ATI RN MENTAL HEALTH 2025/2026 WITH NGN
100% PASS WITH RATIONALES LATEST UPDATES
QUESTION & ANSWERS
WITH RATIONALES
A nurse is caring for a group of patients. For which of the following situations should the nurse
complete an incident report? - ANS - A client was administered one-half of the prescribed dose of
medication
Rationale: An incident report is a recording of any occurrence that does not meet the standard of
care. The nurse should report medication errors using the facility's incident or occurrence form.
A nurse is caring for a group of patients. Which of the following findings is the nurse required to
report? - ANS - A client who has borderline personality disorder threatened to harm their
roommate
Rationale: Signs and symptoms of BPD include interpersonal relationships accompanied by threats
and other-directed violence. While it is important for the nurse to maintain the patients
confidentiality, when another individual might be in danger, the nurse is required by law to report
it to authorities.
A nurse is caring for a patient who has borderline personality disorder. Which of the following
goals is the priority when planning care for this patient?
a. The patient will take the prescribed medications as scheduled b. The patient will express feelings
of frustration
c. The patient will refrain from self-mutilation
d. The patient will participate in group therapy - ANS - c. The client will refrain from self-
mutilation
Rationale: The greatest risk to the patient is injury to self and others. Therefore, the priority goal is
for the patient to refrain from self-mutilation
a. Taking prescribed medications as scheduled to maintain therapeutic blood levels is an
important goal. However, this is not the priority goal
b. Expressing feelings of frustration to acknowledge these feelings is an important goal.
However, this is not the priority goal
d. Participating in group therapy as part of the treatment plan is an important goal. However, this is
not the priority goal
,A nurse is discussing the home care of a patient who has advanced Alzheimer's disease. The
patient's caregiver is planning to go out of town for several days. Which of the following resources
should the nurse recommended to the caregiver?
a. Respite care
b. Partial hospitalization c. Adult day care program
d. Geropsychiatric unit - ANS - a. Respite care
Rationale: Respite care programs allow the patient to stay in a nursing facility for a set number of
days, allowing the caregivers to go on vacation or have some time to themselves
b. Partial hospitalization provides services for several hours during the day, but they are not
designed to offer 24-hr care. A patient with advanced Alzheimer's disease is unable to safely
remain at home unattended
c. Adult day care programs can provide services throughout the day to patient's with
Alzheimer's disease, allowing the caregiver the ability to work or have a break. The patient's return
home in the evening. A patient who has advanced Alzheimer's disease is unable to safely remain at
home unattended.
d. A geropsychiatric unit provides care for patients requiring acute psychiatric services due to
sudden mental status changes, psychosis, or other mental health services. These services are ideal
for patients who are at risk of harming themselves or others
A nurse is caring for an older adult patient who has dementia and has wandered into the day room
looking for their deceased partner. Which of the following actions should the nurse take?
a. Move the patient to a room near the nurses' station
b. Limit visitors until the patient is oriented to the environment c. Tell the patient their partner
is deceased
d. Talk with the patient about activities they enjoyed with their partner - ANS - Talk with the
patient about activities they enjoyed with their partner
Rationale:
Talking about positive experiences can help distract the patient from their disorientation
a. When caring for a patient with dementia, avoid placing them in unfamiliar settings when
possible.
b. Family members should be encouraged to interact with the patient regardless of the
patient's state of dementia
c. Confrontation should not be used for a disoriented patient
A nurse is admitting a patient with schizophrenia to an acute care setting. When the nurse
questions the patient regarding their admission, the client states, "I'm red, in the head, and I'm
,going to bed!" The nurse should document the client's speech pattern as which of the following?
