ATI MENTAL HEALTH 2023
Exam Study Guide – Practice
Questions with Answers.
Updated 2026
A charge nurse is discussing mental status exams with a newly licensed nurse.
Which of the following statements by the newly licensed nurse indicates an
understanding of the teaching? (Select all that apply)
A) To assess cognitive ability, I should ask the client to count backward by
sevens.
B) To assess affect, I should observe the client's facial expression
C) To assess language ability, I should instruct the client to write a sentence.
D) To assess remote memory, I should have the client repeat a list of objects.
E) To assess the client's abstract thinking, I should ask the client to identify our
most recent presidents. - Ans✔✔-A, B, C
A nurse is planning care for a client who has a mental health disorder. Which of
the following actions should the nurse include as a psychobiological
intervention?
A) Assist the client with systematic desensitization therapy.
B) Teach the client appropriate coping mechanisms.
,C) Assess the client for comorbid health conditions.
D) Monitor the client for adverse effects of the medications. - Ans✔✔-D
A nurse in an outpatient mental health clinic is preparing to conduct an initial
client interview. When conducting the interview, which of the following actions
should the nurse identify as the priority?
A) Coordinate holistic care with social services.
B) Identify the client's perception of her mental health status.
C) Include the client's family in the interview.
D) Teach the client about her current mental health disorder - Ans✔✔-B
A nurse is told during change of shift report that a client is stuporous. When
assessing the client, which of the following findings should the nurse expect?
A) The client arouses briefly in response to a sternal rub.
B) The client has a glasgow coma scale score less than 7.
C) The client exhibits decorticate rigidity.
D) The client is alert but disoriented to time and place. - Ans✔✔-A
A nurse is planning a peer group about the DSM-5. Which of the following
information is appropriate to include in the discussion? (Select all that apply).
A) The DSM-5 includes client education handouts for mental health disorders.
B) The DSM-5 establishes diagnostic criteria for individual mental health
disorders.
C) The DSM-5 indicates recommended pharmacological treatment for mental
health disorders.
D) The DSM-5 assists nurses in planning care for client's who have mental
health disorders.
, E) The DSM-5 indicates expected assessment findings of mental health
disorders. - Ans✔✔-B, D, E
A nurse in an emergency mental health facility is caring for a group of clients.
The nurse should identify that which of the following clients requires a
temporary emergency admission?
A) A client who has schizophrenia with delusions of grandeur
B) A client who has manifestations of depression and attempted suicide a year
ago.
C) A client who has borderline personality disorder and assaulted a homeless
man with a metal rod.
D) A client who has bipolar disorder and paces quickly around the room while
talking to himself. - Ans✔✔-C
A nurse decides to put a client who has a psychotic disorder in seclusion
overnight because the unit is very short-staffed, and the client frequently fights
with other clients. The nurse's actions are an example of which of the following
torts?
A) Invasion of privacy
B) False imprisonment
C) Assault
D) Battery - Ans✔✔-B
A client tells a nurse, "Don't tell anyone but I hid a sharp knife under my
mattress in order to protect myself from my roommate, who is always yelling at
me and threatening me." Which of the following actions should the nurse take?
A) Keep the client's communication confidential, but talk to the client daily,
using therapeutic communication to convince him to admit to hiding the knife.
Exam Study Guide – Practice
Questions with Answers.
Updated 2026
A charge nurse is discussing mental status exams with a newly licensed nurse.
Which of the following statements by the newly licensed nurse indicates an
understanding of the teaching? (Select all that apply)
A) To assess cognitive ability, I should ask the client to count backward by
sevens.
B) To assess affect, I should observe the client's facial expression
C) To assess language ability, I should instruct the client to write a sentence.
D) To assess remote memory, I should have the client repeat a list of objects.
E) To assess the client's abstract thinking, I should ask the client to identify our
most recent presidents. - Ans✔✔-A, B, C
A nurse is planning care for a client who has a mental health disorder. Which of
the following actions should the nurse include as a psychobiological
intervention?
A) Assist the client with systematic desensitization therapy.
B) Teach the client appropriate coping mechanisms.
,C) Assess the client for comorbid health conditions.
D) Monitor the client for adverse effects of the medications. - Ans✔✔-D
A nurse in an outpatient mental health clinic is preparing to conduct an initial
client interview. When conducting the interview, which of the following actions
should the nurse identify as the priority?
A) Coordinate holistic care with social services.
B) Identify the client's perception of her mental health status.
C) Include the client's family in the interview.
D) Teach the client about her current mental health disorder - Ans✔✔-B
A nurse is told during change of shift report that a client is stuporous. When
assessing the client, which of the following findings should the nurse expect?
A) The client arouses briefly in response to a sternal rub.
B) The client has a glasgow coma scale score less than 7.
C) The client exhibits decorticate rigidity.
D) The client is alert but disoriented to time and place. - Ans✔✔-A
A nurse is planning a peer group about the DSM-5. Which of the following
information is appropriate to include in the discussion? (Select all that apply).
A) The DSM-5 includes client education handouts for mental health disorders.
B) The DSM-5 establishes diagnostic criteria for individual mental health
disorders.
C) The DSM-5 indicates recommended pharmacological treatment for mental
health disorders.
D) The DSM-5 assists nurses in planning care for client's who have mental
health disorders.
, E) The DSM-5 indicates expected assessment findings of mental health
disorders. - Ans✔✔-B, D, E
A nurse in an emergency mental health facility is caring for a group of clients.
The nurse should identify that which of the following clients requires a
temporary emergency admission?
A) A client who has schizophrenia with delusions of grandeur
B) A client who has manifestations of depression and attempted suicide a year
ago.
C) A client who has borderline personality disorder and assaulted a homeless
man with a metal rod.
D) A client who has bipolar disorder and paces quickly around the room while
talking to himself. - Ans✔✔-C
A nurse decides to put a client who has a psychotic disorder in seclusion
overnight because the unit is very short-staffed, and the client frequently fights
with other clients. The nurse's actions are an example of which of the following
torts?
A) Invasion of privacy
B) False imprisonment
C) Assault
D) Battery - Ans✔✔-B
A client tells a nurse, "Don't tell anyone but I hid a sharp knife under my
mattress in order to protect myself from my roommate, who is always yelling at
me and threatening me." Which of the following actions should the nurse take?
A) Keep the client's communication confidential, but talk to the client daily,
using therapeutic communication to convince him to admit to hiding the knife.
