Question

A nurse is talking with a client who has schizophrenia and experiences persecutory delusions. The client states, "I think my food is poisoned." Which of the following actions should the nurse take to assist the client with improving reality testing?

Answer 1

Correct Answers:

Encourage the client to discuss what caused the thought.

Rationale :

🟣 Encouraging the client to discuss what caused the thought helps the nurse explore the client’s perception without directly validating the delusion.

🟣 This approach supports reality testing because it invites the client to examine the thought process and feelings linked to the belief.

🟣 The nurse should use a calm, nonjudgmental response that acknowledges the client’s fear while avoiding agreement with the false idea that the food is poisoned.

🟣 Asking the client to talk more about the thought can reduce anxiety, promote trust, and open the door for gentle reorientation to reality.

🟣 This is the best response because it encourages reflection and therapeutic communication while avoiding confrontation or reinforcement of the persecutory delusion.

Encourage the client to prove the food is not poisoned by taking a bite.

🟣 This response is not therapeutic because it is confrontational and may increase the client’s fear, mistrust, or agitation.

🟣 A client experiencing persecutory delusions is unlikely to respond well to pressure or demands to disprove the belief.

Ask the client why they think someone would want to hurt them.

🟣 Asking “why” can feel challenging or accusatory and may cause the client to become more defensive.

🟣 This response may also unintentionally encourage the client to elaborate on the delusion rather than improve reality testing.

Ask if the client would like to order something else to eat.

🟣 Offering a different meal may temporarily reduce distress, but it does not help the client examine the distorted belief or improve reality testing.

🟣 It can also unintentionally reinforce the delusion by suggesting that the original food might truly be unsafe.

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Answer 2

Correct Answers

Giving away car [ worsening ]
Hygiene [ improvement ]
Food intake [ improvement ]
Condition of skin on right hand [ worsening ]
Rapid change in mood [ worsening ]

Rationale :

Giving away car — Worsening

🔷 Telling a sibling they can have the client’s car is a concerning sign because giving away possessions can indicate suicidal thinking or a sense of finality.

🔷 On an inpatient mental health unit, this behavior should always be taken seriously, especially when it appears alongside recent withdrawal, poor sleep, poor intake, and mood changes.

🔷 Clients who begin giving away meaningful belongings may be preparing for self-harm or acting on hopeless thoughts.

🔷 Even if the client appears calmer or more talkative, this specific behavior can signal increased danger rather than recovery.

🔷 For this reason, giving away the car should be interpreted as a worsening finding and reported immediately for further suicide assessment.

Hygiene — Improvement

🟢 On day 1, the client had dirty clothing, body odor, and declined a shower, which reflected poor self-care and functional decline.

🟢 By day 3, the client showered without prompting, showing better participation in personal care and improved engagement in daily activities.

🟢 Improved hygiene often suggests increased energy, reduced withdrawal, and better ability to meet basic self-care needs.

🟢 In mental health assessment, independent grooming and bathing are important indicators of improved functioning.

🟢 For this reason, the change in hygiene should be classified as improvement.

Food intake — Improvement

🟣 On admission, the client refused lunch and had also reported a 12-lb weight loss in the last month, showing poor nutritional intake.

🟣 By day 3, the client ate 75% of lunch and dinner in the day room with peers, which indicates better appetite and improved social engagement.

🟣 Eating a meaningful portion of meals is a positive sign because it supports physical recovery and suggests less withdrawal.

🟣 Participation in meals with peers also reflects some improvement in interaction and activity tolerance.

🟣 For these reasons, food intake should be classified as improvement.

Condition of skin on right hand — Worsening

🔴 On day 1, the client’s hands were red, but the skin was intact, indicating irritation without breakdown.

🔴 By day 3, the hands remained reddened and now had a 1 cm x 1 cm area of peeling skin on the right hand, showing actual tissue damage.

🔴 This change means the compulsive handwashing is continuing to harm the skin and is not adequately controlled.

🔴 Skin breakdown also increases the risk for pain, infection, and further injury.

🔴 Because the hand has progressed from redness alone to peeling skin, this finding indicates worsening.

Rapid change in mood — Worsening

🟠 A rapid change in mood is concerning because sudden shifts in affect can signal emotional instability, worsening psychiatric risk, or possible movement toward a crisis state.

