HESI PSYCH MENTAL HEALTH EXAM
TEST BANK QUESTIONS AND
VERIFIED ANSWERS GRADED A+
2026\2027 UPDATE!
A 27-year-old female client is admitted to the psychiatric hospital with a
diagnosis of bipolar disorder, manic phase- She is demanding and
active- Which intervention should the nurse include in this client's plan
of care?
A- Schedule her to attend various group activities- B-
Reinforce her ability to make her own decisions-
C- Encourage her to identify feelings of anger-
D- Provide a structured environment with little stimuli- - ANSWER
ANSWER D. Provide a structured environment with little
stimuli.
Clients in the manic phase of a bipolar disorder require decreased
stimuli and a structured environment (D)- Plan noncompetitive
activities that can be carried out alone- (A) is contraindicated; stimuli
should be reduced as much as possible- Impulsive decision-making is
characteristic of clients with bipolar disorder. To prevent future
complications, the nurse should monitor these clients' decisions and
assist them in the decision- making process (B)- (C) is more often
associated with depression than with bipolar disorder
,A 65-year-old female client complains to the nurse that recently she has
been hearing voices. What question should the nurse ask this client
first?
A. Do you have problems with hallucinations?
B. Are you ever alone when you hear the voices?
C. Has anyone in your family had hearing problems?
D. Do you see things that others cannot see? - ANSWER ANSWER B
Determining if the client is alone when she hears voices (B) will assist in
differentiating between hallucinations and hearing loss; this is
especially important in the aging population. If the client is
experiencing hallucinations, the voices will be real to her, and it is
unlikely that (A) would provide accurate information. (C and D) might
be good follow-up questions, but would not have the priority of (B).
The nurse is planning care for a 32-year-old male client diagnosed with
HIV infection who has a history of chronic depression- Recently, the
client's viral load has begun to increase rather than decrease despite his
adherence to the HIV drug regimen- What should the nurse do first
while taking the client's history upon admission to the hospital?
A- Determine if the client attends a support group weekly- B-
Hold all antidepressant medications until further notice-
C- Ask the client if he takes St- John's Wort routinely-
D- Have the client describe any recent changes in mood- - ANSWER
ANSWER C
,St- John's Wort, an herbal preparation, is an alternative
(nonconventional) therapy for depression, but it may adversely interact
with medications used to treat HIV infection (C)- The nurse's top
priority upon admission is to determine if the client has been taking this
herb concurrently with HIV antiviral drugs, which may explain the rise
in the viral load- Asking about (A or D) may be helpful in gathering more
data about the client's depressive state, but these issues do not have
the priority of (C)- (B) may be harmful to the client
The nurse is planning discharge for a male client with schizophrenia-
The client insists that he is returning to his apartment, although the
healthcare provider informed him that he will be moving to a boarding
home- What is the most important nursing diagnosis for discharge
planning?
A- Ineffective denial related to situational anxiety- B.
Ineffective coping related to inadequate support-
C- Social isolation related to difficult interactions-
D- Self-care deficit related to cognitive impairment- - ✔✔✔ Correct
Answer > Ineffective denial related to situational anxiety-
The client is unable to acknowledge the move to a boarding home,
which is related to denial related to situational anxiety. the other
problem statements may also be indicated but the client's use of denial
as a defense mechanism keeps the client from dealing with his feelings
about living arrangements.
, An older client in the intensive care unit who has been oriented
suddenly becomes disoriented and fearful- Assessment of vital signs
and other physical parameters reveal no significant change and the
nurse formulates the diagnosis, "Confusion related to ICU psychosis-"
Which intervention is best to implement?
A- Move all machines away from the client's immediate area-
B- Attempt to allay the client's fears by explaining the etiology of his
condition-
C- Cluster care so that brief periods of rest can be scheduled during the
day-
D- Extend visitation times for family and friends- - ANSWER ANSWER C
The critical care environment confronts clients with an environment
which provides stressors heightened by treatment modalities that may
prove to be lifesaving- These stressors can result in isolation and
confusion- The best intervention is to provide the client with rest
periods (C)- (A) is not practical-the machinery is often lifesaving- The
client is not ready for (B)- Although family and friends (D) can provide a
support system to the client, visits should be limited because of the
critical care that must be provided
A male client is admitted to a mental health unit on Friday afternoon
and is very upset on Sunday because he has not had the opportunity to
talk with the healthcare provider. Which response is best for the nurse
to provide this client?
