HESI MENTAL HEALTH EXAM 2026/2027 | 350
HIGH-YIELD QUESTIONS & VERIFIED
ANSWERS | LATEST TESTBANK | RECENT &
MOST TESTED TOPICS | A+ PREPARATION
An older homeless client visits the psychiatric clinic to obtain a prescription renewal for
alprazolam (Xanax). During the health assessment, the client complains of chest pain.
Which action should the RN take first?
A. Refer the client to the cardiology unit.
B. Obtain the client Blood pressure.
C. Assess the client for substance abuse.
D. Determine if Xanax was taken recently. - correct answer-D
The mother of an 8-month-old infant with profound mental and physical disabilities tells
he RN how depressed she is because she realized that her child will never achieve normal
growth and development milestones. How should the RN respond to the mother?
A. Ask the mother if she has ever thought about harming herself or her child.
B. Reassure the mother that her child will achieve some growth and development milestones.
C. Determine if the mother has other children who do not have developmental disabilities.
D. Encourage the mother to write thoughts and feelings in journal. - correct answer-A
Several clients with chronic mental illness and multiple substance abuse histories live in a
group residential home and attend daycare mental health facility where group and
individual therapies are provided. The RN finds the common bathroom at the facility with
sputum on the walls, urine in the sink and on the floors, and the toilet stopped up with
tissue, paper towels, and feces. What is the priority issue that the RN should address?
A. Medication non-compliance.
B. Number of bathroom facilities.
C. Infectioncontrol.
D. Acting out behaviors. - correct answer-C
,A client with schizophrenia is admitted to the psychiatric care unit for aggressive behavior,
auditory hallucinations, and potential for safe harm. The client has not been taking
medications as prescribed and insists that the food has been poisoned and refuses to eat.
What intervention should the RN implement?
A. Assure the client that all food served in the hospital is safe to eat.
B. Tell the client that irrational thinking is a symptom of schizophrenia.
C. Obtain an order for a tube feeding for the client.
D. Provide the client with food in unopened containers. - correct answer-D
The RN is providing education about strategies for a safety plan for a female client who is
a victim of intimate partner violence. Which strategies should be included in the safety
plan? (SOA)
A. Purchase a gun to use for protection.
B. Establish a code with family and friends to signify violence.
C. Take a self-defense course that retaliates the abuser with injury.
D. Have a bag ready that has extra clothes for self and children.
E. Plan an escape route to use if the abuser blocks the main exit. - correct answer-B D E
The RN is admitting a male client who take lithium carbonate (Eskalith) twice a day. Which
information should the RN report to the HCP immediately?
A. Short term memory loss.
B. Five pound weight gain
C. Decreasedaffect.
D. Nausea and vomiting. - correct answer-D
A male client who is admitted with delirium tremens is dehydrated and experiencing
auditory hallucinations. He has a bruised, swollen tongue and is confused. In developing a
plan of care, which action should the RN include to ensure the client is physiologically
stable?
A. Encourage oral fluids.
B. Monitor vital signs.
C. Keeptheroomdark.
,D. Apply ice to his tongue. - correct answer-B
A RN is teaching a client about initiation of a prescribed abstinence therapy using
Disulfiram (Antabuse). What information should the client acknowledge understanding?
A. Admit to others that he is a substance abuser.
B. Remain alcohol free for 12 hours prior to first dose.
C. Attend monthly meetings of alcoholics anonymous.
D. Completely sustain from heroin or cocaine use. - correct answer-B
The RN is working with a male client at a community mental health center when the client
reports hearing voices that tell him to get a knife from the kitchen and hurt himself. What
intervention is most important for the RN to implement?
A. Don't allow the client to go into the kitchen until the hallucination has subsided.
B. Report the behavior to the client's case workers so that the family can be notified.
C. Assign the UAP to remain with the client at all times.
D. Document the behavior in the client's record and notify the HCP. - correct answer-C
A homeless client who reports feeling sad and depressed tells the mental health nurse
that in the past 2 days she has only had 4 hours of sleep. Which action is most important
for the RN to implement within the first 24 hours after treatment is initiated?
