A Patient Tearfully Says to a Nurse,"I Don't Want to Go

question 26

Multiple Choice

A patient tearfully says to a nurse,"I don't want to go on living now that my spouse has left me for someone else after 20 years.Our children are grown and don't need me.I just want to die." Which response is the most therapeutic?

• A) "You're young, and you will manage well. I know several people your age who've actually done better after divorcing their spouses."
• B) "It always seems bleak when we lose someone we've loved. Don't worry, it will work out-we just need to think this through."
• C) "So your spouse is off having a midlife crisis and you are here thinking of killing yourself. Let's focus on how to make you feel better."
• D) "I am very concerned about you wanting to die because your spouse left. Rather than trying to solve all the problems immediately let's focus on your feelings of hopelessness right now."

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Definitions:

Skeptical

Having an attitude of doubt or a disposition to incredulity either in general or toward a particular object.

Oversimplify

To reduce something to its simplest form, often to the point of misrepresenting or misunderstanding the complexity of the subject.

Theories

Systematic sets of ideas or principles that explain phenomena or concepts, typically developed through observation and experimentation.

Norms

Shared standards of behavior that are considered acceptable within a group or society.