Mental Health / Psych HESI Review Questions
(50 Q Study with Rationale) – Complete Practice
Exam Preparation for Nursing Students
Introduction:
This document contains 50 comprehensive multiple-choice
review questions with detailed rationales for each answer,
covering key mental health and psychiatric nursing topics. It
includes scenarios on depression, schizophrenia, bipolar
disorder, anxiety, PTSD, child abuse, psychopharmacology, and
therapeutic communication. The questions are modeled after
HESI exam standards, making this an ideal study resource for
nursing students preparing for mental health sections of the
HESI or NCLEX exams.
Questions and Answers:
A client who has been admitted to the psychiatric unit tells the
nurse, "My problems are so bad. No one can help me." Which
response would be best for the nurse to make?
A."How can I help you? Tell me more about your problems."
B."Things probably aren't as bad as they seem right now."
C."Let's talk about what is right with your life."
,D."I hear your misery, but things will get better soon." -
Answer:-A
Offering self shows empathy and caring (A) and gives the
client the opportunity to talk while the nurse listens. (B)
dismisses the client's perception that things are really bad and
potentially stops further communication with the client. (C)
avoids the client's problems and promotes denial. "I hear your
misery" (D) is an example of reflective dialogue and would be
the best choice if it were not for the rest of the sentence, "but
things will get better soon," which offers false reassurance.
A client who has been hospitalized for 2 weeks for paranoia
complains continuously to the staff that someone is trying to
steal their clothing. What is the correct action for the nurse to
take based on the client's complaints?
A. Enroll the client in an exercise class to promote positive
activities.
B.Place a lock on the client's closet to allay the client's
concerns.
C.Promote extinction of the ideation by ignoring the client.
D.Explain to the client that these suspicions are certainly false.
-Answer:-A
,Diverting the client's attention from paranoid ideation (A) and
encouraging the client to engage in positive activities can be
helpful in assisting to develop a positive self-image. (B)
actually supports paranoid ideation. (C) may lower self-
esteem. The nurse should not argue with the client about the
delusions (D).
A 25-year-old client has suffered extensive burns and is crying
during dressing change treatment. The client tells the nurse,
"Please let me die. Why are you all torturing me like this? I
just want to die." Which response by the nurse is best?
A."We aren't torturing you. These treatments are necessary to
prevent a terrible infection."
B."I know these treatments must seem like torture to you, but
we want to help you recover."
C."You have so much to live for, and all of your family
members want you to live."
D."Would you like me to call the chaplain so that you can
discuss your feelings privately?" -Answer:-B
, (B) offers an empathetic response without sounding
patronizing. (A) is not empathetic and is actually somewhat
argumentative. The client is not asking for information as
much as pleading for understanding. (C) appears as scolding
and places blame on the client for wanting to die and possibly
hurting the client's family members as a result. (D) might be
appropriate if the nurse simply asks the client if a chaplain's
visit is desired, but the nurse is dismissing the client's needs
by not addressing them at the moment.
The nurse admits a client with depression to the mental health
unit. The client reports difficulty concentrating, has lost 10
pounds in 2 weeks, and is sleeping 12 hours a day. Which
outcome is most important for the client to meet by discharge?
A.Tries to interact with a few peers and staff
B.Reports feeling better and less depressed
C.Sits attentively with peers in group therapy
D.Easily awakens for morning medications -Answer:-B
The client is experiencing symptoms of depression, and the
outcome by discharge for this client would be that the client
reports feeling better and less depressed (B). The client may
interact with peers and staff (A) and sit attentively in groups
(50 Q Study with Rationale) – Complete Practice
Exam Preparation for Nursing Students
Introduction:
This document contains 50 comprehensive multiple-choice
review questions with detailed rationales for each answer,
covering key mental health and psychiatric nursing topics. It
includes scenarios on depression, schizophrenia, bipolar
disorder, anxiety, PTSD, child abuse, psychopharmacology, and
therapeutic communication. The questions are modeled after
HESI exam standards, making this an ideal study resource for
nursing students preparing for mental health sections of the
HESI or NCLEX exams.
Questions and Answers:
A client who has been admitted to the psychiatric unit tells the
nurse, "My problems are so bad. No one can help me." Which
response would be best for the nurse to make?
A."How can I help you? Tell me more about your problems."
B."Things probably aren't as bad as they seem right now."
C."Let's talk about what is right with your life."
,D."I hear your misery, but things will get better soon." -
Answer:-A
Offering self shows empathy and caring (A) and gives the
client the opportunity to talk while the nurse listens. (B)
dismisses the client's perception that things are really bad and
potentially stops further communication with the client. (C)
avoids the client's problems and promotes denial. "I hear your
misery" (D) is an example of reflective dialogue and would be
the best choice if it were not for the rest of the sentence, "but
things will get better soon," which offers false reassurance.
A client who has been hospitalized for 2 weeks for paranoia
complains continuously to the staff that someone is trying to
steal their clothing. What is the correct action for the nurse to
take based on the client's complaints?
A. Enroll the client in an exercise class to promote positive
activities.
B.Place a lock on the client's closet to allay the client's
concerns.
C.Promote extinction of the ideation by ignoring the client.
D.Explain to the client that these suspicions are certainly false.
-Answer:-A
,Diverting the client's attention from paranoid ideation (A) and
encouraging the client to engage in positive activities can be
helpful in assisting to develop a positive self-image. (B)
actually supports paranoid ideation. (C) may lower self-
esteem. The nurse should not argue with the client about the
delusions (D).
A 25-year-old client has suffered extensive burns and is crying
during dressing change treatment. The client tells the nurse,
"Please let me die. Why are you all torturing me like this? I
just want to die." Which response by the nurse is best?
A."We aren't torturing you. These treatments are necessary to
prevent a terrible infection."
B."I know these treatments must seem like torture to you, but
we want to help you recover."
C."You have so much to live for, and all of your family
members want you to live."
D."Would you like me to call the chaplain so that you can
discuss your feelings privately?" -Answer:-B
, (B) offers an empathetic response without sounding
patronizing. (A) is not empathetic and is actually somewhat
argumentative. The client is not asking for information as
much as pleading for understanding. (C) appears as scolding
and places blame on the client for wanting to die and possibly
hurting the client's family members as a result. (D) might be
appropriate if the nurse simply asks the client if a chaplain's
visit is desired, but the nurse is dismissing the client's needs
by not addressing them at the moment.
The nurse admits a client with depression to the mental health
unit. The client reports difficulty concentrating, has lost 10
pounds in 2 weeks, and is sleeping 12 hours a day. Which
outcome is most important for the client to meet by discharge?
A.Tries to interact with a few peers and staff
B.Reports feeling better and less depressed
C.Sits attentively with peers in group therapy
D.Easily awakens for morning medications -Answer:-B
The client is experiencing symptoms of depression, and the
outcome by discharge for this client would be that the client
reports feeling better and less depressed (B). The client may
interact with peers and staff (A) and sit attentively in groups
