HESI Mental Health Exam 3 | 2025/2026 Latest Edition Real Exam Questions and Verified Answers | 100% Correct | Exams of Nursing Introduction This resource presents 50 verified questions and correct answers from the latest HESI Mental Health Exam 3 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 3 Question 1 A client with depression reports hopelessness. Which response by the nurse is most therapeutic?
- “You’ll feel better soon.”
- “It sounds like you’re feeling overwhelmed. Can you share more?”
- “Everyone feels hopeless sometimes.”
- “Let’s focus on something positive.”
- Ignore the hallucinations
- Assess the commands and ensure safety
- Administer an antipsychotic immediately
- Encourage following the commands
Rationale: Encouraging the client to express feelings validates their emotions and promotes therapeutic communication. Reassurance, minimization, or redirection is less effective.Question 2 A client with schizophrenia reports command hallucinations. Which action should the nurse take first?
Rationale: Assessing commands and ensuring safety is the priority for command
hallucinations in schizophrenia. Ignoring, medicating without assessment, or encouraging commands is unsafe.Question 3 A client with bipolar disorder in a depressive phase reports fatigue. Which intervention should the nurse recommend? 1 / 2
- Increase caffeine intake
- Encourage light physical activity
- Avoid all rest periods
- Restrict all fluids
- Administer a beta-blocker
- Assess vital signs
- Encourage hyperventilation
- Ignore as anxiety-related
- Force exposure to triggers
- Teach coping skills for gradual exposure
- Ignore the avoidance
- Encourage isolation
- “Those thoughts aren’t real.”
- “That must be distressing. Can we discuss ways to manage them?”
- “Just try to ignore them.”
- “Everyone has intrusive thoughts.”
- Fluoxetine
- Chlordiazepoxide
- / 2
Rationale: Light physical activity improves energy and mood in depression. Caffeine, avoiding rest, or restricting fluids may worsen symptoms.Question 4 A client with panic disorder reports palpitations. Which action should the nurse take first?
Rationale: Assessing vital signs rules out medical causes of palpitations in panic disorder.Beta-blockers, hyperventilation, or ignoring are not appropriate first steps.Question 5 A client with PTSD reports avoidance of trauma triggers. Which intervention should the nurse recommend?
Rationale: Coping skills for gradual exposure help manage PTSD avoidance behaviors.Forcing exposure, ignoring, or isolation is not therapeutic.Question 6 A client with OCD reports intrusive thoughts. Which response by the nurse is most therapeutic?
Rationale: Acknowledging distress and offering coping strategies is therapeutic for OCD.Dismissing, ignoring, or minimizing thoughts is not helpful.Question 7 A client with alcohol withdrawal reports tremors. Which medication should the nurse anticipate?