. A nurse is caring for a client who has major depressive disorder (MDD). The client states, "I have nothing to live for anymore. I just can't go on." Which of the following responses should the nurse make? - "Are you thinking about ending your life?" The nurse should identify that this client's safety is at risk. The client's statement is an overt statement that indicates hopelessness, which increases the risk of suicide for a client who has MDD. It is imperative that the nurse immediately evaluate the client for suicidal ideation. 6. A nurse at an outpatient mental health clinic is assisting with a group therapy session. One of the participants is having difficulty staying seated and states loudly to the therapist ," I know more than you do about the people in this room!" The nurse should identify that which of the following findings is the likely explanation for the client's behavior? - Hypomania The nurse should suspect hypomania as the likely cause of the client's current behavior and investigate these actions further after calmly escorting the client from the therapy session. Clients who have hypomania exhibit excessive energy and a decreased need for sleep. These clients are easily distracted in a group setting and have a pretentious, grandiose sense of self. 7. A nurse is assisting with a mental status examination for a client who has schizophrenia. Which of the following statements should the nurse make to gather information about the client's ability to think abstractly? - "How is an orange similar to an apple?" Asking the client to explain similarities between objects or to explain the meaning of a common proverb or figure-of-speech tests the client's ability to think abstractly. 8. A nurse is reinforcing teaching with the parent of a child who has ADHD and is exhibiting behaviors at home. Which of the following actions should the nurse instruct the parent to take? - Initiate a point system for the child. The nurse should instruct the parent to use tokens or points to reward desired behaviors and reduce maladaptive behaviors. A point system provides an incentive for the child to increase acceptable behaviors. 9. A nurse is collecting data from a client who is having difficulty coping with the death of his child. Which of the following questions by the nurse is the priority? - "Do you think about harming yourself?" The nurse should identify that the greatest risk to this client is self-injury from suicide. Therefore, the priority intervention is to ensure the client's safety. The best way the nurse can accomplish that at this time is to determine if the client has thoughts of self-harm. 10. A nurse is reinforcing teaching about though stopping with a client who has a phobia of riding in automobiles. Which of the following client statements indicates an understanding of the instructions? - "I will snap a rubber band on my wrist when I feel anxious about riding in a car." This statement describes thought stopping, which is used to interrupt a client's negative thought with a distraction.