A nurse is caring for a client who escapes anxiety-causing thoughts by ignoring their existence. The nurse should recognize this behavior as which of the following defense mechanisms?

When assisting with the admission of a client who reports feeling depressed, sad, moody, and overly anxious, the nurse should prioritize assessing the client's suicide risk. This is because the client's symptoms, particularly feelings of depression and anxiety, can indicate a higher risk for self-harm or suicide. Assessing suicide risk is crucial to ensure the client's safety and provide appropriate interventions if needed.

incorrect:

B. Coping abilities: While assessing coping abilities is important to understand how the client manages stress and emotional challenges, it is secondary to assessing suicide risk. Coping abilities can be explored in subsequent assessments to determine the client's resilience and available resources for support.

C. Psychiatric history: Although understanding the client's psychiatric history is relevant for comprehensive care, it may not be the most immediate concern during the admission process. Assessing suicide risk takes precedence to ensure the client's safety.

D. Support systems: While assessing the client's support systems is valuable for understanding the available network of support, it should not take priority over assessing suicide risk. The client's immediate safety and potential need for intervention require immediate attention.

Answer: C

Rationale:

A) Displacement:

Displacement involves redirecting emotions or feelings from the original source to a safer or more acceptable substitute. In this scenario, the client is not redirecting their feelings about their condition onto another person or object, so displacement does not apply.

B) Reaction formation:

Reaction formation is when a person behaves in a way that is opposite to their actual feelings or thoughts to conceal them. The client is not expressing the opposite of their true feelings about their condition; instead, they are downplaying the seriousness of their diagnosis.

C) Denial:

Denial involves refusing to accept reality or facts, thus blocking external events from awareness. By believing that proper diet and exercise alone will make the joint pain go away, the client is refusing to accept the chronic nature of their condition and its long-term implications.

D) Rationalization:

Rationalization involves creating logical reasons or excuses for behaviors or feelings to avoid facing the true reasons. The client is not making excuses or trying to justify their feelings; instead, they are denying the chronic nature of their arthritis, which makes denial the correct defense mechanism in this context.