A. Allow the client to rest and sleep.
B. Ensure client attend groups addressing coping skills for dealing with depression.
C. Begin planning for the clients discharge.
D. Encourage verbalization of feelings. - correct answer-A
While interviewing a client, the nurse takes notes to assist with accurate documentation
later. Which statement is most accurate regarding note-taking during an interview?
A. The nurse' ability to directly observe the client's nonverbal communication is limited with note
taking.
B. Taking notes during an interview is a legal obligation of the examining nurse.
, C. The client's comfort level is increased when the nurse breaks eye contact to take note to take
note.
D. The interview process is enhanced with note taking and allows the client speak at normal pace. -
correct answer-A
An adolescent male receives a prescription for an antidepressant drug because he is exhibiting a
depressed affect. While the client is taking the antidepressant, which comparison of the client's
behavior before and after taking the drug is most important for the nurse to obtain? A. His
appetite.
B. The emotional quality of his attitude
C. His level of activity.
D. The interactions he has with others. - correct answer-B
A nurse is providing education about strategies for a safety plan for a female client who is a victim of
intimate partner violence. Which strategies should be included in the safety plan? Select all that
apply.
A. Purchase a gun to use for protection
B. Establish a code with family and friends to signify violence.
C. Plan an escape route to use if the abuser blocks the main exit.
D. Have a bag ready that has extra clothes for self and children - correct answer-B C D
While sitting in the dayroom of the mental health unit, a male adolescent avoids eye contact, looks
at the floor, and talks softly when interacting verbally with the nurse. The two trade places, and the
nurse demonstrate the client's behavior. What is the main goal of this therapeutic techniques? A.
Discuss the client's feeling when he responds.
B. Allow the client to identify the way he interacts.
C. Initiate a non-threatening conversation with the client.
D. Dialog about the ineffectiveness of his interactions.) - correct answer-B
A client with depression remains in bed most of the day, and declines activities. Which nursing
problem has the greatest priority for this client? A. Loss of interest in diversional activity.
B. Social isolation.
C. Refusal to address nutritional needs.
HIGH-YIELD QUESTIONS & VERIFIED
ANSWERS | LATEST TESTBANK | RECENT &
MOST TESTED TOPICS | A+ PREPARATION
An older homeless client visits the psychiatric clinic to obtain a prescription renewal for
alprazolam (Xanax). During the health assessment, the client complains of chest pain.
Which action should the RN take first?
A. Refer the client to the cardiology unit.
B. Obtain the client Blood pressure.
C. Assess the client for substance abuse.
D. Determine if Xanax was taken recently. - correct answer-D
The mother of an 8-month-old infant with profound mental and physical disabilities tells
he RN how depressed she is because she realized that her child will never achieve normal
growth and development milestones. How should the RN respond to the mother?
A. Ask the mother if she has ever thought about harming herself or her child.
B. Reassure the mother that her child will achieve some growth and development milestones.
C. Determine if the mother has other children who do not have developmental disabilities.
D. Encourage the mother to write thoughts and feelings in journal. - correct answer-A
Several clients with chronic mental illness and multiple substance abuse histories live in a
group residential home and attend daycare mental health facility where group and
individual therapies are provided. The RN finds the common bathroom at the facility with
sputum on the walls, urine in the sink and on the floors, and the toilet stopped up with
tissue, paper towels, and feces. What is the priority issue that the RN should address?
A. Medication non-compliance.
B. Number of bathroom facilities.
C. Infectioncontrol.
D. Acting out behaviors. - correct answer-C
,A client with schizophrenia is admitted to the psychiatric care unit for aggressive behavior,
auditory hallucinations, and potential for safe harm. The client has not been taking
medications as prescribed and insists that the food has been poisoned and refuses to eat.
What intervention should the RN implement?
