Psychiatric Nursing Practice Questions
Every article in this section ends with original clinical-judgment questions. This page collects them by topic so you can practise across the whole subject, then open the article behind any rationale you could not explain.
How to use these questions
Read the stem, decide on the safety priority before looking at the options, choose, then read the rationale even when you are right. If the rationale contains a word you could not define, that is the topic to review. Distractors in psych questions are usually responses that are kind but not therapeutic, or actions that are correct but not first.
Warm-up: mixed questions
A patient on the unit says, 'The nurses are putting something in my food.' Which response is most therapeutic?
Which change in a patient with depression should the nurse treat as an increase in suicide risk rather than improvement?
A patient started an antipsychotic recently and now has a high temperature, rigid muscles and a fluctuating level of consciousness. What is the nurse's priority?
Questions by topic
Therapeutic communication
Choose the therapeutic response and spot the non-therapeutic distractors.
Practise →Mania
Priority actions, limit setting and physiological needs.
Practise →Lithium
Toxicity cues, hydration and the sodium trap.
Practise →Hallucinations
Therapeutic responses and command hallucination safety.
Practise →Suicide risk assessment
Asking directly, warning signs and next actions.
Practise →Clozapine
ANC monitoring and the symptoms that cannot wait.
Practise →Schizophrenia
Positive vs negative symptoms and priority interventions.
Practise →Nursivelle materials are provided for educational and study purposes only. They are not a substitute for professional clinical judgment, institution-specific policies, instructor guidance, required course materials, or professional medical advice. Always follow your program's current references and your facility's protocols.