Nokea
A patient diagnosed with somatic symptom disorder tells the nurse, "It's starting again. I feel as though my heart is beating out of my chest and I can't breathe." The nurse should provide what response to best address the patient's symptoms?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Patients with somatic symptom disorders have difficulty communicating their emotional needs. As children, their family communication style may have neglected the appropriate expression of anger, depression, fear, and other emotions, and thus they do not recognize feelings nor understand how to relate to them. The feeling of anxiety may cause tightness in the stomach, nausea, rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, dizziness, sweating, and tensing of muscles such as the hands or jaw. If a person is taught to consider the relationship of emotions to physical symptoms, the person will likely identify that he or she is anxious. Offering medical interventions are not addressing the likely trigger for the symptoms. Accusing the patient of being dramatic will likely serve to only increase the anxiety already being experienced.