NCLEX-RN — Mental Health flashcards
10 of 80 cards free to study here · 12 topics · the whole deck is built into Willys
Therapeutic communication, defense mechanisms, anxiety, trauma and panic, suicide risk, mania, schizophrenia, psychotropic adverse effects, eating disorders, withdrawal, personality disorders, delirium and dementia, abuse screening, and admission and restraint law.
Learn deck · part of NCLEX-RN · written against: NCSBN 2026 NCLEX-RN Test Plan, in effect from 1 April 2026 (Next Generation NCLEX; client-needs categories and percentages unchanged from 2023, fact-checked 2026-10-11). Updated 2026-10-10.
Study the free sample
10 cards from the deck as they are. Flip, rate yourself, filter by topic; your progress stays in this browser.
Tap the card or press Space to flip
The 10 sample cards as a list
-
A client says, "I just can't do this anymore." Which kind of nurse response is most therapeutic?One that reflects the feeling and invites more, such as "You sound exhausted. Tell me what has been happening." It keeps the focus on the client.Therapeutic Communication
Watch out: a statement like this also calls for a direct question about thoughts of suicide. -
After being criticized by his boss, a man comes home and yells at his children. Which defense mechanism is this?Displacement — feelings toward a threatening person or situation are discharged onto a safer, less powerful target.Defense Mechanisms
Watch out: displacement moves a feeling onto a safer target; projection pins one's own feeling on someone else. -
At which levels of anxiety can a client still learn new information?Mild and moderate anxiety. Perception narrows as anxiety rises: at severe anxiety the client cannot focus on teaching, and at panic level thinking is disorganized and the client may be unable to communicate.Anxiety Disorders
-
A client in acute mania has not eaten or slept in two days and cannot sit still. What is the nursing priority?Physical safety and nutrition and hydration: offer high-calorie finger foods and fluids that can be eaten on the move, reduce stimulation, and promote rest.Bipolar Disorder
Why: Maslow — physiological needs come first, and exhaustion in mania can be dangerous. -
Which symptoms of schizophrenia are 'positive' and which are 'negative'?Positive symptoms are added to normal experience: hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized speech or behavior. Negative symptoms are losses: flat affect, alogia (poverty of speech), avolition, anhedonia, and social withdrawal.Schizophrenia
-
Hours after a first dose of haloperidol, a young client's neck twists to one side and his eyes roll upward. What is happening, and what is the priority?Acute dystonia, an early extrapyramidal reaction. The nurse gives the ordered anticholinergic (such as benztropine or diphenhydramine) promptly and watches the airway, because laryngeal spasm can occur.Psychotropic Adverse Effects
Why: ABCs. -
How does anorexia nervosa typically differ from bulimia nervosa at the bedside?Anorexia brings a significantly low body weight, intense fear of weight gain, bradycardia, hypotension, hypothermia, and fine body hair (lanugo). In bulimia, weight is often normal, but binge-purge cycles cause dental erosion, swollen parotid glands, and calluses on the knuckles (Russell's sign).Eating Disorders
-
How are personality disorders grouped into clusters?Personality Disorders
- Cluster A (odd, eccentric): paranoid, schizoid, schizotypal.
- Cluster B (dramatic, erratic): antisocial, borderline, histrionic, narcissistic.
- Cluster C (anxious, fearful): avoidant, dependent, obsessive-compulsive.
Mnemonic: A is weird, B is wild, C is worried. -
Which criteria allow a person to be admitted involuntarily for psychiatric care?Because of a mental illness, the person is a danger to self, a danger to others, or gravely disabled — unable to meet basic needs such as food, clothing, or shelter. Exact procedures and time limits vary by state.Legal & Ethical
-
An older client is newly confused. How does the nurse tell delirium from dementia?Delirium comes on over hours to days, fluctuates, disrupts attention, and usually has a treatable cause such as infection, drugs, or hypoxia. Dementia develops over months to years with a steady decline and normal alertness early on.Neurocognitive Disorders
Watch out: delirium is a medical emergency, and dementia raises its risk.
Unlock the whole deck
You are studying a free 10-card sample. All 80 cards of NCLEX-RN — Mental Health, the other 19 NCLEX-RN decks, and spaced-repetition scheduling are built into Willys. 14-day free trial, then $14.99 a year.
In Willys, tap Exam Library at the top of your Decks (or Browse Exam Library… under the + button), find the exam on its shelf or by search, tick it and tap Add.
More NCLEX-RN decks
← All NCLEX-RN decks, with the study guide and topic outline.
About these cards
Review status: Second-reader reviewed, with corrections applied.
Checked against:
- NCSBN 2026 NCLEX-RN Test Plan, in effect from 1 April 2026 (topic outline only; no text copied)
- OpenStax Maternal-Newborn Nursing, OpenStax Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing and OpenStax Medical-Surgical Nursing, consulted as references where available; no text copied.
- Delirium and dementia care checked against National Institute on Aging guidance (public domain); bupropion contraindications against FDA prescribing information on DailyMed; abuse screening against USPSTF and NIA guidance; PTSD and functional neurological symptom disorder against DSM-5-TR criteria (reference only); no text copied.
These are independent study notes written for Willys. They are not official exam material, may contain mistakes, and are no substitute for your course, your teacher or the exam owner's own publications. Found an error? Tell us — corrections ship as a new version of the deck.
Not clinical guidance. These cards prepare you for an exam. Never use them to make decisions about a patient's care: follow current guidelines, prescribing information and your institution's policies. The decks contain no doses.
NCLEX®, NCLEX-RN® and NCLEX-PN® are registered trademarks of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc. (NCSBN), which is not affiliated with and does not endorse this product.
Use of these pages is covered by our Terms of Use.