A nurse is providing education to a client diagnosed with a specific phobia. Which medication class should the nurse include in the teaching plan?

Choice D rationale:

The individual fears or avoids certain situations due to thoughts of difficulty escaping or lack of available help in case of developing incapacitating symptoms (Choice D) is a characteristic of agoraphobia. Individuals with agoraphobia often fear being in situations where escape might be challenging or help might not be readily available if they experience intense anxiety or panic symptoms.

Choice A rationale:

The fear or anxiety is not better explained by another mental disorder (Choice A) is a general criterion for diagnosing anxiety disorders, but it doesn't specifically relate to agoraphobia.

Choice B rationale:

The individual fears or avoids social situations due to the perceived threat of negative evaluation (Choice B) is more indicative of social anxiety disorder, not agoraphobia.

Choice C rationale:

The fear or anxiety is persistent, typically lasting for 6 months or more (Choice C) is a general criterion for diagnosing anxiety disorders, but it doesn't uniquely characterize agoraphobia.

Choice B rationale:

The client's intense fear of embarrassing themselves in front of others and the specific fear related to giving a presentation are indicative of social phobia (social anxiety disorder) Social phobia involves an excessive fear of social situations where the individual fears negative evaluation or judgment by others, leading to avoidance of such situations.

Choice A rationale:

While the client's fear is related to public speaking, the emphasis is on the fear of embarrassment and negative evaluation rather than a fear of a specific object or situation, which aligns more with social phobia.

Choice C rationale:

Agoraphobia does not align with the client's fear of public speaking. Agoraphobia involves the fear of situations where escape might be difficult or help might not be available if a panic attack occurs, often leading to avoidance of various places or situations.

Choice D rationale:

Panic disorder involves recurrent and unexpected panic attacks, which are not explicitly mentioned in the client's statement. The focus of the client's fear is on the social aspect of giving a presentation rather than on panic attacks.