a. Clang association b. Word salad
c. Neologism
d. Echolalia - ANS - a. Clang association
Rationale: fThe fnurse fshould fdocument fthat fthe fpatients fspeech fuses fclang fassociations fwhich
foften frhyme for fcontain fa fstring fof fwords fthat fcan fhave fa fsimilar fsound
b. In fword fsalad, fwords fare fcompletely fmeaningless fand fdisorganized. fc. fNeologism
fconsists fof fwords fthat fare fmade fup fby fthe fpatient
d. fIn fecholalia, fthe fpatient frepeats fthe fwords fof fanother fperson
A fnurse fis fassessing fa fpatient fwho fhas fschizophrenia. fWhich fof fthe ffollowing ffindings fshould
fthe fnurse fdocument fas fa fnegative fsymptom fof fthis fdisorder?
a. fDelusions fb. fNeologisms fc. fAnhedonia
d. fEchopraxia f- fANS f- fAnhedonia
Rationale:
Positive fsymptoms fof fschizophrenia fusually fappear fsuddenly fand fare falteration fin fbehavior,
fperception, fspeech, fand fthought. fDelusions, finability fto fthink fabstractly, fneologisms f(made fup
fwords), fecholalia f(repeating fof fsomeone felse's fwords, fmotor fagitation, fand fechopraxia
f(mimicking fsomeone felse's fmovements) fare fall fpositive fsymptoms fof fschizophrenia.
Negative fsymptoms fof fschizophrenia faffect fa fperson's fability fto finteract fwith fothers fand fare
fless fdominant fthan fpositive fsymptoms. fNegative fsymptoms fdevelop fover ftime.
Examples fof fnegative fsymptoms finclude fflat faffect, fanergia f(lack fof fenergy), fanhedonia
f(inability fto fenjoy fotherwise fpleasurable factivities), fand fthought fblocking f(inability fto fthink,
fspeak, for fmove fin fresponse fto foutside fstimuli)
A fnurse fis fdelegating fpatient fcare ftasks fto fa flicensed fpractical fnurse f(LPN) fand fan fassistive
fpersonnel. fWhich fof fthe ffollowing ftasks fshould fthe fnurse fassign fto fthe fLPN? f- fANS f- fChange
fthe f fdressing fof fa fclient fwho fhas fborderline fpersonality fdisorder fand fsuperficial fself-inflicted
fwounds
Rationale: fA fpatient fwho fhas fborderline fpersonality fdisorder fis fat frisk ffor fself-mutilation
fsuch fas fcutting, fself-inflicted fwounds, fscratching for fpicking fat fwounds. fIt fis fwithin fthe
fLPNs fscope fof fpractice fto fchange fthe fdressing, fcleanse fthe fwound, fand fcollect fdata
fregarding fthe fhealing fof fthe fwound.
A fnurse fis fassessing fa fschool-age fchild fwho fhas fconduct fdisorder. fWhich fof fthe ffollowing
fcharacteristics fshould fthe fnurse fexpect fthe fchild fto fdemonstrate?
, a. Feelings fof fremorse
b. Extended fperiods fof fdepression
c. Deficits fin fintellectual ffunctioning
d. Aggression ftowards fanimals f- fANS f- fd. fAggression ftoward fanimals
Rationale: fThe fnurse fshould fidentify fthat faggression ftoward fpeople fand fanimals fis fan fexpected
fcharacteristic fof fa fchild fwho fhas fconduct fdisorder
a. The fnurse fshould fidentify fthat flack fof fremorse fis fan fexpected fcharacteristic fof fa fchild
fwho fhas fconduct fdisorder
b. The fnurse fshould fidentify fthat fa fchild fwho fhas fbipolar fdisorder fis flikely fto fhave
fextended fperiods fof fdepression. fThis fis fnot fan fexpected fcharacteristic fof fa fchild fwho fhas
fconduct fdisorder fc. fThe fnurse fshould fidentify fthat fa fchild fwho fhas fintellectual fdeficit
fdisorder fexhibits fdeficits fin fintellectual ffunctioning, fsuch fas freasoning, fabstract fthinking, fand
facademic fability. fA fdeficit fin fintellectual ffunctioning fis fnot fan fexpected fcharacteristic fof fa
fchild fwho fhas fconduct fdisorder
A fnurse fin fa fmental fhealth fclinic fis fplanning fcare ffor fa fclient fwho fhas fa fnew fprescription ffor
fOlanzapine. fWhich fof fthe ffollowing finterventions fshould fthe fnurse fidentify fas fthe fpriority? f-
fANS f- fInstruct fthe fclient fto favoid fdriving fduring finitial ftherapy
Rationale: fThe fgreatest frisk fto fthe fpatient fis finjury fresulting ffrom fdrowsiness for fdizziness.
