ATI MENTAL HEALTH PROCTORED EXAM
COMPREHENSIVE QUESTIONS WITH MULTIPLE CHOICES
|VERIFIED ANSWERS (2025 - 2026)
1. A nurse is planning care for a client diagnosed with borderline
personality disorder. Which intervention should take priority?
a. Teach the client appropriate assertive behavior
b. Encourage attendance at support groups
c. Help the client stay aware of thoughts and feelings
d. Put measures in place to reduce the risk of intentional self-harm
Rationale: Clients with borderline personality disorder often struggle with impulsive self-injury.
Safety comes first before any therapeutic work.
2. A nurse is admitting a client with generalized anxiety disorder. What
should the nurse do first?
a. Place the client in a calm, quiet environment
b. Ask how the client normally manages stress
c. Teach guided imagery
d. Ask about the client’s strengths
Rationale: Severe anxiety limits the ability to process information. Reducing stimulation helps
stabilise the client.
3. During an admission interview, a client in a manic state reports specific
behaviors. Which finding requires urgent follow-up?
a. Has not showered for 2 days
b. Reports eating only twice in the past 2 weeks
c. Makes sexual comments
d. Speaks in rhymes
Rationale: Extremely poor food intake puts the client at risk for dehydration and malnutrition,
which is a medical concern.
4. A nurse is developing a plan of care for a client with
obsessive-compulsive disorder. Which intervention is appropriate?
,a. Validation therapy
b. Thought-stopping technique
c. Operant conditioning
d. Reality orientation
Rationale: Thought-stopping helps interrupt intrusive obsessive thoughts and reduces
compulsive behaviors.
5. A client with bipolar disorder is experiencing a manic episode. Which
action should the nurse take?
a. Encourage participation in group sessions
b. Reduce lighting in the client’s room
c. Give detailed explanations
d. Administer methylphenidate
Rationale: Lowering environmental stimulation helps reduce agitation and hyperactivity
associated with mania.
6. A nurse is leading a crisis group for teens who witnessed a classmate’s
suicide. What should the nurse address first?
a. Start referrals
b. Review local resources
c. Ask about coping skills they used in past stressful situations
d. Explain confidentiality
Rationale: Crisis intervention begins with understanding the coping skills each person already
uses so support can be tailored effectively.
7. A client says: “I’m a spy, an eye in the sky, sky high.” How should the
nurse document this speech?
a. Echolalia
b. Word salad
c. Neologism
d. Clang association
Rationale: Clang associations occur when a person speaks in rhymes or uses words chosen for
sound rather than meaning.
, 8. A daughter brings her older mother to the clinic and says she’s worried
her mother is depressed. What’s the best response?
a. Everyone gets depressed sometimes
b. You shouldn’t worry, it’s easily treated
c. Depression is common in older clients
d. Tell me what makes you think your mother is depressed
Rationale: Open-ended questions help collect more information and support a proper
assessment.
9. A nurse is planning care for an adolescent with autism spectrum
disorder. Which outcome is appropriate?
a. Meets needs without manipulating others
b. Starts social interactions with caregivers
c. Changes behavior because of peer pressure
d. Admits delusions are not real
Rationale: Social interaction is a common challenge in autism. Initiating contact is a realistic
therapeutic goal.
10. A client with OCD keeps checking door locks at night. What instruction
supports the thought-stopping method?
a. Snap a rubber band on your wrist when the urge to check the locks comes up
b. Have a family member check the locks
c. Use abdominal breathing each time you check
d. Keep a journal about the checking behavior
Rationale: The physical cue interrupts the obsessive thought pattern and helps break the cycle.
