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A nurse is working with a client diagnosed with complex somatic symptom disorder. Which of the following would the nurse identify as the most difficult aspect of providing care to this client?
- A. Managing the client?s pain.
- B. Relieving the client?s anxiety.
- C. Developing the therapeutic relationship.
- D. Monitoring the client?s treatment program.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Developing a therapeutic relationship (C) is the most challenging in CSSD due to mistrust and symptom preoccupation. Managing pain (A), relieving anxiety (B), and monitoring treatment (D) are secondary to establishing trust.
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A client is being assessed for complex somatic symptom disorder. Which client statement would the nurse interpret as most likely supporting this diagnosis?
- A. It?s like my foot is asleep all the time; I can?t feel anything that touches my foot.
- B. I?m losing weight no matter what or how much I eat.
- C. I am always in pain; there is nothing I can do to relieve it.
- D. It seems like I am always having diarrhea at the most inconvenient times.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Chronic, unrelieved pain (C) strongly supports a CSSD diagnosis due to its persistent and distressing nature. Numbness (A) suggests functional neurologic symptoms, weight loss (B) aligns with eating disorders, and diarrhea (D) is less specific to CSSD.
The husband of a client diagnosed with complex somatic symptom disorder asks the nurse, What causes this condition? Which response by the nurse would be most accurate?
- A. There is definitely an underlying genetic link for this disorder.
- B. Your wife is experiencing chronic stress that causes hypoarousal.
- C. The symptoms reflect an emotion that your wife cannot verbalize.
- D. The symptoms reflect an internal preoccupation with events.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: CSSD symptoms often reflect unexpressed emotions (C), as psychological distress manifests physically. Genetic links (A) are not definitive, chronic stress (B) is too vague, and preoccupation with events (D) is less accurate than emotional expression.
A client is admitted to the mental health unit with a diagnosis of factitious disorder. When reviewing the client?s history, which of the following would the nurse most likely find?
- A. Intentional self-injurious behavior
- B. Pain to achieve a self-serving goal
- C. Malingering to avoid work
- D. Parents who were restrictive
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Factitious disorder involves fabricating symptoms, like pain, for psychological gain, such as attention (B). Self-injury (A) is more typical of borderline personality disorder, malingering (C) seeks external gain, and restrictive parents (D) are not specific.
A client has made multiple visits to the clinic. The nurse suspects that the client may be experiencing complex somatic symptom disorder based on which of the following?
- A. Expressions of concern about psychological problems
- B. Indications that parents were always in good health
- C. Reports of the same symptoms repeatedly
- D. Evidence of a need for social support from her friends
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Repeated reports of the same somatic symptoms (C) are characteristic of CSSD, reflecting persistent preoccupation with physical complaints. Psychological concerns (A) are less specific, parental health (B) is irrelevant, and social support needs (D) are not diagnostic.
The nurse is caring for a client in the neighborhood clinic. The client tells the nurse that ever since he was an adolescent, he has avoided social situations because he has one ear that is obviously bigger than the other ear. The nurse observes that one of the client?s ears does not appear to be larger than the other ear. The nurse suspects that the client may be experiencing which of the following?
- A. Complex somatic symptom disorder
- B. Functional neurologic symptoms
- C. Factitious disorder
- D. Body dysmorphic disorder
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Body dysmorphic disorder (D) involves preoccupation with a perceived physical flaw, like an ear size discrepancy, not observed by others. CSSD (A) involves broader somatic complaints, functional neurologic symptoms (B) involve motor/sensory deficits, and factitious disorder (C) involves intentional symptom fabrication.