NUR 253 MENTAL HEALTH EXAM 2 ACTUAL 2026/2027
AND PRACTICE QUESTIONS COMPLETE ACCURATE
EXAM APPROVED QUESTIONS WITH WELL
ELABORATED ANSWERS AND DETAILED RATIONALES
(RELIABLE ANSWERS) A NEW UPDATED VERSION 2026
EDITION |GUARANTEED PASS A+ (BRAND NEW!)
|INSTANT DOWNLOAD
A nurse is caring for a client with generalized anxiety disorder. The client
states, “I can’t stop worrying about everything—my job, my health, my
children. I feel like I’m going crazy.” Which response by the nurse is most
therapeutic?
A. “You need to relax; everything will be fine.”
B. “Tell me more about what you mean by ‘going crazy’.”
C. “I worry too sometimes, but you have to stay positive.”
D. “Why do you think your worries are so out of control?”
Correct Answer: B. “Tell me more about what you mean by ‘going crazy’.”
Rationale: This open-ended statement uses exploring, which encourages the
client to elaborate on feelings without judgment. It validates the client’s
experience and gathers assessment data. Options A and C offer false
reassurance and minimize the client’s distress. Option D can feel
interrogating and may increase anxiety.
A nurse is assessing a client who has been taking lorazepam for six months.
Which finding indicates a potential complication of long-term benzodiazepine
use?
A. Increased salivation
B. Short-term memory impairment
,C. Elevated blood pressure
D. Hyperactivity
Correct Answer: B. Short-term memory impairment
Rationale: Chronic benzodiazepine use is associated with cognitive effects
including anterograde amnesia and impaired short-term memory. Increased
salivation, elevated blood pressure, and hyperactivity are not typical
adverse effects of benzodiazepine therapy; sedation and hypotension are
more common.
A client with panic disorder is learning cognitive reframing techniques. Which
statement demonstrates that the client understands the technique?
A. “When I feel panic, I will take rapid shallow breaths to distract myself.”
B. “I will replace the thought ‘I’m having a heart attack’ with ‘This is a panic
attack and it will pass’.”
C. “I will avoid situations that make me panic until I feel stronger.”
D. “I will take my alprazolam as soon as I feel the first symptom of anxiety.”
Correct Answer: B. “I will replace the thought ‘I’m having a heart attack’ with
‘This is a panic attack and it will pass’.”
Rationale: Cognitive reframing involves identifying maladaptive automatic
thoughts and replacing them with realistic, coping-focused statements.
Option B exemplifies this. Rapid shallow breathing worsens panic.
Avoidance reinforces the disorder. Using medication as the sole coping tool
does not reflect cognitive restructuring.
A client diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder washes their hands over
30 times daily, causing skin breakdown. Which nursing intervention is a
priority?
,A. Restrict the client’s access to soap and water.
B. Allow unlimited handwashing until the client feels clean.
C. Set firm limits on the handwashing ritual with the client’s input.
D. Explain that frequent handwashing damages the skin.
Correct Answer: C. Set firm limits on the handwashing ritual with the client’s
input.
Rationale: Collaborative limit-setting helps reduce ritualistic behavior
without triggering overwhelming anxiety. Complete restriction (A)
increases anxiety and loss of control. Allowing unlimited handwashing (B)
perpetuates the compulsion. Education alone (D) is insufficient to interrupt
the compulsion.
A client reports recurrent, intrusive thoughts about harming a family member,
causing severe distress. The client avoids knives and refuses to be alone with
the person. Which defense mechanism is the client primarily using?
A. Projection
B. Reaction formation
C. Undoing
D. Isolation
Correct Answer: C. Undoing
Rationale: Undoing is performing an action to cancel out a thought or
impulse, such as avoiding knives to counteract aggressive obsessions.
Projection attributes one’s own unacceptable feelings to others. Reaction
formation converts an unacceptable impulse into its opposite. Isolation
separates emotion from a thought.
, The nurse is planning care for a client with posttraumatic stress disorder
experiencing hyperarousal. Which nursing intervention would be most
appropriate to include?
A. Encourage discussion of traumatic events during group therapy.
B. Teach progressive muscle relaxation and grounding techniques.
C. Minimize structure and allow the client to control all daily activities.
D. Provide stimulating activities in the evening to promote fatigue.
Correct Answer: B. Teach progressive muscle relaxation and grounding
techniques.
Rationale: Hyperarousal symptoms include exaggerated startle response,
irritability, and hypervigilance. Relaxation and grounding techniques reduce
sympathetic nervous system activation. Premature trauma discussion (A)
can retraumatize. Excessive autonomy without structure (C) may increase
anxiety. Stimulating evening activities (D) interfere with sleep.
A client taking sertraline 100 mg daily for social anxiety disorder reports
feeling “emotionally numb” and has decreased libido. Which is the nurse’s
best action?
A. Instruct the client to stop the medication immediately.
B. Reassure the client that these are expected effects that will resolve quickly.
C. Validate the client’s concern and notify the prescriber.
D. Suggest the client switch to an over-the-counter preparation.
Correct Answer: C. Validate the client’s concern and notify the prescriber.
Rationale: Emotional blunting and sexual dysfunction are common SSRI
adverse effects that may require dosage adjustment or medication change.
