Anxiety Disorder and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Anxiety Disorder and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

The presenting case is of a client with social anxiety disorders, accompanied by obsessive thoughts that result in compulsive disorders. Szuhany & Simon, (2022) note that anxiety disorders are characterized by symptoms of extreme worry, irritability, restlessness, fears of social performance, and irritability, along with physical symptoms of palpitations, dizziness, shortness of breath, and others. Per the video transcripts, one of the clinical signs of anxiety that is prominent is extreme worry. The client, in this case, worries a lot. She also appears restless, as demonstrated by her impatience in answering questions she is being asked. She also exhibits signs of irritation, as can be seen when she asks Karen why they are talking about her.

Several manifestations, consistent with those of obsessive-compulsive disorder, are also apparent in the case. According to Moreno-Amador et al. (2023), OCD manifestations can be modeled into the dimensions of obsession with symmetry and repeating, ordering, and counting compulsions, cleaning, forbidden thoughts, and hoarding of thoughts and obsessions. Per the transcripts, the client notes that she counted cars on both sides of the highways to ensure they matched and that if they didn’t, she had to request her parents to redo the route, which is indicative of an obsession with symmetry. Additionally, she demonstrated extreme observance of the order of things and would get uncomfortable when things were not in order. As evident in the case, she would count the number of kids in her Spanish class and get uncomfortable when the number was not right. Another manifestation of OCD is counting and checking. She would ensure that the number of body washes was there and that the temperature was the same every time she had a shower. Notably, according to Strauss et al. (2020), the most prevalent habit among people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is compulsive checking.

Following this, therapeutic communications provide an invaluable approach to client-caregiver engagements. The use of clarification was apparent during the interview. Mersha et al. (2023) note that nurses can use diverse therapeutic communication techniques such as seeking clarification, restating, silence, active listening, open-ended questions, and giving broad openings when engaging their patients. These techniques allow nurses to have meaningful relationships with their clients. The nurse sought clarification in several instances, including what constituted the client’s worry and how it affected her wellness. Clarification allows the patients to provide details on the communicated items. Additionally, she restated some of the client’s statements, demonstrating the restating technique. The restating technique allows the nurse to clarify what the client has communicated. The use of silence was also evident as, in some instances, the nurse paused to implore the client to share more. Silence allows nurses to demonstrate empathy and active listening.

Consequently, the two nursing interventions for Lauren are acknowledging the patient’s feelings and actively listening to the patient. Acknowledging the patient’s feelings and experiences helps the patients feel that they are indeed cared for (Amaral et al., 2022). On the other hand, providing active listening to the patients allows the establishment of a good therapeutic relationship with the patient.

 References

Amaral, R. I., Weston, F. C., Hirakata, V. N., Paz, A. A., & Wesner, A. C. (2022). Effectiveness and efficacy of therapeutic interventions performed by nurses for anxiety disorders: A systematic review. Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, 28(4), 283–294. https://doi.org/10.1177/10783903211068105 

Mersha, A., Abera, A., Tesfaye, T., Abera, T., Belay, A., Melaku, T., Shiferaw, M., Shibiru, S., Estifanos, W., & Wake, S. K. (2023). Therapeutic communication and its associated factors among nurses working in public hospitals of Gamo Zone, southern Ethiopia: Application of Hildegard Peplau’s nursing theory of interpersonal relations. BMC Nursing, 22(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-023-01526-z

Moreno-Amador, B., Piqueras, J. A., Rodríguez-Jiménez, T., Martínez-González, A. E., & Cervin, M. (2023). Measuring symptoms of obsessive-compulsive and related disorders using a single-dimensional self-report scale. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.958015 

Strauss, A. Y., Fradkin, I., McNally, R. J., Linkovski, O., Anholt, G. E., & Huppert, J. D. (2020). Why check? A meta-analysis of checking in obsessive-compulsive disorder: Threat vs. distrust of Senses. Clinical Psychology Review, 75, 101807. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2019.101807

Szuhany, K. L., & Simon, N. M. (2022). Anxiety disorders. JAMA, 328(24), 2431. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2022.22744

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Throughout your studies, you have been exposed to many moral theories. You have probably agreed with some and disagreed with others. In this assignment, you have the opportunity to explore some of these theories more fully by applying the theories to a contemporary issue.

Using the Internet or a local newspaper, select a recent news story that involves a contemporary moral issue. Examples might include, but are not limited to:

Capital punishment
Abortion
Euthanasia
Mercy killing
Affirmative action
Cloning
Conduct further research to identify two differing proposed solutions or positions related to the news story. Cite them in APA format.

Step 2: Write an 800+ word essay and complete these tasks:

Summarize the news story.
Apply the appropriate ethical theories you have studied to the two solutions/positions you identified in your research.
Compare possible outcomes of the solutions/positions represented by the ethical theories. Explain your reasoning. Be specific and give examples, using at least two outside references, to buttress your argument.
Critique the solutions/positions in light of your personal moral system and defend your position.