🟠 Although the client is now talkative and appears content, abrupt mood elevation after severe withdrawal can sometimes occur when a client has made a harmful decision or is becoming more unstable.

🟠 In mental health nursing, a sudden brightening of mood is not automatically a sign of recovery, especially when combined with giving away possessions.

🟠 This pattern should prompt careful reassessment for suicidal ideation, impulsivity, and changes in thought process.

🟠 For this reason, rapid change in mood should be interpreted as worsening, not simple improvement.

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Answer 3

Correct Answers

Blank 1 Correct Option: Posttraumatic
Blank 2 Correct Option: Assist the client in identifying positive aspects of life and Ask the client if they have feelings of impending doom.
Blank 3 Correct Option: Changes in sleep and Presence of flashbacks.

Rationale :

Potential Condition: Posttraumatic stress disorder

🔥This client is most likely experiencing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) because the symptoms followed a motor-vehicle crash and include nightmares, flashbacks, avoidance of driving, and reliving the traumatic event.

🔥PTSD commonly develops after exposure to a traumatic event and is characterized by intrusive recollections, avoidance behaviors, negative mood changes, and increased arousal.

🔥The client’s report of reliving the feeling of being trapped in the car throughout the day is a classic example of re-experiencing trauma.

🔥The persistence of symptoms over time and the impact on daily functioning make PTSD more likely than simple short-term stress or generalized anxiety alone.

🔥This diagnosis best fits the pattern of trauma-related intrusive symptoms and avoidance described in the scenario.

Actions

Instruct the client on deep breathing techniques

🔥Deep breathing techniques can help reduce anxiety, autonomic arousal, and panic-like symptoms associated with PTSD.

🔥Trauma-related symptoms often trigger a strong physiologic stress response, so breathing exercises give the client a simple coping tool to regain control.

🔥This intervention is practical, noninvasive, and can be used when the client feels overwhelmed by intrusive memories or fear.

🔥Teaching breathing exercises also supports self-management while other therapies are being arranged.

🔥This is an appropriate nursing action because it directly helps the client manage acute anxiety symptoms related to trauma.

Provide a schedule for cognitive behavioral therapy

🔥Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based treatment for PTSD and helps clients process trauma-related thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

🔥CBT can reduce the intensity of intrusive memories, avoidance behaviors, and negative emotional responses over time.

🔥Providing a schedule for therapy supports structure, continuity of care, and early engagement in treatment.

🔥This intervention is especially important because the client is asking for help to make the symptoms “go away,” showing readiness for treatment.

🔥This is an appropriate action because CBT is a key therapeutic approach for trauma-related disorders.

Parameters

Changes in sleep

🔥Sleep disturbance is a major feature of PTSD, and this client is already reporting nightmares and repeated awakenings.

🔥Monitoring changes in sleep helps the nurse evaluate whether symptoms are improving, worsening, or responding to treatment.

🔥Better sleep may indicate reduced nighttime trauma re-experiencing and improved emotional regulation.

🔥Ongoing poor sleep can worsen anxiety, mood symptoms, and the client’s overall ability to function.

🔥This is an important parameter because nightmares and insomnia are central symptoms of PTSD.

Presence of flashbacks

🔥 Flashbacks are a hallmark symptom of PTSD and are clearly present in this client, who reports reliving the crash throughout the day.

🔥 Monitoring the presence, frequency, and intensity of flashbacks is essential for evaluating treatment effectiveness.

🔥 A reduction in flashbacks suggests that the client is gaining better control over trauma re-experiencing symptoms.

🔥 Persistent or worsening flashbacks may indicate the need for additional therapy, medication evaluation, or closer follow-up.

🔥 This is a key monitoring parameter because flashbacks are one of the defining features of PTSD.

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Answer 4

Correct Answers:

A client who has dementia

Rationale :

🟣 A client who has dementia should be placed near the nurses' station because this location allows for closer observation and faster response to safety concerns.

🟣 Clients with dementia are at increased risk for confusion, wandering, falls, and difficulty following directions, which can place them in danger if they are not monitored closely.

🟣 Being near staff helps the nurse notice changes in behavior, provide frequent reorientation, and intervene quickly if the client becomes disoriented or attempts to leave the area unsafely.

