A nurse is planning care for a client with a somatic symptom illness. The client keeps a detailed journal of physical symptoms and associated emotions. Which statement is accurate regarding the nurse's intervention?

Choice A rationale:

Providing excessive attention to the client's physical complaints is not conducive to the client's progress. While it's important to address the client's concerns, excessive focus on physical complaints can reinforce illness behavior and hinder the development of healthier coping mechanisms.

Choice B rationale:

Withholding praise for the client's achievements is not supportive of the client's progress. Positive reinforcement is essential for motivating and reinforcing adaptive behaviors. By acknowledging the client's achievements, the nurse can boost their self-esteem and encourage continued improvement.

Choice C rationale:

Acknowledging and praising the client for their improvement is a beneficial approach. Positive reinforcement enhances the client's sense of accomplishment and encourages them to continue engaging in positive behaviors. This approach fosters a therapeutic relationship and supports the client's journey towards better health.

Choice D rationale:

Encouraging the client to focus solely on their illness behavior is counterproductive. Overemphasis on illness behavior can perpetuate the symptoms and prevent the client from developing a broader sense of identity and well-being.

Choice A rationale:

Complete recovery is a possible outcome for some individuals with somatic symptom illnesses, where they no longer meet the diagnostic criteria for the illness. With appropriate treatment and interventions, individuals can experience improvements in their symptoms and overall functioning.

Choice B rationale:

While symptoms can vary, stating that symptoms will worsen over time, leading to severe impairment in functioning (Choice B) is not accurate for the majority of cases of somatic symptom illnesses. Most individuals can experience improvement with proper management and treatment.

Choice C rationale:

Complete disappearance of symptoms after a single round of medication (Choice C) is unlikely for most somatic symptom illnesses. These conditions often have complex underlying factors that require a multidimensional approach for effective management.

Choice D rationale:

While mood improvement is possible with treatment, stating that the physical symptoms will remain unchanged (Choice D) is overly pessimistic. Treatment approaches aim to address both physical and psychological aspects of somatic symptom illnesses.