The nurse assesses a client who recently immigrated to the United ...

[jace]

The nurse assesses a client who recently immigrated to the United States from Haiti. The client reports upset stomach and diarrhea. He explains that a witch doctor put a curse on him and that he sometimes sees evil spirits around him.
 
  The most accurate way to describe this type of illness would be as a:
  A) Mental illness
  B) Gastrointestinal disorder
  C) Culture-bound syndrome
  D) Hypochondria

Question 2

Primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of prevention help reduce risk, identify and limit disabilities, and reduce complications of mental health problems. Which exemplifies a tertiary prevention strategy for mental health problems?
 
  A) Screen for mental health disorders
  B) Refer high-risk people for diagnostic services
  C) Provide mental health services following stressful community events
  D) Promote support groups for people with mental health disorders

[akpaschal]

Answer to Question 1

Ans: C
Feedback:
Mental health and, conversely, mental illness are concepts bound by culture. Understanding of what connotes mental health is shaped by social norms that evolve from generation to generation. In Western cultures, medical science interprets any deviation from normative function of the five senses as indicative of a psychotic disorder. Hearing a voice, claiming to see an object, or having certain tactile sensations is viewed as a pathological state to be treated by psychiatric professionals. In some parts of the world, spiritual possession and belief in healers with special powers are culture-bound syndromes. Although gastrointestinal symptoms are involved in this client's condition, he suffers from more than just a gastrointestinal disorder. Hypochondria, or a condition in which one imagines that he or she has an illness but really does not, would not be applicable because the client has real symptoms and comes from a culture in which his illness is acknowledged as such.

Answer to Question 2

Ans: D
Feedback:
Tertiary prevention strategies include promoting support groups for people with mental health disorders and initiating health-promotion activities as a part of rehabilitation services. Secondary strategies include screening for mental health disorders, referring high-risk people for diagnostic services, and providing mental health services following stressful community events.