fTherefore, fthe fnurse's fpriority fintervention fis fto finstruct fthe fpatient fto favoid factivities fthat
frequire fmental falertness fduring finitial fmedication ftherapy
A fnurse fis fcaring ffor fa fpatient fwho fhas fa fhistory fof fsubstance fuse fdisorder fand fwas
finvoluntarily fadmitted fto fa fmental fhealth ffacility. fWhen fthe fnurse fattempts fto fadminister foral
fLorazepam, fthe fpatient frefuses fto ftake fthe fmedication fand fbecomes fphysically faggressive.
fWhich fof fthe ffollowing factions fshould fthe fnurse ftake?
a. Do fnot fadminister fthe fLorazepam
b. Request fa fprescription ffor fIV florazepam
c. Request fthat fanother fnurse fattempt fto fadminister fthe florazepam
d. Place fthe florazepam fin fthe fpatient's ffood f- fANS f- fa. fDo fnot fadminister fthe fLorazepam
Rationale: fPatients fwho fare fin fa ffacility fdue fto fan finvoluntary fadmission fretain fthe fright fto
frefuse ftreatment. fTherefore, fthe fnurse fshould fhold fthe fmedication fand fdocument fthe fpatient's
frefusal
b. fRequesting fa fprescription ffor fand fadministering fIV florazepam fviolates fthe fpatient's fright fto
frefuse ftreatment
b. fRequesting fthat fanother fnurse fadminister fthe florazepam fviolates fthe fpatient's fright fto frefuse
ftreatment
100% PASS WITH RATIONALES LATEST UPDATES
QUESTION & ANSWERS
WITH RATIONALES
A nurse is caring for a group of patients. For which of the following situations should the nurse
complete an incident report? - ANS - A client was administered one-half of the prescribed dose of
medication
Rationale: An incident report is a recording of any occurrence that does not meet the standard of
care. The nurse should report medication errors using the facility's incident or occurrence form.
A nurse is caring for a group of patients. Which of the following findings is the nurse required to
report? - ANS - A client who has borderline personality disorder threatened to harm their
roommate
Rationale: Signs and symptoms of BPD include interpersonal relationships accompanied by threats
and other-directed violence. While it is important for the nurse to maintain the patients
confidentiality, when another individual might be in danger, the nurse is required by law to report
it to authorities.
A nurse is caring for a patient who has borderline personality disorder. Which of the following
goals is the priority when planning care for this patient?
a. The patient will take the prescribed medications as scheduled b. The patient will express feelings
of frustration
c. The patient will refrain from self-mutilation
d. The patient will participate in group therapy - ANS - c. The client will refrain from self-
mutilation
Rationale: The greatest risk to the patient is injury to self and others. Therefore, the priority goal is
for the patient to refrain from self-mutilation
a. Taking prescribed medications as scheduled to maintain therapeutic blood levels is an
important goal. However, this is not the priority goal
b. Expressing feelings of frustration to acknowledge these feelings is an important goal.
