Which of the following questions in the assessment of a client ...

[Collmarie]

Which of the following questions in the assessment of a client with anxiety is most clinically appropriate?
 
  A) What can I give you to make you feel less anxious right now?
  B) Does your anxiety make you feel less valuable and competent as a person?
  C) Do you think that you're justified in feeling anxious right now?
  D) How do you feel about everything that is happening in your life right now?

Question 2

A college student who was the victim of an attempted sexual assault has sought care due to anxiety that is affecting every aspect of her life.
 
  Which of the following characteristics of the woman's situation and her anxiety would suggest a diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) rather than acute stress disorder?
 
  A) The attack took place several months ago, and her anxiety has been continuous.
  B) Complementary and alternative therapies have failed to resolve the woman's anxiety.
  C) The attack was an isolated, rather than ongoing, event.
  D) Concerns for her safety have caused the woman to change her daily routines.

[orangecrush]

Answer to Question 1

Ans: D
An open-ended question that prompts the client to describe his or her current feelings is a useful assessment technique. Offering medications or other solutions, asking if the client feels justified in his or her feelings, and questioning the client's self-worth are not normally appropriate, or effective, assessment techniques.

Answer to Question 2

Ans: A
Acute stress disorder is differentiated from PTSD in that symptoms occur during or immediately after the trauma and last for at least 2 days. If symptoms do not resolve within 4 weeks after the conclusion of the event, the diagnosis is changed to PTSD. The two diagnoses are not differentiated on the basis of response to alternative therapies, the presence of a one-time causative event, or changes in the client's routine in response to anxiety.