HESI Specialty Test Review:
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing
Questions and Answers | Latest Version
| 2025/2026 | Correct & Verified
A client with schizophrenia is pacing the hallway and shouting loudly. What should the nurse do
first?
A. Restrain the client immediately.
✔✔B. Approach calmly and offer to walk with the client.
C. Ignore the behavior and walk away.
D. Ask the client to explain the shouting.
A client receiving haloperidol suddenly develops a stiff neck and difficulty swallowing. What
should the nurse do?
A. Encourage relaxation techniques.
✔✔B. Administer prescribed anticholinergic medication.
C. Offer warm fluids.
D. Document the finding and continue care.
A client states, “I don’t care about anything anymore.” What is the nurse’s best response?
1
,A. “You should be grateful for what you have.”
✔✔B. “It sounds like you’re feeling very hopeless.”
C. “Don’t talk like that, it makes people worry.”
D. “Why do you feel this way?”
A client with bipolar disorder is talking rapidly and jumping from one subject to another. How
should the nurse document this?
A. Tangential speech
✔✔B. Flight of ideas
C. Word salad
D. Clang association
A client says, “I hear my dead grandmother’s voice telling me to come with her.” What is the
nurse’s priority action?
A. Explore the meaning of the voice.
✔✔B. Assess the client’s risk for self-harm.
C. Ask the client to ignore the voice.
D. Provide reality orientation.
2
,A client taking lithium reports nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. What is the nurse’s best action?
A. Encourage clear fluids.
✔✔B. Notify the healthcare provider immediately.
C. Provide antiemetics and continue therapy.
D. Reassure the client it is a minor side effect.
A client with major depression is refusing meals. What is the nurse’s priority intervention?
A. Encourage the client to eat with peers.
✔✔B. Offer small, frequent high-calorie snacks.
C. Provide detailed education about nutrition.
D. Wait until the client feels ready to eat.
A nurse observes a client repeating the same word over and over during an interview. How
should this be documented?
✔✔A. Perseveration
B. Echolalia
C. Neologism
3
, D. Loose associations
A client with generalized anxiety disorder states, “I can’t stop worrying about everything.” What
is the nurse’s best initial intervention?
A. Provide extensive teaching about anxiety disorders.
✔✔B. Teach simple deep-breathing exercises.
C. Suggest eliminating caffeine completely.
D. Encourage the client to suppress the worries.
A client in alcohol withdrawal is sweating and has an elevated pulse. What is the nurse’s priority
intervention?
A. Offer fluids and snacks.
✔✔B. Administer prescribed benzodiazepine.
C. Encourage physical activity.
D. Begin teaching about recovery programs.
A nurse notes a client with schizophrenia sitting motionless for hours. What is the best nursing
intervention?
A. Leave the client alone for privacy.
4
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing
Questions and Answers | Latest Version
| 2025/2026 | Correct & Verified
A client with schizophrenia is pacing the hallway and shouting loudly. What should the nurse do
first?
A. Restrain the client immediately.
✔✔B. Approach calmly and offer to walk with the client.
C. Ignore the behavior and walk away.
D. Ask the client to explain the shouting.
A client receiving haloperidol suddenly develops a stiff neck and difficulty swallowing. What
should the nurse do?
A. Encourage relaxation techniques.
✔✔B. Administer prescribed anticholinergic medication.
C. Offer warm fluids.
D. Document the finding and continue care.
A client states, “I don’t care about anything anymore.” What is the nurse’s best response?
1
,A. “You should be grateful for what you have.”
✔✔B. “It sounds like you’re feeling very hopeless.”
C. “Don’t talk like that, it makes people worry.”
D. “Why do you feel this way?”
A client with bipolar disorder is talking rapidly and jumping from one subject to another. How
should the nurse document this?
A. Tangential speech
✔✔B. Flight of ideas
C. Word salad
D. Clang association
A client says, “I hear my dead grandmother’s voice telling me to come with her.” What is the
nurse’s priority action?
A. Explore the meaning of the voice.
✔✔B. Assess the client’s risk for self-harm.
C. Ask the client to ignore the voice.
D. Provide reality orientation.
2
,A client taking lithium reports nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. What is the nurse’s best action?
A. Encourage clear fluids.
✔✔B. Notify the healthcare provider immediately.
C. Provide antiemetics and continue therapy.
D. Reassure the client it is a minor side effect.
A client with major depression is refusing meals. What is the nurse’s priority intervention?
A. Encourage the client to eat with peers.
✔✔B. Offer small, frequent high-calorie snacks.
C. Provide detailed education about nutrition.
D. Wait until the client feels ready to eat.
A nurse observes a client repeating the same word over and over during an interview. How
should this be documented?
✔✔A. Perseveration
B. Echolalia
C. Neologism
3
, D. Loose associations
A client with generalized anxiety disorder states, “I can’t stop worrying about everything.” What
is the nurse’s best initial intervention?
A. Provide extensive teaching about anxiety disorders.
✔✔B. Teach simple deep-breathing exercises.
C. Suggest eliminating caffeine completely.
D. Encourage the client to suppress the worries.
A client in alcohol withdrawal is sweating and has an elevated pulse. What is the nurse’s priority
intervention?
A. Offer fluids and snacks.
✔✔B. Administer prescribed benzodiazepine.
C. Encourage physical activity.
D. Begin teaching about recovery programs.
A nurse notes a client with schizophrenia sitting motionless for hours. What is the best nursing
intervention?
A. Leave the client alone for privacy.
4
