JSSH Staff Nurse - 2019
Psychiatric Nursing
Easy
La bella indifference is related to?
Appeared in: JSSH Staff Nurse - 2019
Explanation
- La belle indifférence refers to a paradoxical lack of concern or anxiety about a significant physical symptom (e.g., paralysis, blindness).
- This phenomenon is a classic, though not universal, feature of Conversion Disorder (also known as Functional Neurological Symptom Disorder).
- In conversion disorder, the physical symptom is believed to be an unconscious expression of a psychological conflict, and its presence reduces the patient's anxiety, leading to the apparent indifference.
- The symptoms are real to the patient and are not intentionally produced (feigned).
Why Other Options Were Wrong
- Option A: Patients with Body Dysmorphic Disorder experience extreme distress, shame, and anxiety about a perceived flaw in their appearance, which is the opposite of indifference.
- Option C: Patients with Somatisation Disorder (now largely encompassed by Somatic Symptom Disorder) exhibit excessive worry, high anxiety, and persistent thoughts about the seriousness of their physical symptoms. They are highly distressed, not indifferent.
- Option D: Pain Disorder (now a specifier within Somatic Symptom Disorder) is characterized by a primary focus on pain that causes significant emotional distress and functional impairment. Patients are typically very concerned and distressed by their pain, not indifferent to it.
Related Visual
Clinical Relevance
- Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain La belle indifférence and its association with somatic symptom disorders as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
- Recognizing la belle indifférence is a key diagnostic clue that can help a nurse differentiate conversion disorder from other conditions, guiding appropriate psychiatric consultation and care planning.
- The nursing approach must be non-judgmental. Acknowledging the reality of the symptom for the patient is crucial for establishing a therapeutic relationship and preventing the patient from feeling dismissed.
- What if? If a patient with sudden paralysis showed extreme panic and anxiety instead of indifference, the nurse should prioritize ruling out an acute neurological emergency (like a stroke or spinal cord injury) before considering a psychiatric diagnosis.
How to Approach the Question
- First, identify the core term in the question: 'La belle indifference'. This is a specific psychiatric sign.
- Recall the definition of 'La belle indifference': a strange lack of concern about a major physical symptom.
- Systematically review the options, which are all psychiatric disorders involving physical symptoms.
- Consider the typical emotional response in each disorder. Patients with body dysmorphic, somatisation, and pain disorders are typically highly distressed and anxious about their symptoms.
- Contrast this with the definition of la belle indifférence. The lack of distress points directly to Conversion Disorder, where the physical symptom is thought to resolve an underlying conflict.
- Select the option that classically presents with this paradoxical calmness.
Concept Tested & Keywords
- Concept Tested: La belle indifférence and its association with somatic symptom disorders.
- Stem keywords: La belle indifference
- Lead-in keywords: related to
- Negative lead-in flag: false
Question ID
Q1bV3WA33S7XEGBYHKyszB
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. 8106-8108
Practise the full JSSH Staff Nurse - 2019
Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.
More Neurotic, stress related and somatisation disorders Questions
- The La Belle indifference is related to?
- Diagnostic interview with sodium amytal or hypnosis is a special feature of?
- Sunita has frequent memory gaps and cannot account for her whereabouts during certain periods of time. While being interviewed by a clinical psycholo…
- Persistent worry or complaints regarding physical illness without supportive physical findings, repeatedly visiting a health care provider despite re…
- A patient is excessively worried about having a serious illness despite medical reassurance and normal reports. This condition is called:
- Preoccupation with body diseases is seen in:
- Which is the Somatoform disorder?
- Post traumatic stress disorder is because of
- Reattribution therapy is used in:
- Re-attribution therapy is used in:
More JSSH Staff Nurse - 2019 Questions
- Fill in the blank with the most appropriate option. The soldier returned home \ \ \ \ \ \ ten years?
- Choose the option that is the correct passive voice of the given sentence. Distribute the papers?
- A sentence is divided into 4 parts, of which one has an error. Select the part from the options that has the error. You don't like/spicy food/don't y…
- Select the most appropriate option that is an antonym of the word? Tentative
- A sentence is divided into 4 parts, of which one has an error. Select the part from the options that has the error? I get up late/because I/did not h…
- Select the most appropriate option that is a synonym of the word? Mandatory
- Select the most appropriate option that can replace the given phrase/set of words: Animals living within a given area.
- Select the most appropriate option that is a synonym of the word? Cuisine
- Fill in the blank with the most appropriate option? The police \ \ \ \ \ \ the thief immediately.
- Choose the option that is the correct passive voice of the given sentence? He read out the rules to the villagers.