A female client with pain who has been diagnosed with somatic ...

[EY67]

A female client with pain who has been diagnosed with somatic symptom disorder and depression is prescribed medication therapy to treat both the pain and the symptoms of depression.
 
  When educating the client about the medication, which of the following would the nurse emphasize?
 
  A) Use of sunscreen when exposed to bright sunlight
  B) Limiting of the amount of water ingested
  C) Avoiding foods such as aged cheeses
  D) Stopping the medication if there is no change after 1 week

Question 2

The husband of a client diagnosed with somatic symptom disorder asks the nurse, What causes this condition? Which response by the nurse would be most accurate?
 
  A) There is definitely an underlying genetic link for this disorder.
  B) Your wife is experiencing chronic stress that causes hypoarousal.
  C) The symptoms reflect an emotion that your wife cannot verbalize.
  D) The symptoms reflect an internal preoccupation with events.

[BUTTHOL369]

Answer to Question 1

Ans: C
The client most likely is prescribed phenelzine, a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) that has been effective in treating not just clients with depression, but also the chronic pain and headaches common in people with complex somatic symptom disorder. Clients who take phenelzine should avoid foods high in tyramine (e.g., aged cheese) to prevent a hypertensive crisis. Photosensitivity is not associated with the use of MAOIs. Water intake needs to be monitored when lithium is used. Clients should also be encouraged to give the medications enough time to be effective because many medications require up to 6 weeks before the patient has a response or a relief of symptoms.

Answer to Question 2

Ans: C
Somatic symptom disorder has been explained as a form of social or emotional communication, meaning that the body symptoms express an emotion that cannot be verbalized by the individual. Although there is some evidence to support a genetic component, the exact transmission mechanism is unclear. In individuals with this disorder, chronic activation of the hypothalamicpituita ryadrenal axis indicates a hyperarousal condition from chronic stress. Additionally, the personality trait alexithymia is associated with somatic symptoms. These individuals have difficulty identifying and expressing their emotions, have a preoccupation with external events, and are described as concrete thinkers.

[EY67]

Excellent

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