DSSSB 6 September 2024
Mental Health Nursing
Medium
All of the following are features of irrational fear associated with phobia EXCEPT:
Appeared in: DSSSB 6 September 2024
Explanation
- Phobias are a type of anxiety disorder characterized by an intense, irrational fear that is involuntary and not under conscious control.
- A defining characteristic of a phobia is that the individual cannot simply use willpower to overcome the fear response.
- The inability to control the fear is a key element that distinguishes a clinical phobia from a normal fear, often requiring therapeutic intervention.
Why Other Options Were Wrong
- Option A: This is a core feature of a phobia. The fear experienced is significantly excessive and out of proportion to the actual threat posed by the stimulus.
- Option B: This is a hallmark behavioral symptom of a phobia. Individuals actively avoid the feared object or situation to prevent triggering intense anxiety.
- Option D: This is a true statement about phobias. Because the fear is irrational and deeply ingrained, it cannot be diminished or eliminated through logical argument or reasoning.
Related Visual
Clinical Relevance
- Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Characteristics of Phobias as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
- Nurses must recognize that a patient's phobia is a real and distressing medical condition, not a sign of weakness or something they can 'just get over'.
- Nursing care involves creating a safe environment, acknowledging the patient's fear without reinforcing it, and teaching coping mechanisms like relaxation techniques.
- What if? If a patient's phobia prevents a necessary medical procedure (e.g., claustrophobia and an MRI), the nurse's priority is to collaborate with the healthcare team to find alternatives or provide anxiolytic medication and support, rather than forcing the patient to endure the situation.
How to Approach the Question
- First, identify the keywords in the question: 'features of irrational fear', 'phobia', and especially 'EXCEPT'.
- The word 'EXCEPT' signals that you must find the one option that is NOT a true feature of a phobia. Three options will be true, and one will be false.
- Evaluate each option against the clinical definition of a phobia.
- Recall or deduce the core characteristics: disproportionate fear, avoidance behavior, and irrationality (cannot be reasoned with). These correspond to options A, B, and D, which are all true features.
- Analyze the remaining option, C, which states the fear can be controlled by willpower. This contradicts the fundamental nature of a phobia as an involuntary anxiety disorder.
- Conclude that the false statement (Option C) is the correct answer to this 'EXCEPT' question.
Concept Tested & Keywords
- Concept Tested: Characteristics of Phobias
- Stem keywords: irrational fear, phobia, features
- Lead-in keywords: EXCEPT
- Negative lead-in flag: Question asks for the exception
Question ID
QVrAYx-2aNSl1sNNoT2s3l
Reference Book
E6 Robert Boland, Marcia L. Verduin - Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Text of Psychiatry-Wolters Kluwer Health (2024) (pp 1-16525 of 16525) p. 3867-3869
E6 Kaplan Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry-2022 (pp 1-3768 of 3768) pp. 1291-1293, 1292-1294
Practise the full DSSSB 6 September 2024
Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.
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