A. Assure the client that all food served in the hospital is safe to eat.
B. Tell the client that irrational thinking is a symptom of schizophrenia.
C. Obtain an order for a tube feeding for the client.
D. Provide the client with food in unopened containers. - correct answer-D
The RN is providing education about strategies for a safety plan for a female client who is
a victim of intimate partner violence. Which strategies should be included in the safety
plan? (SOA)
A. Purchase a gun to use for protection.
B. Establish a code with family and friends to signify violence.
C. Take a self-defense course that retaliates the abuser with injury.
D. Have a bag ready that has extra clothes for self and children.
E. Plan an escape route to use if the abuser blocks the main exit. - correct answer-B D E
The RN is admitting a male client who take lithium carbonate (Eskalith) twice a day. Which
information should the RN report to the HCP immediately?
A. Short term memory loss.
B. Five pound weight gain
C. Decreasedaffect.
D. Nausea and vomiting. - correct answer-D
A male client who is admitted with delirium tremens is dehydrated and experiencing
auditory hallucinations. He has a bruised, swollen tongue and is confused. In developing a
plan of care, which action should the RN include to ensure the client is physiologically
stable?
A. Encourage oral fluids.
B. Monitor vital signs.
C. Keeptheroomdark.
,D. Apply ice to his tongue. - correct answer-B
A RN is teaching a client about initiation of a prescribed abstinence therapy using
Disulfiram (Antabuse). What information should the client acknowledge understanding?
A. Admit to others that he is a substance abuser.
B. Remain alcohol free for 12 hours prior to first dose.
C. Attend monthly meetings of alcoholics anonymous.
D. Completely sustain from heroin or cocaine use. - correct answer-B
The RN is working with a male client at a community mental health center when the client
reports hearing voices that tell him to get a knife from the kitchen and hurt himself. What
intervention is most important for the RN to implement?
A. Don't allow the client to go into the kitchen until the hallucination has subsided.
B. Report the behavior to the client's case workers so that the family can be notified.
C. Assign the UAP to remain with the client at all times.
D. Document the behavior in the client's record and notify the HCP. - correct answer-C
A homeless client who reports feeling sad and depressed tells the mental health nurse
that in the past 2 days she has only had 4 hours of sleep. Which action is most important
for the RN to implement within the first 24 hours after treatment is initiated?
A. Allow the client to rest and sleep.
B. Ensure client attend groups addressing coping skills for dealing with depression.
C. Begin planning for the clients discharge.
D. Encourage verbalization of feelings. - correct answer-A
While interviewing a client, the nurse takes notes to assist with accurate documentation
later. Which statement is most accurate regarding note-taking during an interview?
A. The nurse' ability to directly observe the client's nonverbal communication is limited with note
taking.
B. Taking notes during an interview is a legal obligation of the examining nurse.
, C. The client's comfort level is increased when the nurse breaks eye contact to take note to take
note.
D. The interview process is enhanced with note taking and allows the client speak at normal pace. -
correct answer-A
An adolescent male receives a prescription for an antidepressant drug because he is exhibiting a
depressed affect. While the client is taking the antidepressant, which comparison of the client's
behavior before and after taking the drug is most important for the nurse to obtain? A. His
appetite.
B. The emotional quality of his attitude
C. His level of activity.
D. The interactions he has with others. - correct answer-B
A nurse is providing education about strategies for a safety plan for a female client who is a victim of
intimate partner violence. Which strategies should be included in the safety plan? Select all that
apply.
A. Purchase a gun to use for protection
B. Establish a code with family and friends to signify violence.
C. Plan an escape route to use if the abuser blocks the main exit.
D. Have a bag ready that has extra clothes for self and children - correct answer-B C D
While sitting in the dayroom of the mental health unit, a male adolescent avoids eye contact, looks
at the floor, and talks softly when interacting verbally with the nurse. The two trade places, and the
nurse demonstrate the client's behavior. What is the main goal of this therapeutic techniques? A.
Discuss the client's feeling when he responds.
B. Allow the client to identify the way he interacts.
C. Initiate a non-threatening conversation with the client.
D. Dialog about the ineffectiveness of his interactions.) - correct answer-B
A client with depression remains in bed most of the day, and declines activities. Which nursing
problem has the greatest priority for this client? A. Loss of interest in diversional activity.
B. Social isolation.
C. Refusal to address nutritional needs.
