A patient diagnosed with depression tells the nurse that his pain ...

[khang]

A patient diagnosed with depression tells the nurse that his pain has been unrelenting over the last several weeks. What should the nurse consider as contributing to this patient's amount of pain?
 
  1. Depression can cause an increase in pain sensations.
  2. The pain medication has not been working.
  3. Medication to treat the depression is interfering with the control of pain.
  4. The patient is exaggerating the amount of pain.

Question 2

A female patient tells the nurse that at times the pain she has is so severe that she cannot move or get out of bed at home. What should the nurse realize is contributing to this patient's pain?
 
  1. gender
  2. overuse of alcohol
  3. overuse of pain medication
  4. too much sleep and rest

[Bigfoot1984]

Answer to Question 1

Correct Answer: 1
Depression is clearly linked to pain. Serotonin, a neurotransmitter, is involved in the modulation of pain in the central nervous system. In clinically depressed people, serotonin is decreased, leading to an increase in pain sensations. The nurse has no way of knowing if the patient's pain medication is not controlling the pain. There is also no way of knowing if the medication used to treat the patient's depression is interfering with the control of pain. The nurse cannot make the assumption that the patient is exaggerating the amount of pain.

Answer to Question 2

Correct Answer: 1
The pain threshold is the point at which a stimulus elicits a response. Clinical and animal studies show that women have a lower pain threshold and experience a higher intensity of pain than men. Medications, alcohol, sleep, and rest may raise pain tolerance.