However, this is not the priority goal
d. Participating in group therapy as part of the treatment plan is an important goal. However, this is
not the priority goal
,A nurse is discussing the home care of a patient who has advanced Alzheimer's disease. The
patient's caregiver is planning to go out of town for several days. Which of the following resources
should the nurse recommended to the caregiver?
a. Respite care
b. Partial hospitalization c. Adult day care program
d. Geropsychiatric unit - ANS - a. Respite care
Rationale: Respite care programs allow the patient to stay in a nursing facility for a set number of
days, allowing the caregivers to go on vacation or have some time to themselves
b. Partial hospitalization provides services for several hours during the day, but they are not
designed to offer 24-hr care. A patient with advanced Alzheimer's disease is unable to safely
remain at home unattended
c. Adult day care programs can provide services throughout the day to patient's with
Alzheimer's disease, allowing the caregiver the ability to work or have a break. The patient's return
home in the evening. A patient who has advanced Alzheimer's disease is unable to safely remain at
home unattended.
d. A geropsychiatric unit provides care for patients requiring acute psychiatric services due to
sudden mental status changes, psychosis, or other mental health services. These services are ideal
for patients who are at risk of harming themselves or others
A nurse is caring for an older adult patient who has dementia and has wandered into the day room
looking for their deceased partner. Which of the following actions should the nurse take?
a. Move the patient to a room near the nurses' station
b. Limit visitors until the patient is oriented to the environment c. Tell the patient their partner
is deceased
d. Talk with the patient about activities they enjoyed with their partner - ANS - Talk with the
patient about activities they enjoyed with their partner
Rationale:
Talking about positive experiences can help distract the patient from their disorientation
a. When caring for a patient with dementia, avoid placing them in unfamiliar settings when
possible.
b. Family members should be encouraged to interact with the patient regardless of the
patient's state of dementia
c. Confrontation should not be used for a disoriented patient
A nurse is admitting a patient with schizophrenia to an acute care setting. When the nurse
questions the patient regarding their admission, the client states, "I'm red, in the head, and I'm
,going to bed!" The nurse should document the client's speech pattern as which of the following?
a. Clang association b. Word salad
c. Neologism
d. Echolalia - ANS - a. Clang association
Rationale: fThe fnurse fshould fdocument fthat fthe fpatients fspeech fuses fclang fassociations fwhich
foften frhyme for fcontain fa fstring fof fwords fthat fcan fhave fa fsimilar fsound
b. In fword fsalad, fwords fare fcompletely fmeaningless fand fdisorganized. fc. fNeologism
fconsists fof fwords fthat fare fmade fup fby fthe fpatient
d. fIn fecholalia, fthe fpatient frepeats fthe fwords fof fanother fperson
A fnurse fis fassessing fa fpatient fwho fhas fschizophrenia. fWhich fof fthe ffollowing ffindings fshould
fthe fnurse fdocument fas fa fnegative fsymptom fof fthis fdisorder?
a. fDelusions fb. fNeologisms fc. fAnhedonia
d. fEchopraxia f- fANS f- fAnhedonia
Rationale:
Positive fsymptoms fof fschizophrenia fusually fappear fsuddenly fand fare falteration fin fbehavior,
fperception, fspeech, fand fthought. fDelusions, finability fto fthink fabstractly, fneologisms f(made fup
fwords), fecholalia f(repeating fof fsomeone felse's fwords, fmotor fagitation, fand fechopraxia
f(mimicking fsomeone felse's fmovements) fare fall fpositive fsymptoms fof fschizophrenia.
Negative fsymptoms fof fschizophrenia faffect fa fperson's fability fto finteract fwith fothers fand fare
fless fdominant fthan fpositive fsymptoms. fNegative fsymptoms fdevelop fover ftime.
Examples fof fnegative fsymptoms finclude fflat faffect, fanergia f(lack fof fenergy), fanhedonia
f(inability fto fenjoy fotherwise fpleasurable factivities), fand fthought fblocking f(inability fto fthink,
fspeak, for fmove fin fresponse fto foutside fstimuli)
A fnurse fis fdelegating fpatient fcare ftasks fto fa flicensed fpractical fnurse f(LPN) fand fan fassistive
fpersonnel. fWhich fof fthe ffollowing ftasks fshould fthe fnurse fassign fto fthe fLPN? f- fANS f- fChange
fthe f fdressing fof fa fclient fwho fhas fborderline fpersonality fdisorder fand fsuperficial fself-inflicted
fwounds
Rationale: fA fpatient fwho fhas fborderline fpersonality fdisorder fis fat frisk ffor fself-mutilation
fsuch fas fcutting, fself-inflicted fwounds, fscratching for fpicking fat fwounds. fIt fis fwithin fthe
fLPNs fscope fof fpractice fto fchange fthe fdressing, fcleanse fthe fwound, fand fcollect fdata
fregarding fthe fhealing fof fthe fwound.
