Page 1 of 68
PSYCHIATRIC MENTAL HEALTH NURSING NCLEX EXAM
QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS EXAM 2026 LATEST EDITION
SOLVED QUESTIONS & ANSWERS VERIFIED
As a nurse, you wish to reinforce functional behavior in your schizophrenic
patient. Which intervention will accomplish reinforcement?
A. Praise the patient for reality-based perceptions and cessation of acting-out
behaviors.
B. Educate the patient about the symptoms of schizophrenia.
C. Facilitate learning about the importance of medication compliance using
written materials for reinforcing medication use.
D. Focus on the feelings of delusion to reinforce reality and decrease false
beliefs by talking to the patient.
A. Praise the patient for reality-based perceptions and cessation of acting-out
behaviors.
Reason: Reinforcement by praise increases functional behavior.
Your patient is preoccupied with perfection and control, has difficulty relaxing,
exhibits rule-conscious behavior, and cannot discard anything. What type of
personality disorder does this behavior reflect?
A. Antisocial personality.
B. Obsessive-compulsive personality.
C. Manic behavior.
D. Anxiety disorder.
B. Obsessive-compulsive personality.
Reason: Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a personality disorder that includes
, Page 2 of 68
perfection, control, procrastination, excessive devotion to work, difficulty relaxing,
rule-conscious behavior, and inability to discard anything.
Which of the following questions is appropriate to assess for disturbances in a
patient's relationships?
A. What are your main worries?
B. Have you ever used alcohol or illegal drugs?
C. How has your appetite been in the past month?
D. What do you talk about with friends?
D. What do you talk about with friends?
Reason: Asking what the patient talks about with family or friends and what types of
activities he or she engages in can help assess relationships.
Which type of therapy helps patients with personality disorders explore ways
to enjoy themselves and increase their socialization skills?
A. Occupational therapy.
B. Recreational therapy.
C. Music therapy.
D. Medication therapy.
B. Recreational therapy.
Reason: Recreational therapy helps patients explore ways to enjoy themselves
without using alcohol or drugs and strengthens social skills.
Which of the following symptoms of alcohol detoxification would you be most
concerned about?
A. Vitamin and mineral depletion.
B. Diaphoresis.
C. Increased heart rate.
D. Hallucinations and delusions.
D. Hallucinations and delusions.
Reason: Hallucinations and delusions can result in problems with safety and possibly
lead to suicide.
What is the priority nursing intervention to help orient a patient who has
Alzheimer's disease?
, Page 3 of 68
A. Post a schedule in the dining room of daily activities.
B. Use an overhead loudspeaker to announce upcoming events.
C. Provide a daily routine and easy-to-read clocks.
D. Have the patient live alone in a private room.
C. Provide a daily routine and easy-to-read clocks.
Reason: Daily routines and large clocks help patients' functional status.
You are caring for a patient and pour out his evening risperidone (Risperdal) 2
mg tablet. The pill falls on the countertop. What is your next intervention?
A. Pick the pill up from the counter and place it in a cup.
B. Wash the pill off with alcohol and place it in a cup.
C. Discard the pill and repour the medication.
D. Call the patient up to the pill line to receive his medication.
C. Discard the pill and repour the medication.
Reason: The pill is contaminated once dropped, so for infection control purposes you
discard it and repour the medication.
Your patient has just shown you some fresh, self-inflicted, superficial cuts-
eight of them going up and down his right arm. What is your initial intervention
based on infection control principles?
A. Send the patient back to his room as part of behavioral modification.
B. Suture the cuts using a large-bore needle and nondissolving sutures.
C. Cleanse the wounds with soap and water.
D. Administer tetanus toxoid injection intramuscularly.
C. Cleanse the wounds with soap and water.
Reason: Cleansing the wound with soap and water is the initial intervention.
A hypomanic patient tells you that she has been 'picking up energy from my
car engine and car CD player' while driving and has received five speeding
tickets in the past 6 months. What would be one effective intervention to avoid
fast driving?
A. Make a contract not to drive more than 55 miles per hour and drive with the
CD played turned off.
B. Call the local police and alert them to the patient's car license plate number
, Page 4 of 68
and the make and model of her car.
C. Ask the patient to "hand over the keys" to you, and tell her that now she
must use a cab or other public transportation until your next session.
D. Share with the patient that she cannot drink and drive.
A. Make a contract not to drive more than 55 miles per hour and drive with the CD
played turned off.
Reason: Contracts can see a patient through period of hypomanic agitation.
Patients who require close surveillance due to the potential for safety hazards
give up the right of
A. Continued confusion.
B. Decision making.
C. Social contact.
D. Privacy.
D. Privacy.
Reason: Privacy and autonomy are often given up for the sake of safety.
patient is extremely agitated and is throwing body fluids at anyone who comes
near him. What is the best way to protect yourself as you and others physically
restrain the patient?
A. Wash your clothes within 30 minutes of becoming soiled with body fluids.
B. Wear protective eyewear and a face shield.
C. Check that your tetanus and hepatitis B titers are within normal limits.
D. Wear a gown over your clothes and shoe covers.
B. Wear protective eyewear and a face shield.
Reason: Protective gear helps prevent infections that may gain entry through
openings in the skin, the eyes, or the mouth.
A patient who is psychotic has a formed bowel movement on the floor of his
room. How should you clean up this excrement?
A. Use a thick diaper or pad.
B. Wear gloves and use some paper towels or toilet paper.
C. Wear gloves, use toilet paper, and wash the area with a 1:10 bleach
solution.
