The nurse is caring for a patient that just experienced an extremely stressful event. The nurse suspects which diagnosis characterized by altered identity and recall following a severely stressful experience?

Explanation

•Dissociative disorders have the essential feature of disruption or breakdown of memory, identity, or perception. This often interferes with the person’s relationships, ability to function in daily life, and ability to cope with the realities of the abusive or traumatic event.

•Dissociation is a subconscious defense mechanism that helps a person protect his or her emotional self from recognizing the full effects of some horrific or traumatic event by allowing the mind to forget or remove itself from the painful situation or memory.

•Somatoform disorders can be characterized as the presence of physical symptoms that suggest a medical condition without a demonstrable organic basis for a medical condition.

•Psychotic disorder, or schizophrenia, causes distorted and bizarre thoughts, perceptions, emotions, movements and behavior.

•Anxiety disorders are characterized by excessive panic without reason, unwarranted fears or worrying, and apprehension about future uncertainties.

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