A fnurse fis fassessing fa fschool-age fchild fwho fhas fconduct fdisorder. fWhich fof fthe ffollowing
fcharacteristics fshould fthe fnurse fexpect fthe fchild fto fdemonstrate?
, a. Feelings fof fremorse
b. Extended fperiods fof fdepression
c. Deficits fin fintellectual ffunctioning
d. Aggression ftowards fanimals f- fANS f- fd. fAggression ftoward fanimals
Rationale: fThe fnurse fshould fidentify fthat faggression ftoward fpeople fand fanimals fis fan fexpected
fcharacteristic fof fa fchild fwho fhas fconduct fdisorder
a. The fnurse fshould fidentify fthat flack fof fremorse fis fan fexpected fcharacteristic fof fa fchild
fwho fhas fconduct fdisorder
b. The fnurse fshould fidentify fthat fa fchild fwho fhas fbipolar fdisorder fis flikely fto fhave
fextended fperiods fof fdepression. fThis fis fnot fan fexpected fcharacteristic fof fa fchild fwho fhas
fconduct fdisorder fc. fThe fnurse fshould fidentify fthat fa fchild fwho fhas fintellectual fdeficit
fdisorder fexhibits fdeficits fin fintellectual ffunctioning, fsuch fas freasoning, fabstract fthinking, fand
facademic fability. fA fdeficit fin fintellectual ffunctioning fis fnot fan fexpected fcharacteristic fof fa
fchild fwho fhas fconduct fdisorder
A fnurse fin fa fmental fhealth fclinic fis fplanning fcare ffor fa fclient fwho fhas fa fnew fprescription ffor
fOlanzapine. fWhich fof fthe ffollowing finterventions fshould fthe fnurse fidentify fas fthe fpriority? f-
fANS f- fInstruct fthe fclient fto favoid fdriving fduring finitial ftherapy
Rationale: fThe fgreatest frisk fto fthe fpatient fis finjury fresulting ffrom fdrowsiness for fdizziness.
fTherefore, fthe fnurse's fpriority fintervention fis fto finstruct fthe fpatient fto favoid factivities fthat
frequire fmental falertness fduring finitial fmedication ftherapy
A fnurse fis fcaring ffor fa fpatient fwho fhas fa fhistory fof fsubstance fuse fdisorder fand fwas
finvoluntarily fadmitted fto fa fmental fhealth ffacility. fWhen fthe fnurse fattempts fto fadminister foral
fLorazepam, fthe fpatient frefuses fto ftake fthe fmedication fand fbecomes fphysically faggressive.
fWhich fof fthe ffollowing factions fshould fthe fnurse ftake?
a. Do fnot fadminister fthe fLorazepam
b. Request fa fprescription ffor fIV florazepam
c. Request fthat fanother fnurse fattempt fto fadminister fthe florazepam
d. Place fthe florazepam fin fthe fpatient's ffood f- fANS f- fa. fDo fnot fadminister fthe fLorazepam
Rationale: fPatients fwho fare fin fa ffacility fdue fto fan finvoluntary fadmission fretain fthe fright fto
frefuse ftreatment. fTherefore, fthe fnurse fshould fhold fthe fmedication fand fdocument fthe fpatient's
frefusal
b. fRequesting fa fprescription ffor fand fadministering fIV florazepam fviolates fthe fpatient's fright fto
frefuse ftreatment
b. fRequesting fthat fanother fnurse fadminister fthe florazepam fviolates fthe fpatient's fright fto frefuse
ftreatment