🟣 This placement also supports supervision of basic needs such as toileting, hydration, and medication adherence.

🟣 For these reasons, the client with dementia is the highest priority for a room near the nurses' station.

A client who has generalized anxiety disorder

🟣 A client with generalized anxiety disorder may benefit from a calm, quiet environment rather than the increased activity and noise near the nurses' station.

🟣 This client does not usually require the same level of constant safety observation as a client with dementia.

A client who has paranoid personality disorder

🟣 A client with paranoid personality disorder may become more suspicious or uncomfortable in a high-traffic area where many staff are nearby.

🟣 This client is not the best choice for placement near the nurses' station unless there is a separate urgent safety concern.

A client who is experiencing mania

🟣 A client who is experiencing mania usually benefits from a low-stimulation environment to help reduce agitation and excessive activity.

🟣 Placing this client near the nurses' station could increase stimulation and worsen manic behavior.

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Answer 5

Correct Answers:

"What concerns or questions do you have about the treatment?"

Rationale :

🔵 Asking, "What concerns or questions do you have about the treatment?" is therapeutic because it encourages the client to express feelings, fears, and misunderstandings about electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).

🔵 This response respects the client’s autonomy and promotes informed decision-making rather than pressuring the client to agree.

🔵 Open-ended questions are especially useful because they allow the nurse to assess knowledge deficits and provide accurate education based on the client’s actual concerns.

🔵 The nurse’s role is to support the client with honest information and emotional support, not to coerce acceptance of the treatment.

🔵 This statement is the best response because it is client-centered, respectful, and therapeutic.

"The provider would not prescribe this treatment if it wasn't helpful."

🔵 This response is dismissive and does not address the client’s specific fears or questions about the treatment.

🔵 It also shifts the focus away from the client’s right to understand and participate in treatment decisions.

“I have seen a lot of success with this treatment in other clients."

🔵 This statement may sound reassuring, but it does not directly explore the client’s own concerns or support informed consent.

🔵 Therapeutic communication should focus on the client’s feelings rather than the nurse’s personal experience.

“It seems like you are having trouble following your treatment plan."

🔵 This statement is judgmental and may make the client feel criticized or misunderstood.

🔵 It can damage trust and does not promote open discussion about the treatment.

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Answer 6

Correct Answers:

Amnesia for several hr following the therapy

Rationale :

🟢 Amnesia for several hours after electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is an expected short-term effect of the treatment.

🟢 Clients commonly experience temporary memory loss and confusion immediately after ECT because the therapy intentionally induces a controlled seizure under anesthesia.

🟢 This memory impairment is usually short-lived and often affects the period surrounding the treatment rather than causing permanent global memory loss.

🟢 The nurse should monitor the client’s orientation, reassure them, and provide a safe environment until cognition improves.

🟢 For these reasons, temporary amnesia for several hours is the expected finding after ECT.

Confusion that lasts up to 1 week

🟢 Confusion may occur after ECT, but it is generally temporary and does not typically last as long as one week.

🟢 Prolonged confusion would be more concerning and should be further evaluated.

Experiencing tingling of the scalp for a few days

🟢 Tingling of the scalp is not a typical expected finding after ECT.

🟢 More common post-treatment effects include short-term confusion, headache, nausea, or temporary memory loss.

Waking up within 30 min after the procedure is complete

🟢 Clients often awaken within a relatively short time after ECT, but this option does not best answer the question about an expected clinical finding after treatment.

🟢 The more characteristic expected response is temporary amnesia following the therapy.

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Answer 7

Correct Answers:

Buprenorphine

Rationale :

🟠 Buprenorphine is used to manage opioid withdrawal because it is a partial opioid agonist that helps reduce withdrawal symptoms and cravings.

🟠 It works by binding to opioid receptors in a way that provides symptom relief without producing the same intense effects as full opioids.

🟠 This medication is commonly used in detoxification and maintenance treatment to support safer withdrawal and recovery.

🟠 Giving buprenorphine can help reduce discomfort such as muscle aches, nausea, anxiety, and autonomic symptoms that occur during withdrawal.

🟠 For these reasons, buprenorphine is the appropriate medication for a client experiencing opiate withdrawal.

Disulfiram

🟠 Disulfiram is used in the treatment of alcohol use disorder, not opioid withdrawal.

