Author Question: A nurse on the behavioral health unit is caring for a client diagnosed with depression, who just ... (Read 89 times)

lbcchick · **on:** Jun 25, 2018

A nurse on the behavioral health unit is caring for a client diagnosed with depression, who just lost a spouse in a motor-vehicle accident.

The client states to the nurse, my wife would not have wanted to live if she were disabled. Based on this statement, which defense mechanism is the client using?
A) Identification
B) Denial
C) Intellectualization
D) Displacement

Question 2

The nurse is providing care to a preadolescent client who is diagnosed with an eating disorder. The client's mother states, I am very weight and exercise conscious.

This must be a genetic trait from her birth mother. Based on this data, which conclusion by the nurse is the most appropriate?
A) The mother is obsessed with weight and exercise, and the child learned the behavior.
B) The child must have inherited a genetic predisposition to an eating disorder.
C) The child must have a neurotransmitter abnormality.
D) The mother is setting a good example with eating and exercise.

Ahnyah · **Reply #1 on:** Jun 25, 2018

Answer to Question 1

Answer: C

Intellectualization is a mechanism by which an emotional response that normally would accompany an uncomfortable or painful incident is evaded by the use of rational explanations that remove from the incident any personal significance and feelings. Identification is an attempt to manage anxiety by imitating the behavior of someone feared or respected. Denial is an attempt to screen or ignore unacceptable realities by refusing to acknowledge them. Displacement is the transferring or discharging of emotional reactions from one object or individual to another object or individual.

Answer to Question 2

Answer: A

Many families of clients with eating disorders are achievement and performance oriented, with high ambition for the success of all members. In these families, body shape is related to success, and priorities are established for physical appearance and fitness. A family's focus on professional achievement as well as on food, diet, exercise, and weight control may become obsessive. The mother states that she is weight and exercise conscious, which could be a reason as to why the child has an eating disorder. There is not enough information to determine whether the child does or does not have a genetic predisposition to an eating disorder or a neurotransmitter abnormality. The mother is not setting a good example by being overly focused on eating and exercise.