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HESI Mental Health Exam 2 | 2025/2026 Latest Edition Real Exam Questions and Verified Answers | 100% Correct | Nursing Exams Introduction This resource presents 50 verified questions and correct answers from the latest HESI Mental Health Exam 2 for the 2025/2026 testing cycle. Designed to reflect current psychiatric nursing standards, it helps learners master key mental health principles essential for NCLEX success and clinical performance.Answer Format All correct answers are clearly marked in bold and green for efficient and effective study.
HESI Mental Health Exam 2 Question 1 A client with depression reports lack of interest in daily activities. Which nursing intervention is most appropriate?
- Encourage competitive activities
- Encourage small, achievable tasks
- Ignore the lack of interest
- Assign complex projects
- “Those voices aren’t real.”
- “That must be distressing. Can you describe them?”
- “Just try to ignore them.”
- “Everyone hears voices sometimes.”
- Encourage group discussions 1 / 2
Rationale: Encouraging small, achievable tasks promotes success and motivation in depression. Competitive or complex activities may overwhelm, and ignoring is not therapeutic.Question 2 A client with schizophrenia reports auditory hallucinations. Which response by the nurse is most therapeutic?
Rationale: Acknowledging distress and exploring hallucinations validates the client’s experience and aids assessment. Dismissing, ignoring, or minimizing is not therapeutic.Question 3 A client with bipolar disorder in a manic phase is pacing rapidly. Which intervention should the nurse prioritize?
- Redirect to a low-stimulus activity
- Allow unrestricted pacing
- Increase sensory stimulation
- Administer a bronchodilator
- Assess respiratory status
- Encourage hyperventilation
- Ignore as anxiety-related
- Encourage reliving the trauma
- Use grounding techniques
- Increase exposure to triggers
- Ignore the flashbacks
- Demand the client stop checking
- Set time limits for rituals and teach coping skills
- Ignore the behavior
- Allow unlimited checking
- Mild anxiety
- / 2
Rationale: Redirecting to a low-stimulus activity reduces agitation in mania. Group discussions, unrestricted pacing, or increased stimulation may escalate symptoms.Question 4 A client with anxiety disorder reports shortness of breath. Which action should the nurse take first?
Rationale: Assessing respiratory status rules out medical causes of shortness of breath in anxiety. Bronchodilators, hyperventilation, or ignoring are not appropriate first steps.Question 5 A client with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) reports flashbacks. Which intervention should the nurse recommend?
Rationale: Grounding techniques help clients with PTSD manage flashbacks by focusing on the present. Reliving trauma, increasing triggers, or ignoring is not therapeutic.Question 6 A client with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) spends hours checking locks. Which nursing approach is most effective?
Rationale: Setting time limits and teaching coping skills reduces OCD rituals while promoting adaptive strategies. Demanding cessation, ignoring, or allowing unlimited checking is not effective.Question 7 A client with alcohol use disorder is admitted for detoxification. Which symptom requires immediate intervention?
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