11. A client starting treatment for substance use disorder is having
medication side effects. Which action reflects nonmaleficence?
a. Provide care regardless of ability to pay
b. Explain legal rights
c. Withhold a prescribed medication that is causing harmful effects
d. Be honest about withdrawal symptoms
Rationale: Nonmaleficence means avoiding harm. Holding a medication that is causing adverse
effects protects the client
COMPREHENSIVE QUESTIONS WITH MULTIPLE CHOICES
|VERIFIED ANSWERS (2025 - 2026)
1. A nurse is planning care for a client diagnosed with borderline
personality disorder. Which intervention should take priority?
a. Teach the client appropriate assertive behavior
b. Encourage attendance at support groups
c. Help the client stay aware of thoughts and feelings
d. Put measures in place to reduce the risk of intentional self-harm
Rationale: Clients with borderline personality disorder often struggle with impulsive self-injury.
Safety comes first before any therapeutic work.
2. A nurse is admitting a client with generalized anxiety disorder. What
should the nurse do first?
a. Place the client in a calm, quiet environment
b. Ask how the client normally manages stress
c. Teach guided imagery
d. Ask about the client’s strengths
Rationale: Severe anxiety limits the ability to process information. Reducing stimulation helps
stabilise the client.
3. During an admission interview, a client in a manic state reports specific
behaviors. Which finding requires urgent follow-up?
a. Has not showered for 2 days
b. Reports eating only twice in the past 2 weeks
c. Makes sexual comments
d. Speaks in rhymes
Rationale: Extremely poor food intake puts the client at risk for dehydration and malnutrition,
which is a medical concern.
4. A nurse is developing a plan of care for a client with
obsessive-compulsive disorder. Which intervention is appropriate?
,a. Validation therapy
b. Thought-stopping technique
c. Operant conditioning
d. Reality orientation
Rationale: Thought-stopping helps interrupt intrusive obsessive thoughts and reduces
compulsive behaviors.
5. A client with bipolar disorder is experiencing a manic episode. Which
action should the nurse take?
a. Encourage participation in group sessions
b. Reduce lighting in the client’s room
c. Give detailed explanations
d. Administer methylphenidate
Rationale: Lowering environmental stimulation helps reduce agitation and hyperactivity
associated with mania.
6. A nurse is leading a crisis group for teens who witnessed a classmate’s
suicide. What should the nurse address first?
a. Start referrals
b. Review local resources
c. Ask about coping skills they used in past stressful situations
d. Explain confidentiality
Rationale: Crisis intervention begins with understanding the coping skills each person already
uses so support can be tailored effectively.
7. A client says: “I’m a spy, an eye in the sky, sky high.” How should the
nurse document this speech?
a. Echolalia
b. Word salad
c. Neologism
d. Clang association
Rationale: Clang associations occur when a person speaks in rhymes or uses words chosen for
sound rather than meaning.
, 8. A daughter brings her older mother to the clinic and says she’s worried
her mother is depressed. What’s the best response?
a. Everyone gets depressed sometimes
b. You shouldn’t worry, it’s easily treated
c. Depression is common in older clients
d. Tell me what makes you think your mother is depressed
Rationale: Open-ended questions help collect more information and support a proper
assessment.
9. A nurse is planning care for an adolescent with autism spectrum
disorder. Which outcome is appropriate?
a. Meets needs without manipulating others
b. Starts social interactions with caregivers
c. Changes behavior because of peer pressure
d. Admits delusions are not real
Rationale: Social interaction is a common challenge in autism. Initiating contact is a realistic
therapeutic goal.
10. A client with OCD keeps checking door locks at night. What instruction
supports the thought-stopping method?
a. Snap a rubber band on your wrist when the urge to check the locks comes up
b. Have a family member check the locks
c. Use abdominal breathing each time you check
d. Keep a journal about the checking behavior
Rationale: The physical cue interrupts the obsessive thought pattern and helps break the cycle.
11. A client starting treatment for substance use disorder is having
medication side effects. Which action reflects nonmaleficence?
a. Provide care regardless of ability to pay
b. Explain legal rights
c. Withhold a prescribed medication that is causing harmful effects
d. Be honest about withdrawal symptoms
Rationale: Nonmaleficence means avoiding harm. Holding a medication that is causing adverse
effects protects the client