PSYCHIATRIC MENTAL HEALTH NURSING NCLEX EXAM
QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS EXAM 2026 LATEST EDITION
SOLVED QUESTIONS & ANSWERS VERIFIED
As a nurse, you wish to reinforce functional behavior in your schizophrenic
patient. Which intervention will accomplish reinforcement?
A. Praise the patient for reality-based perceptions and cessation of acting-out
behaviors.
B. Educate the patient about the symptoms of schizophrenia.
C. Facilitate learning about the importance of medication compliance using
written materials for reinforcing medication use.
D. Focus on the feelings of delusion to reinforce reality and decrease false
beliefs by talking to the patient.
A. Praise the patient for reality-based perceptions and cessation of acting-out
behaviors.
Reason: Reinforcement by praise increases functional behavior.
Your patient is preoccupied with perfection and control, has difficulty relaxing,
exhibits rule-conscious behavior, and cannot discard anything. What type of
personality disorder does this behavior reflect?
A. Antisocial personality.
B. Obsessive-compulsive personality.
C. Manic behavior.
D. Anxiety disorder.
B. Obsessive-compulsive personality.
Reason: Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a personality disorder that includes
, Page 2 of 68
perfection, control, procrastination, excessive devotion to work, difficulty relaxing,
rule-conscious behavior, and inability to discard anything.
Which of the following questions is appropriate to assess for disturbances in a
patient's relationships?
A. What are your main worries?
B. Have you ever used alcohol or illegal drugs?
C. How has your appetite been in the past month?
D. What do you talk about with friends?
D. What do you talk about with friends?
Reason: Asking what the patient talks about with family or friends and what types of
activities he or she engages in can help assess relationships.
Which type of therapy helps patients with personality disorders explore ways
to enjoy themselves and increase their socialization skills?
A. Occupational therapy.
B. Recreational therapy.
C. Music therapy.
D. Medication therapy.
B. Recreational therapy.
Reason: Recreational therapy helps patients explore ways to enjoy themselves
without using alcohol or drugs and strengthens social skills.
Which of the following symptoms of alcohol detoxification would you be most
concerned about?
A. Vitamin and mineral depletion.
B. Diaphoresis.
C. Increased heart rate.
D. Hallucinations and delusions.
D. Hallucinations and delusions.
Reason: Hallucinations and delusions can result in problems with safety and possibly
lead to suicide.
What is the priority nursing intervention to help orient a patient who has
Alzheimer's disease?
, Page 3 of 68
A. Post a schedule in the dining room of daily activities.
B. Use an overhead loudspeaker to announce upcoming events.
C. Provide a daily routine and easy-to-read clocks.
D. Have the patient live alone in a private room.
C. Provide a daily routine and easy-to-read clocks.
Reason: Daily routines and large clocks help patients' functional status.
You are caring for a patient and pour out his evening risperidone (Risperdal) 2
mg tablet. The pill falls on the countertop. What is your next intervention?
A. Pick the pill up from the counter and place it in a cup.
B. Wash the pill off with alcohol and place it in a cup.
C. Discard the pill and repour the medication.
D. Call the patient up to the pill line to receive his medication.
C. Discard the pill and repour the medication.
Reason: The pill is contaminated once dropped, so for infection control purposes you
discard it and repour the medication.
Your patient has just shown you some fresh, self-inflicted, superficial cuts-
eight of them going up and down his right arm. What is your initial intervention
based on infection control principles?
A. Send the patient back to his room as part of behavioral modification.
B. Suture the cuts using a large-bore needle and nondissolving sutures.
C. Cleanse the wounds with soap and water.
D. Administer tetanus toxoid injection intramuscularly.
C. Cleanse the wounds with soap and water.
Reason: Cleansing the wound with soap and water is the initial intervention.
A hypomanic patient tells you that she has been 'picking up energy from my
car engine and car CD player' while driving and has received five speeding
tickets in the past 6 months. What would be one effective intervention to avoid
fast driving?
A. Make a contract not to drive more than 55 miles per hour and drive with the
CD played turned off.
B. Call the local police and alert them to the patient's car license plate number
, Page 4 of 68
and the make and model of her car.
C. Ask the patient to "hand over the keys" to you, and tell her that now she
must use a cab or other public transportation until your next session.
D. Share with the patient that she cannot drink and drive.
A. Make a contract not to drive more than 55 miles per hour and drive with the CD
played turned off.
Reason: Contracts can see a patient through period of hypomanic agitation.
Patients who require close surveillance due to the potential for safety hazards
give up the right of
A. Continued confusion.
B. Decision making.
C. Social contact.
D. Privacy.
D. Privacy.
Reason: Privacy and autonomy are often given up for the sake of safety.
patient is extremely agitated and is throwing body fluids at anyone who comes
near him. What is the best way to protect yourself as you and others physically
restrain the patient?
A. Wash your clothes within 30 minutes of becoming soiled with body fluids.
B. Wear protective eyewear and a face shield.
C. Check that your tetanus and hepatitis B titers are within normal limits.
D. Wear a gown over your clothes and shoe covers.
B. Wear protective eyewear and a face shield.
Reason: Protective gear helps prevent infections that may gain entry through
openings in the skin, the eyes, or the mouth.
A patient who is psychotic has a formed bowel movement on the floor of his
room. How should you clean up this excrement?
A. Use a thick diaper or pad.
B. Wear gloves and use some paper towels or toilet paper.
C. Wear gloves, use toilet paper, and wash the area with a 1:10 bleach
solution.
