MENTAL HESI EXAM QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

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1. A 30-year-old sales manager tells the nurse, "I am thinking about a job change. I don't feel like I am living up to my potential." Which of Maslow's developmental stages is the sales manager attemp... ting to achieve? A. Self-Actualization. Correct B. Loving and Belonging. C. Basic Needs. D. Safety and Security. Self-actualization is the highest level of Maslow's development stages, which is an attempt to fulfill one's full potential (C). (B) is identifying support systems. (C) is the first level of Maslow's developmental stages and is the foundation upon which higher needs rest. Individuals who feel safe and secure (D) in their environment perceive themselves as having physical safety and lack fear of harm. 2. The nurse observes a client who is admitted to the mental health unit and identifies that the client is talking continuously, using words that rhyme but that have no context or relationship with one topic to the next in the conversation. This client's behavior and thought processes are consistent with which syndrome? A. Dementia. B. Depression. C. Schizophrenia. Correct D. Chronic brain syndrome. The client is demonstrating symptoms of schizophrenia (C), such as disorganized speech that may include word salad (communication that includes both real and imaginary words in no logical order), incoherent speech, and clanging (rhyming). Dementia (A) is a global impairment of intellectual (cognitive) functions that may be progressive, such as Alzheimer's or organic brain syndrome (D). Depression (C) is typified by psychomotor retardation, and the client appears to be slowed down in movement, in speech, and would appear listless and disheveled. 3. A homeless person who is in the manic phase of bipolar disorder is admitted to the mental health unit. Which laboratory finding obtained on admission is most important for the nurse to report to the healthcare provider? A. Decreased thyroid stimulating hormone level. Correct B. Elevated liver function profile. C. Increased white blood cell count. D. Decreased hematocrit and hemoglobin levels. Hyperthyroidism causes an increased level of serum thyroid hormones (T3 and T4), which inhibit the release of TSH (A), so the client's manic behavior may be related to an endocrine disorder. (B, C, and D) are abnormal findings that are commonly found in the homeless population because of poor sanitation, poor nutrition, and the prevalence of substance abuse. 4. An adult male client who was admitted to the mental health unit yesterday tells the nurse that microchips were planted in his head for military surveillance of his every move. Which response is best for the nurse to provide? A. You are in the hospital, and I am the nurse caring for you. B. It must be difficult for you to control your anxious feelings. C. Go to occupational therapy and start a project. Correct D. You are not in a war area now; this is the United States. Delusions often generate fear and isolation, so the nurse should help the client participate in activities that avoid focusing on the false belief and encourage interaction with others (C). Delusions are often well-fixed, and though (A) reinforces reality, it is argumentative and dismisses the client's fears. It is often difficult for the client to recognize the relationship between delusions and anxiety (B), and the nurse should reassure the client that he is in a safe place. Dismissing delusional thinking (D) is unrealistic because neurochemical imbalances that cause positive symptoms of schizophrenia require antipsychotic drug therapy. 5. The nurse is assessing a client's intelligence. Which factor should the nurse remember during this part of the mental status exam? A. Acute psychiatric illnesses impair intelligence. B. Intelligence is influenced by social and cultural beliefs. Correct C. Poor concentration skills suggests limited intelligence. D. The inability to think abstractly indicates limited intelligence. .............................................................CONTINUED............................................. [Show More]

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