Psychiatric - HESI : PN Questions and

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Psychiatric - HESI : PN Questions and

Answers | Latest Version | 2025/2026 | Correct & Verified

A client with schizophrenia hears voices telling them to harm themselves. What is the priority nursing action?

• Ignore the voices and distract the client

✔✔B. Ensure safety and ask directly about suicidal thoughts

• Offer to increase fluid intake
• Encourage the client to rest quietly

A patient with depression states, “I can’t go on like this.” What is the nurse’s first response?

• Tell the client that things will get better

✔✔B. Ask directly if the client has a plan for suicide

• Change the subject to a lighter topic
• Notify the family immediately

A client with bipolar disorder is in a manic phase. Which intervention is most appropriate?

• Provide detailed group discussions 1 / 4

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✔✔B. Offer finger foods and limit distractions

• Encourage long reflective journaling
• Promote extended rest periods with sedation

A client with generalized anxiety disorder is pacing. What is the best immediate nursing action?

• Ask the client to sit down and relax

✔✔B. Use short, simple sentences to decrease anxiety

• Ignore the behavior and chart it later
• Provide lengthy teaching about stress

A client refuses to take prescribed antipsychotic medication. What should the nurse do first?✔✔A. Explore the client’s reasons for refusal

• Force the client to take the medication
• Withhold the medication and ignore the refusal
• Call security immediately

A patient with schizophrenia says, “The television is controlling my thoughts.” This is an example of what? 2 / 4

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✔✔A. Delusion of control

• Hallucination
• Disorganized speech
• Obsession

A client is admitted with alcohol withdrawal. What is the priority nursing intervention?

• Offer water and food

✔✔B. Monitor for seizures and vital signs

• Encourage group therapy
• Provide spiritual counseling

A patient on lithium therapy reports excessive thirst and tremors. What should the nurse do?

• Tell the client this is expected

✔✔B. Report possible lithium toxicity

• Withhold fluids until thirst decreases
• Encourage more salt intake

A client says, “I feel hopeless and worthless.” What is the best nursing response? 3 / 4

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• “Don’t feel that way; you have so much to live for.”

✔✔B. “Can you tell me more about these feelings?”

• “Ignore those feelings, they will pass.”
• “You should think more positively.”

A client with schizophrenia is laughing inappropriately and talking to unseen others. What is the nurse observing?✔✔A. Auditory hallucinations

• Delusions of grandeur
• Obsessive thoughts
• Tangential thinking

A client in the mental health unit becomes aggressive and threatens staff. What is the first action?✔✔A. Maintain a safe distance and use a calm voice

• Physically restrain the client immediately
• Shout loudly to stop the behavior
• Call the client’s family to calm them
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