CRNE Exam Prep

Category - Changes in Health

A nurse is assigned to care for Amanda, a 39-year-old lawyer who was recently diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder. Which of the following statements from Amanda would lead the nurse to suspect that Amanda’s anxiety has been a long-standing problem?

  1. “My mother was also diagnosed with general anxiety disorder when she was in her early 40s.”
  2. “Adjusting to college life was difficult. I never thought I would even receive a degree.”
  3. “I have always solved my problems on my own.”
  4. “I’ve had nightmares since my husband left me a year ago.”
Explanation

Answer: B - When a client reveals information about having difficulty adjusting to new stressors between 18 and 24 years of age, such as in college, a long-standing anxiety problem is suspected.

The other items are not indicative of a long-standing GAD. Anxiety may be familial, but the client's mother recieving the same diagnosis at the same age does not indicate the duration of the problem for the client. Most clients with GAD would rather solve their problems on their own, so the client's assertion of always solving problems of her own is not unusual. Chronic nightmares are a sign of post-traumatic stress disorder, not GAD.

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