Abrupt discontinuation (A) may cause withdrawal. While these effects may
AND PRACTICE QUESTIONS COMPLETE ACCURATE
EXAM APPROVED QUESTIONS WITH WELL
ELABORATED ANSWERS AND DETAILED RATIONALES
(RELIABLE ANSWERS) A NEW UPDATED VERSION 2026
EDITION |GUARANTEED PASS A+ (BRAND NEW!)
|INSTANT DOWNLOAD
A nurse is caring for a client with generalized anxiety disorder. The client
states, “I can’t stop worrying about everything—my job, my health, my
children. I feel like I’m going crazy.” Which response by the nurse is most
therapeutic?
A. “You need to relax; everything will be fine.”
B. “Tell me more about what you mean by ‘going crazy’.”
C. “I worry too sometimes, but you have to stay positive.”
D. “Why do you think your worries are so out of control?”
Correct Answer: B. “Tell me more about what you mean by ‘going crazy’.”
Rationale: This open-ended statement uses exploring, which encourages the
client to elaborate on feelings without judgment. It validates the client’s
experience and gathers assessment data. Options A and C offer false
reassurance and minimize the client’s distress. Option D can feel
interrogating and may increase anxiety.
A nurse is assessing a client who has been taking lorazepam for six months.
Which finding indicates a potential complication of long-term benzodiazepine
use?
A. Increased salivation
B. Short-term memory impairment
,C. Elevated blood pressure
D. Hyperactivity
Correct Answer: B. Short-term memory impairment
Rationale: Chronic benzodiazepine use is associated with cognitive effects
including anterograde amnesia and impaired short-term memory. Increased
salivation, elevated blood pressure, and hyperactivity are not typical
adverse effects of benzodiazepine therapy; sedation and hypotension are
more common.
A client with panic disorder is learning cognitive reframing techniques. Which
statement demonstrates that the client understands the technique?
A. “When I feel panic, I will take rapid shallow breaths to distract myself.”
B. “I will replace the thought ‘I’m having a heart attack’ with ‘This is a panic
attack and it will pass’.”
C. “I will avoid situations that make me panic until I feel stronger.”
D. “I will take my alprazolam as soon as I feel the first symptom of anxiety.”
Correct Answer: B. “I will replace the thought ‘I’m having a heart attack’ with
‘This is a panic attack and it will pass’.”
Rationale: Cognitive reframing involves identifying maladaptive automatic
thoughts and replacing them with realistic, coping-focused statements.
Option B exemplifies this. Rapid shallow breathing worsens panic.
Avoidance reinforces the disorder. Using medication as the sole coping tool
does not reflect cognitive restructuring.
A client diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder washes their hands over
30 times daily, causing skin breakdown. Which nursing intervention is a
priority?
,A. Restrict the client’s access to soap and water.
B. Allow unlimited handwashing until the client feels clean.
C. Set firm limits on the handwashing ritual with the client’s input.
D. Explain that frequent handwashing damages the skin.
Correct Answer: C. Set firm limits on the handwashing ritual with the client’s
input.
Rationale: Collaborative limit-setting helps reduce ritualistic behavior
without triggering overwhelming anxiety. Complete restriction (A)
increases anxiety and loss of control. Allowing unlimited handwashing (B)
perpetuates the compulsion. Education alone (D) is insufficient to interrupt
the compulsion.
A client reports recurrent, intrusive thoughts about harming a family member,
causing severe distress. The client avoids knives and refuses to be alone with
the person. Which defense mechanism is the client primarily using?
A. Projection
B. Reaction formation
C. Undoing
D. Isolation
Correct Answer: C. Undoing
Rationale: Undoing is performing an action to cancel out a thought or
impulse, such as avoiding knives to counteract aggressive obsessions.
Projection attributes one’s own unacceptable feelings to others. Reaction
formation converts an unacceptable impulse into its opposite. Isolation
separates emotion from a thought.
, The nurse is planning care for a client with posttraumatic stress disorder
experiencing hyperarousal. Which nursing intervention would be most
appropriate to include?
A. Encourage discussion of traumatic events during group therapy.
B. Teach progressive muscle relaxation and grounding techniques.
C. Minimize structure and allow the client to control all daily activities.
D. Provide stimulating activities in the evening to promote fatigue.
Correct Answer: B. Teach progressive muscle relaxation and grounding
techniques.
Rationale: Hyperarousal symptoms include exaggerated startle response,
irritability, and hypervigilance. Relaxation and grounding techniques reduce
sympathetic nervous system activation. Premature trauma discussion (A)
can retraumatize. Excessive autonomy without structure (C) may increase
anxiety. Stimulating evening activities (D) interfere with sleep.
A client taking sertraline 100 mg daily for social anxiety disorder reports
feeling “emotionally numb” and has decreased libido. Which is the nurse’s
best action?
A. Instruct the client to stop the medication immediately.
B. Reassure the client that these are expected effects that will resolve quickly.
C. Validate the client’s concern and notify the prescriber.
D. Suggest the client switch to an over-the-counter preparation.
Correct Answer: C. Validate the client’s concern and notify the prescriber.
Rationale: Emotional blunting and sexual dysfunction are common SSRI
adverse effects that may require dosage adjustment or medication change.
Abrupt discontinuation (A) may cause withdrawal. While these effects may
