Mental Health and Psychiatric Nursing NCLEX Practice Questions Nursing Test Bank (700+ Questions)

Which nursing intervention is best for facilitating communication with a psychiatric client who speaks a foreign language?

The nurse explains to a mental health care technician that a client’s obsessive-compulsive behaviors are related to an unconscious conflict between id impulses and the superego (or conscience). On which of the following theories does the nurse base this statement?

The nurse observes a client pacing in the hall. Which statement by the nurse may help the client recognize his anxiety?

A client with obsessive-compulsive disorder is hospitalized in an inpatient unit. Which nursing response is most therapeutic?

A 45-year-old woman with a history of depression tells a nurse in her doctor’s office that she has difficulty with sexual arousal and is fearful that her husband will have an affair. Which of the following factors would the nurse identify as least significant in contributing to the client’s sexual difficulty?

Which nursing intervention is most appropriate for a client with anorexia nervosa during initial hospitalization on a behavioral therapy unit?

A nurse is evaluating therapy with the family of a client with anorexia nervosa. Which of the following would indicate that the therapy was successful?

The nurse is working with a client with a somatoform disorder. Which client outcome goal would the nurse most likely establish in this situation?

Which method would a nurse use to determine a client’s potential risk for suicide?

A client with a bipolar disorder exhibits manic behavior. The nursing diagnosis is Disturbed thought processes related to difficulty concentrating, secondary to flight of ideas. Which of the following outcome criteria would indicate improvement in the client?

A client tells a nurse. “Everyone would be better off if I wasn’t alive.” Which nursing diagnosis would be made based on this statement?

Which information is the most essential in the initial teaching session for the family of a young adult recently diagnosed with schizophrenia?

A nurse is working with a client who has schizophrenia, paranoid type. Which of the following outcomes related to the client’s delusional perceptions would the nurse establish?

A client with bipolar disorder, manic type, exhibits extreme excitement, delusional thinking, and command hallucinations. Which of the following is the priority nursing diagnosis?

A client who abuses alcohol and cocaine tells a nurse that he only uses substances because of his stressful marriage and difficult job. Which defense mechanisms is this client using?

An 11-year-old child diagnosed with conduct disorder is admitted to the psychiatric unit for treatment. Which of the following behaviors would the nurse assess?

The nurse understands that if a client continues to be dependent on heroin throughout her pregnancy, her baby will be at high risk for:A. Mental retardation

The emergency department nurse is assigned to provide care for a victim of a sexual assault. When following legal and agency guidelines, which intervention is most important?

Which factor is least important in the decision regarding whether a victim of family violence can safely remain in the home?

The nurse would expect a client with early Alzheimer’s disease to have problems with:

Which nursing intervention is most appropriate for a client with Alzheimer’s disease who has frequent episodes of emotional lability?

Which neurotransmitter has been implicated in the development of Alzheimer’s disease?

Which factors are the most essential for the nurse to assess when providing crisis intervention for a client?

The nurse considers a client’s response to crisis intervention successful if the client:

Two nurses are co-leading group therapy for seven clients in the psychiatric unit. The leaders observe that the group members are anxious and look to the leaders for answers. Which phase of development is this group in?

Group members have worked very hard, and the nurse reminds them that termination is approaching. Termination is considered successful if group members:

The nurse is teaching a group of clients about the mood-stabilizing medications lithium carbonate. Which medications should she instruct the clients to avoid because of the increased risk of lithium toxicity?

When providing family therapy, the nurse analyzes the functioning of healthy family systems. Which situations would not increase stress on a healthy family system?

A client taking the monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) antidepressant isocarboxazid (Marplan) is instructed by the nurse to avoid which foods and beverages?

Prior to administering chlorpromazine (Thorazine) to an agitated client, the nurse should:

The nurse understands that electroconvulsive therapy is primarily used in psychiatric care for the treatment of:

A client taking the MAOI phenelzine (Nardil) tells the nurse that he routinely takes all of the medications listed below. Which medication would cause the nurse to express concern and therefore initiate further teaching?

The nurse is administering a psychotropic drug to an elderly client who has a history of benign prostatic hypertrophy. It is most important for the nurse to teach this client to:

The nurse correctly teaches a client taking the Benzodiazepine Oxazepam (Serax) to avoid excessive intake of:

The nurse provides a referral to Alcoholics Anonymous to a client who describes a 20-year history of alcohol abuse. The primary function of this group is to:

Which client outcome is most appropriately achieved in a community approach setting in psychiatric nursing?

A client with panic disorder experiences an acute attack while the nurse is completing an admission assessment. List the following interventions according to their level of priority.

The doctor has prescribed haloperidol (Haldol) 2.5 mg. I.M. for an agitated client. The medication is labeled haloperidol 10 mg/2 ml. The nurse prepares the correct dose by drawing up how many milliliters in the syringe?

The nurse enters the room of a client with a cognitive impairment disorder and asks what day of the week it is: what the date, month, and year are; and where the client is. The nurse is attempting to assess:

Which of the following will the nurse use when communicating with a client who has a cognitive impairment?

