Exam 12: Anxiety and Anxiety Disorders

A college student who usually gets "straight-A" grades scored a C on a difficult examination.When he received the grade,he began to shake,sweat profusely,and feel sick to his stomach.The best explanation for the student's reaction is that:

A patient with an intense fear of cats reports that after 2 weeks of therapy,she no longer sweats or becomes nauseated when she sees a cat on television but still cannot be in the same room with a cat.The nurse would interpret this change as meaning that the patient:

Two forms of therapy that call for the nurse to plan for an initial rise in patient anxiety level are:

A patient complains of tension,indigestion,and difficult concentrating;his resting pulse is 110/minute.An appropriate nursing response would be:

A famous general sometimes slowed down his entire army because he felt he must count all the windows in each of the buildings he passed.A patient feels that he must repeat washing his hands three times each time he washes.The nurse recognizes that such behaviors serve the purpose of reducing:

The nurse is assisting a patient with obsessive thoughts.The advanced practice nurse suggests using thought-stopping techniques.Which of the following is an example of such a technique?

A patient who has been unable to leave his home for more than a month because of symptoms of severe anxiety tells the nurse,"I know it's probably crazy,but I just can't bring myself to leave my apartment alone.And I can't expect somebody to take me to work every day." The nurse can make the assessment that the patient is:

A patient is hospitalized for acute respiratory distress related to pneumonia and has improved.On admission she had been very anxious because she could not get her breath.On the night shift,she is found to be restless and disorganized in her behavior and conversation.Which of the following nursing interventions should be implemented first?

The nurse caring for a patient who has been diagnosed as having generalized anxiety disorder tells a preceptor,"I find myself feeling uncomfortable and anxious around the patient.When he starts trembling and perspiring and pacing,I find myself with cold,clammy hands,and my pulse races.I start worrying whether I will be able to help him stay in control." In such an interaction,the patient will most likely experience:

A patient who asked for and was refused a pass to leave the unit left the nurse's station and went to his room,where he slammed his closet door several times while looking for a sweater.This behavior is an example of __________ use of __________ .

A patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is hospitalized for respiratory distress and has improved.She becomes very anxious when experiencing shortness of breath.One evening she is found to be restless and disorganized in her behavior and conversation.Which of the following should be considered first in determining the possible causes of these changes?

A patient who asked for and was refused a pass to leave the unit left the nurse's station and went to his room,where he slammed his closet door several times while looking for a sweater.A nurse came into the room and remarked,"You seem pretty angry." The patient replied that he was not the least bit angry.What defense mechanism is the patient demonstrating?

A patient who has been pacing rapidly for the past hour cannot immediately be located on the unit.When he is found,he is in his closet,rocking back and forth rapidly and talking rapidly to himself.When staff approach,he only seems to notice them momentarily,then leaves his room and begins running up and down the hallway.Which of the following interventions should be attempted at this point?

The husband who is sexually inadequate and blames it on his partner,saying that her expectations are unrealistic and that no man could meet them,may be demonstrating:

A patient who is a university student states that before taking an examination he feels a heightened sense of awareness,a sense of restlessness,and a mild degree of apprehension.Which nursing intervention is most therapeutic?

An anxious patient who receives anxiolytic medication every 6 hours PRN is in the corridor pacing.He grabs the arms of anyone who comes along and asks "When can I have medication?" His voice is high pitched and shaky.His respiratory rate is rapid.His assigned nurse should intervene by:

A patient is noted to have a high level of non-goal-directed motor activity,running from chair to chair in the solarium.He is wide eyed and seems terror stricken.He cries,"They're coming! They're coming!" He neither follows staff direction nor responds to verbal efforts to calm him.Which nursing response should be the highest priority?

A rather unattractive woman seems to work diligently to be an excellent mother and a bright,exceptional employee,striving to please her husband and her boss,sometimes to the point that she sacrifices her own needs to assure that their needs are met.This is an example of:

A patient who is a recovering alcoholic has been diagnosed as having panic attacks.The psychiatrist mentions plans to treat the patient with daily doses of medication.Of the medications listed below,for which drug should the nurse plan patient teaching?

Which assessment question would be highly appropriate to ask a patient with possible generalized anxiety disorder ?