🟠 It causes unpleasant effects when alcohol is consumed and has no role in managing opiate withdrawal symptoms.

Quetiapine

🟠 Quetiapine is an atypical antipsychotic used for conditions such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and sometimes adjunctive depression treatment.

🟠 It is not a standard medication for treating opioid withdrawal.

Naloxone

🟠 Naloxone is used to reverse opioid overdose, especially respiratory depression, not routine withdrawal management.

🟠 In fact, naloxone can precipitate acute withdrawal if given to a client who is opioid dependent.

Distractor Analysis :

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Answer 8

Correct Highlights :

Provide structure and boundaries.
Redirect client to an appropriate activity.
Role-play responses to offensive behavior.
Suggest parent management training.

Rationale :

Risk for self-harm → Provide structure and boundaries

🟣This client has stated a plan to “kill themselves” and also shows escalating behavior such as pacing, clenched fists, and jaw tension, which indicates a high need for clear structure and limits.

🟣Providing structure and boundaries helps create a predictable, safe environment and reduces opportunities for impulsive self-destructive behavior.

🟣Adolescents with severe behavioral dysregulation often respond best to consistent expectations and firm, calm limit-setting.

🟣This intervention also helps staff maintain safety while avoiding unnecessary escalation.

🟣For this reason, providing structure and boundaries is an appropriate intervention for the client’s risk for self-harm.

Impaired impulse control → Redirect client to an appropriate activity

🟣This client demonstrates poor impulse control by causing another client to fall, becoming involved in a fight, pacing, using profanity, and blaming others.

🟣Redirection to an appropriate activity helps shift the client away from escalating behavior and toward a safer, more acceptable outlet.

🟣Redirection is a therapeutic intervention because it decreases stimulation from the triggering situation without confrontation.

🟣It also helps the client begin learning alternative responses to anger and agitation.

🟣This is the best intervention because it addresses impulsivity in a safe, practical, and nonthreatening way.

Impaired parenting → Role-play responses to offensive behavior

🟣 The parents state they are “giving up” on disciplining the client, which suggests they need support in learning more effective responses to the adolescent’s behavior.

🟣 Role-playing responses helps parents practice calm, consistent, and appropriate ways to respond to offensive or manipulative behavior.

🟣 This teaching method improves confidence and gives parents concrete strategies they can use at home.

🟣 It also supports more consistent discipline, which is important for adolescents with conduct-related behaviors.

🟣 For this reason, role-playing responses to offensive behavior is an appropriate intervention for impaired parenting.

Impaired parenting → Suggest parent management training

🟣The provider has already prescribed a meeting with parents for management training, which strongly supports this as an appropriate nursing intervention.

🟣Parent management training teaches caregivers how to use consistent rules, effective consequences, and positive reinforcement.

🟣This is especially helpful when parents feel frustrated, helpless, or ineffective in managing destructive behavior.

🟣Strengthening parenting skills can improve the family environment and reduce reinforcement of negative behaviors.

🟣This intervention is correct because parent management training directly addresses the parents’ difficulty coping with and disciplining the client.

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Answer 9

Correct Highlights :

questions reason to live if not working

Rationale :

🔴 The statement “questions reason to live if not working” requires immediate follow-up because it suggests hopelessness and possible suicidal ideation.

🔴 In a client with new-onset depressive symptoms, expressions about having no reason to live must always be treated as a priority safety concern.

🔴 This finding requires the nurse to assess directly for suicidal thoughts, plan, intent, and means without delay.

🔴 Safety concerns take priority over all other physical and emotional findings because self-harm can become life-threatening very quickly.

🔴 For this reason, this statement is the most urgent finding and must be followed up immediately.

Distractor Analysis :

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Answer 10

Correct Answers:

Provide the silent member extra time to respond to questions.

Rationale :

🔷 In a support group, a member who remains silent should be given extra time to respond because silence can reflect anxiety, mistrust, uncertainty, or a need for emotional safety before speaking.

🔷 Adolescents without housing may have experienced trauma, rejection, or instability, so forcing participation can damage trust and decrease engagement.

🔷 Allowing time communicates respect and creates a therapeutic, nonthreatening environment that encourages gradual involvement.

🔷 Group leaders should promote participation without shaming or pressuring members who are not yet ready to speak.

