A nurse is caring for a client with OCD who has a compulsion to wash their hands repeatedly. Which of the following interventions should the nurse prioritize?
Teach the client relaxation techniques.
Encourage the client to talk about their thoughts and feelings.
Assist the client in developing a hierarchy of feared situations.
Praise the client for decreasing the frequency of handwashing.
The Correct Answer is C
Choice A rationale:
Teach the client relaxation techniques. While teaching relaxation techniques can be beneficial, it may not directly address the client's compulsion to wash their hands repeatedly. OCD involves managing distressing thoughts and compulsions through specific interventions.
Choice B rationale:
Encourage the client to talk about their thoughts and feelings. While promoting open communication is generally important, it may not be the most effective intervention for directly addressing the client's compulsion to wash their hands. OCD interventions often involve exposure and response prevention strategies.
Choice C rationale:
Assist the client in developing a hierarchy of feared situations. This is the correct answer. Helping the client develop a hierarchy of feared situations is a key intervention in addressing OCD. This approach is part of exposure and response prevention therapy, where clients gradually face their fears without engaging in compulsive behaviors.
Choice D rationale:
Praise the client for decreasing the frequency of handwashing. While positive reinforcement can be useful, it may not be the priority intervention for someone with OCD. The focus should be on structured interventions that challenge and reduce the compulsive behaviors over time.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is B
Explanation
Choice A rationale:
Taking the SSRI in the morning might be recommended to mitigate potential sleep disturbances related to the medication. However, the client's reported difficulty sleeping is likely influenced by factors beyond the timing of medication administration.
Choice B rationale:
The correct response addresses lifestyle modifications that can improve sleep quality. Caffeine and alcohol are known to disrupt sleep, especially when taken close to bedtime. Avoiding these substances can promote better sleep for the client.
Choice C rationale:
Regular exercise can indeed contribute to improved sleep, but its effect might vary for individuals. While exercise can be part of a healthy routine, it might not directly address the client's reported difficulty sleeping due to the SSRI.
Choice D rationale:
Taking a warm bath before bed can promote relaxation and potentially aid in sleep, but it might not be as effective in resolving the client's specific sleep problems related to SSRI use.
Correct Answer is A
Explanation
Choice A rationale:
Exposure and response prevention is a cornerstone of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for OCD. It involves exposing the individual to anxiety-provoking situations (exposure) and then preventing the usual compulsive response that reduces anxiety (response prevention) This helps the individual learn that their feared outcomes are unlikely to occur and that their anxiety will diminish over time without engaging in rituals.
Choice B rationale:
Systematic desensitization is a technique used to treat phobias and anxiety disorders by gradually exposing the individual to their feared stimuli while teaching relaxation techniques. While it may have some applicability in OCD treatment, it is not as directly aligned with the core features of OCD as exposure and response prevention.
Choice C rationale:
Flooding is a therapeutic technique that involves exposing the individual to an extreme level of their fear in order to diminish the anxiety response over time. While this approach might be used in certain anxiety disorders, it is not typically the first-line intervention for OCD. Exposure and response prevention is a more gradual and controlled technique that is better suited for OCD treatment.
Choice D rationale:
Thought stopping involves interrupting obsessive thoughts by using cues or distractions. This technique is not as effective in treating OCD as exposure and response prevention, which directly addresses the connection between obsessions and compulsions. Thought stopping may not provide the individual with a comprehensive strategy for managing their OCD symptoms.
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