ATI RN
ATI Mental Health Nursing 12601 Exam Questions
Question 1 of 5
The interdisciplinary team is planning care for a client with bipolar disorder that had some psychological tests completed. The nurse recognizes which discipline of the team will interpret the results of those tests and participate in the design of therapies for the client?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Psychologists are trained to administer and interpret psychological tests and design psychotherapeutic interventions based on those results. Psychiatric nurses provide direct care and may collaborate, but test interpretation is not their primary role. Psychiatrists focus on medical management and diagnosis, not test interpretation. Recreation therapists use activities for therapeutic purposes, not psychological testing.
Question 2 of 5
A nurse is caring for a client in a mental health setting. During the working phase of a therapeutic relationship, which action by the nurse would best help the client to explore problems?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Encouraging clarification of feelings and behaviors fosters insight and exploration, key in the working phase. Solutions (
A) come later, self-help groups (
C) are external, and coping comparisons (
D) are evaluative, not exploratory.
Question 3 of 5
A nurse is taking care of a client in a mental health facility. Which is the most important skill the nurse must bring to the therapeutic nurse-client relationship?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Empathy, understanding the client’s feelings, fosters trust and connection, essential for therapeutic relationships. Objectivity (
A), approachability (
B), and interest (
C) are important but secondary to empathy’s emotional depth.
Question 4 of 5
Which response by the nurse would be most therapeutic when a client expresses anger about being discharged?
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Acknowledging the client’s anger and inviting them to express their feelings promotes therapeutic communication, fostering trust and understanding. Option A is dismissive, B is judgmental, and D assumes a preference without exploring the client’s emotions.
Question 5 of 5
A nurse is caring for a client admitted to the emergency room exhibiting impulsive behaviors of rage and anger. Dysfunction in which brain structure contributes to this behavior?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The hypothalamus regulates emotions and autonomic responses; its dysfunction can lead to impulsive rage and anger. The cerebellum coordinates movement, basal ganglia influence motor control and emotions (but less directly), and the spinal cord handles sensory/motor signals, not emotions.