A. Let me call and leave a message for your healthcare provider.
B. The healthcare provider should be here on Monday morning.
TEST BANK QUESTIONS AND
VERIFIED ANSWERS GRADED A+
2026\2027 UPDATE!
A 27-year-old female client is admitted to the psychiatric hospital with a
diagnosis of bipolar disorder, manic phase- She is demanding and
active- Which intervention should the nurse include in this client's plan
of care?
A- Schedule her to attend various group activities- B-
Reinforce her ability to make her own decisions-
C- Encourage her to identify feelings of anger-
D- Provide a structured environment with little stimuli- - ANSWER
ANSWER D. Provide a structured environment with little
stimuli.
Clients in the manic phase of a bipolar disorder require decreased
stimuli and a structured environment (D)- Plan noncompetitive
activities that can be carried out alone- (A) is contraindicated; stimuli
should be reduced as much as possible- Impulsive decision-making is
characteristic of clients with bipolar disorder. To prevent future
complications, the nurse should monitor these clients' decisions and
assist them in the decision- making process (B)- (C) is more often
associated with depression than with bipolar disorder
,A 65-year-old female client complains to the nurse that recently she has
been hearing voices. What question should the nurse ask this client
first?
A. Do you have problems with hallucinations?
B. Are you ever alone when you hear the voices?
C. Has anyone in your family had hearing problems?
D. Do you see things that others cannot see? - ANSWER ANSWER B
Determining if the client is alone when she hears voices (B) will assist in
differentiating between hallucinations and hearing loss; this is
especially important in the aging population. If the client is
experiencing hallucinations, the voices will be real to her, and it is
unlikely that (A) would provide accurate information. (C and D) might
be good follow-up questions, but would not have the priority of (B).
The nurse is planning care for a 32-year-old male client diagnosed with
HIV infection who has a history of chronic depression- Recently, the
client's viral load has begun to increase rather than decrease despite his
adherence to the HIV drug regimen- What should the nurse do first
while taking the client's history upon admission to the hospital?
A- Determine if the client attends a support group weekly- B-
Hold all antidepressant medications until further notice-
C- Ask the client if he takes St- John's Wort routinely-
D- Have the client describe any recent changes in mood- - ANSWER
ANSWER C
,St- John's Wort, an herbal preparation, is an alternative
(nonconventional) therapy for depression, but it may adversely interact
with medications used to treat HIV infection (C)- The nurse's top
priority upon admission is to determine if the client has been taking this
herb concurrently with HIV antiviral drugs, which may explain the rise
in the viral load- Asking about (A or D) may be helpful in gathering more
data about the client's depressive state, but these issues do not have
the priority of (C)- (B) may be harmful to the client
The nurse is planning discharge for a male client with schizophrenia-
The client insists that he is returning to his apartment, although the
healthcare provider informed him that he will be moving to a boarding
home- What is the most important nursing diagnosis for discharge
planning?
A- Ineffective denial related to situational anxiety- B.
Ineffective coping related to inadequate support-
C- Social isolation related to difficult interactions-
D- Self-care deficit related to cognitive impairment- - ✔✔✔ Correct
Answer > Ineffective denial related to situational anxiety-
The client is unable to acknowledge the move to a boarding home,
which is related to denial related to situational anxiety. the other
problem statements may also be indicated but the client's use of denial
as a defense mechanism keeps the client from dealing with his feelings
about living arrangements.
, An older client in the intensive care unit who has been oriented
suddenly becomes disoriented and fearful- Assessment of vital signs
and other physical parameters reveal no significant change and the
nurse formulates the diagnosis, "Confusion related to ICU psychosis-"
Which intervention is best to implement?
A- Move all machines away from the client's immediate area-
B- Attempt to allay the client's fears by explaining the etiology of his
condition-
C- Cluster care so that brief periods of rest can be scheduled during the
day-
D- Extend visitation times for family and friends- - ANSWER ANSWER C
The critical care environment confronts clients with an environment
which provides stressors heightened by treatment modalities that may
prove to be lifesaving- These stressors can result in isolation and
confusion- The best intervention is to provide the client with rest
periods (C)- (A) is not practical-the machinery is often lifesaving- The
client is not ready for (B)- Although family and friends (D) can provide a
support system to the client, visits should be limited because of the
critical care that must be provided
A male client is admitted to a mental health unit on Friday afternoon
and is very upset on Sunday because he has not had the opportunity to
talk with the healthcare provider. Which response is best for the nurse
to provide this client?
A. Let me call and leave a message for your healthcare provider.
B. The healthcare provider should be here on Monday morning.