🔷 This intervention is correct because it supports group inclusion, respects the member’s pace, and encourages eventual participation in a therapeutic way.

Confront the silent member during the group meeting.

🔷 Confronting the member can increase anxiety, embarrassment, and resistance.

🔷 Therapeutic group leadership avoids singling out quiet members in a way that feels shaming.

Inform the group that active participation is a requirement.

🔷 Requiring active participation can create pressure and reduce psychological safety within the group.

🔷 Support groups work best when members are invited, not forced, to contribute.

Ask the silent member to leave the group.

🔷 Asking the member to leave is rejecting and nontherapeutic.

🔷 Silence alone is not a reason for exclusion from a support group.

Distractor Analysis :

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Findings	improvement	worsening
Giving away car
Hygiene
Food intake
Condition of skin on right hand
Rapid change in mood

RN Mental Health 2023

No.

1 :
A nurse is talking with a client who has schizophrenia and experiences persecutory delusions. The client states, "I think my food is poisoned." Which of the following actions should the nurse take to assist the client with improving reality testing?

2 :
A nurse on an inpatient mental health unit is caring for a client.

Correct Answers

3 :
A nurse is caring for a client.

Correct Answers

4 :
A nurse is making room assignments for a group of clients. Which of the following clients should the nurse place near the nurses' station?

5 :
A nurse is caring for a client who is being prescribed electroconvulsive therapy by the provider. The client states they do not want this treatment. Which of the following statements should the nurse make to the client?

6 :
A nurse is providing care for a client who has just received electroconvulsive therapy. Which of the following findings should the nurse expect after the treatment?

7 :
A nurse is caring for a client who is experiencing opiate withdrawal. Which of the following medications should the nurse plan to administer?

8 :
A nurse is planning care for a client and their family.

Correct Highlights :

9 :
A nurse in a primary care provider's office is caring for a client.

Correct Highlights :

10 :
A nurse is leading a community support group for adolescents without housing in which one member has remained silent throughout the discussion. Which of the following actions should the nurse take?

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RN Mental Health 2023

No.

1 : A nurse is talking with a client who has schizophrenia and experiences persecutory delusions. The client states, "I think my food is poisoned." Which of the following actions should the nurse take to assist the client with improving reality testing?

2 : A nurse on an inpatient mental health unit is caring for a client.

Correct Answers

3 : A nurse is caring for a client.

Correct Answers

4 : A nurse is making room assignments for a group of clients. Which of the following clients should the nurse place near the nurses' station?

5 : A nurse is caring for a client who is being prescribed electroconvulsive therapy by the provider. The client states they do not want this treatment. Which of the following statements should the nurse make to the client?

6 : A nurse is providing care for a client who has just received electroconvulsive therapy. Which of the following findings should the nurse expect after the treatment?

7 : A nurse is caring for a client who is experiencing opiate withdrawal. Which of the following medications should the nurse plan to administer?

8 : A nurse is planning care for a client and their family.

Correct Highlights :

9 : A nurse in a primary care provider's office is caring for a client.

Correct Highlights :

10 : A nurse is leading a community support group for adolescents without housing in which one member has remained silent throughout the discussion. Which of the following actions should the nurse take?

1 :
A nurse is talking with a client who has schizophrenia and experiences persecutory delusions. The client states, "I think my food is poisoned." Which of the following actions should the nurse take to assist the client with improving reality testing?

2 :
A nurse on an inpatient mental health unit is caring for a client.

3 :
A nurse is caring for a client.

4 :
A nurse is making room assignments for a group of clients. Which of the following clients should the nurse place near the nurses' station?

5 :
A nurse is caring for a client who is being prescribed electroconvulsive therapy by the provider. The client states they do not want this treatment. Which of the following statements should the nurse make to the client?

6 :
A nurse is providing care for a client who has just received electroconvulsive therapy. Which of the following findings should the nurse expect after the treatment?

7 :
A nurse is caring for a client who is experiencing opiate withdrawal. Which of the following medications should the nurse plan to administer?

8 :
A nurse is planning care for a client and their family.

9 :
A nurse in a primary care provider's office is caring for a client.

10 :
A nurse is leading a community support group for adolescents without housing in which one member has remained silent throughout the discussion. Which of the following actions should the nurse take?