A client who delivered a healthy newborn 4 weeks ago calls her provider's office and tells the nurse, "This baby constantly cries.
My partner works all the time, and I can't take any more.”. Which of the following responses is the nurse's priority?

Choice A rationale

Reaction formation involves behaving in a way that is the opposite of one's true feelings. The client's statement focuses on delaying health concerns rather than expressing the opposite of their anxiety about their diagnosis.

Choice B rationale

Splitting is a defense mechanism where individuals view themselves or others as all good or all bad. The client's statement does not demonstrate this polarized thinking; instead, it shows a postponement of addressing their health.

Choice C rationale

Projection involves attributing one's own unacceptable thoughts or feelings onto another person. The client is not attributing their feelings about their cancer diagnosis to someone else; they are simply putting off thinking about it.

Choice D rationale

Suppression is a conscious or semiconscious effort to avoid thinking about disturbing thoughts or feelings. The client is consciously stating their intention to not think about their cancer diagnosis until after their son's wedding, indicating a deliberate avoidance of the topic.

Choice A rationale

A need for only a couple of hours of sleep each night could suggest mania, a symptom associated with bipolar disorder, rather than schizophrenia. Individuals with schizophrenia often experience sleep disturbances, but this specific statement is more indicative of a manic episode.

Choice B rationale

Difficulty remembering where things are placed can be a symptom of various conditions, including normal aging, stress, depression, or cognitive impairments. While cognitive deficits can occur in schizophrenia, this statement alone is not a strong indicator of the disorder's core features.

Choice C rationale

The statement "I won't eat because I know that the food has been poisoned" is a paranoid delusion, a positive symptom commonly seen in schizophrenia. Delusions are fixed, false beliefs that are not based in reality and are a hallmark feature of psychotic disorders like schizophrenia.

Choice D rationale

Counting stairs to feel more in control could be a mild compulsion or a coping mechanism for anxiety. While anxiety can co-occur with schizophrenia, this behavior itself is not a primary diagnostic criterion for the disorder.