Mental HealthPsych HESI Review

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Mental Health/Psych HESI Review Questions and Answers | Latest Version | 2025/2026 | Correct & Verified

Which defense mechanism involves unconsciously blocking out painful thoughts?

• Projection

✔✔B. Repression

• Sublimation
• Rationalization

Which medication class is first-line for generalized anxiety disorder?

• Antipsychotics

✔✔B. SSRIs

• Stimulants
• Antihistamines

What is the priority nursing action for a client expressing suicidal ideation?

• Distract the client with activities

✔✔B. Ensure safety and initiate suicide precautions 1 / 4

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• Encourage independence
• Provide relaxation techniques

Which symptom is most common in schizophrenia?

• Elevated mood

✔✔B. Auditory hallucinations

• Memory loss
• Obsessions

Which nursing action best helps reduce a client’s auditory hallucinations?

• Ignore the hallucinations

✔✔B. Encourage the client to engage in reality-based activities

• Agree with the hallucinations
• Limit communication

Which mood stabilizer is most commonly used in bipolar disorder?✔✔A. Lithium

• Sertraline 2 / 4

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• Haloperidol
• Diazepam

Which finding requires immediate intervention in a client taking lithium?

• Weight gain
• Tremors

✔✔C. Severe diarrhea and confusion

• Increased thirst

Which statement indicates a positive coping skill in depression recovery?

• “I’ll just stay in bed all day.”

✔✔B. “I joined a support group for others like me.”

• “Nothing will ever get better.”
• “I don’t need any help.”

Which therapeutic communication technique is best for a client who is crying?

• Change the subject

✔✔B. Sit quietly and offer presence 3 / 4

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• Tell them not to cry
• Ignore them

Which type of delusion involves believing someone is out to harm the client?

• Grandiose
• Somatic

✔✔C. Persecutory

• Referential

Which client behavior suggests mania in bipolar disorder?

• Isolating in room
• Sleeping excessively

✔✔C. Talking rapidly with pressured speech

• Moving slowly

What is the priority nursing intervention for a client having a panic attack?

• Explain the cause of the attack

✔✔B. Stay with the client and provide reassurance

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