A 75-year-old client has dementia of the Alzheimer’s type and confabulates. The nurse understands that this client:

An elderly client with Alzheimer’s disease becomes agitated and combative when a nurse approaches to help with morning care. The most appropriate nursing intervention in this situation would be to:

In clients with a cognitive impairment disorder, the phenomenon of increased confusion in the early evening hours is called:

Which of the following outcome criteria is appropriate for the client with dementia?

The school guidance counselor refers a family with an 8-year-old child to the mental health clinic because of the child’s frequent fighting in school and truancy. Which of the following data would be a priority to the nurse doing the initial family assessment?

The parents of a young man with schizophrenia express feelings of responsibility and guilt for their son’s problems. How can the nurse best educate the family?

The nurse collecting family assessment data asks. “Who is in your family and where do they live?” Which of the following is the nurse attempting to identify?

According to the family systems theory, which of the following best describes the process of differentiation?

The nurse is interacting with a family consisting of a mother, a father, and a hospitalized adolescent who has a diagnosis of alcohol abuse. The nurse analyzes the situation and agrees with the adolescent’s view about family rules. Which intervention is most appropriate?

A 16-year-old girl has returned home following hospitalization for treatment of anorexia nervosa. The parents tell the family nurse performing a home visit that their child has always done everything to please them and they cannot understand her current stubbornness about eating. The nurse analyzes the family situation and determines it is characteristic of which relationship style?

Nurse Greta is aware that the following is classified as an Axis I disorder by the Diagnosis and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) is:

Katrina, a newly admitted is extremely hostile toward a staff member she has just met, without apparent reason. According to Freudian theory, the nurse should suspect that the client is experiencing which of the following phenomena?

An 83-year-old male client is in extended care facility is anxious most of the time and frequently complains of a number of vague symptoms that interfere with his ability to eat. These symptoms indicate which of the following disorders?

Charina, a college student who frequently visited the health center during the past year with multiple vague complaints of GI symptoms before course examinations. Although physical causes have been eliminated, the student continues to express her belief that she has a serious illness. These symptoms are typically of which of the following disorders?

Nurse Daisy is aware that the following pharmacologic agents are sedative-hypnotic medication is used to induce sleep for a client experiencing a sleep disorder is:

Aldo, with a somatoform pain disorder may obtain secondary gain. Which of the following statements refers to a secondary gain?

David is diagnosed with panic disorder with agoraphobia and is talking with the nurse in-charge about the progress made in treatment. Which of the following statements indicates a positive client response?

The effectiveness of monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitor drug therapy in clients with posttraumatic stress disorder can be demonstrated by which of the following client self–reports?

Mark, with a diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder, wants to stop taking his lorazepam (Ativan). Which of the following important facts should nurse Betty discuss with the client about discontinuing the medication?

Jennifer, an adolescent who is depressed and reported by her parents as having difficulty in school is brought to the community mental health center to be evaluated. Which of the following other health problems would the nurse suspect?

Ricardo, an outpatient in a psychiatric facility is diagnosed with dysthymic disorder. Which of the following statements about dysthymic disorder is true?

The nurse is aware that the following ways in vascular dementia different from Alzheimer’s disease is:

Loretta, a newly admitted client was diagnosed with delirium and has a history of hypertension and anxiety. She had been taking digoxin, furosemide (Lasix), and diazepam (Valium) for anxiety. This client’s impairment may be related to which of the following conditions?

Nurse Ron enters a client’s room, the client says, “They’re crawling on my sheets! Get them off my bed!” Which of the following assessments is the most accurate?

Which of the following descriptions of a client’s experience and behavior can be assessed as an illusion?

During a conversation with Nurse John with a client, he observes that the client shifts from one topic to the next on a regular basis. Which of the following terms describes this disorder?

Francis tells the nurse that her coworkers are sabotaging the computer. When the nurse asks questions, the client becomes argumentative. This behavior shows personality traits associated with which of the following personality disorders?

Which of the following interventions is important for a Cely experiencing a paranoid personality disorder taking olanzapine (Zyprexa)?

Nurse Alexandra notices other clients on the unit avoiding a client diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder. When discussing appropriate behavior in group therapy, which of the following comments is expected about this client by his peers?

Tommy, with a dependent personality disorder, is working to increase his self-esteem. Which of the following statements by Tommy shows teaching was successful?

Norma, a 42-year-old client with a diagnosis of chronic undifferentiated schizophrenia lives in a rooming house that has a weekly nursing clinic. She scratches while she tells the nurse she feels creatures eating away at her skin. Which of the following interventions should be done first?

Ivy, who is in the psychiatric unit is copying and imitating the movements of her primary nurse. During recovery, she says, “I thought the nurse was my mirror. I felt connected only when I saw my nurse.” This behavior is known by which of the following terms?

Jun approaches the nurse and tells that he hears a voice telling him that he’s evil and deserves to die. Which of the following terms describes the client’s perception?

Mike is admitted to a psychiatric unit with a diagnosis of undifferentiated schizophrenia. Which of the following defense mechanisms is probably used by Mike?

Rocky has started taking haloperidol (Haldol). Which of the following instructions is most appropriate for Ricky before taking haloperidol?