NVS Staff Nurse - 2019
Mental Health Nursing
Easy
The desensitization method is utilized successfully by clients experiencing phobias. This method focuses on?
Appeared in: NVS Staff Nurse - 2019
Explanation
- Systematic desensitization is a behavioral therapy used to treat phobias.
- It works by pairing relaxation techniques with gradual exposure to the feared stimulus.
- This exposure is primarily achieved through guided imagery, where the client visualizes progressively more anxiety-provoking scenarios while maintaining a relaxed state.
- The goal is to replace the fear response with a relaxation response, a principle known as reciprocal inhibition.
- Once mastery is achieved through imagery, the client may progress to real-life (in vivo) exposure.
Why Other Options Were Wrong
- Option A: This therapy teaches individuals to express themselves and set boundaries. It is not a core component of desensitization for specific phobias.
- Option B: This involves practicing behaviors in a simulated social situation. It is not the central mechanism of systematic desensitization, which focuses on reducing anxiety through internal visualization.
- Option D: Modeling involves learning by observing a fearless person interact with the phobic stimulus. While it is a valid behavioral technique, it is distinct from systematic desensitization, which relies on the client's own imaginal exposure.
Related Visual
Clinical Relevance
- Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain The core component of the desensitization method for treating phobias as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
- A nurse's role in desensitization therapy often involves reinforcing the relaxation techniques taught by the therapist and helping the client practice them.
- Nurses can also assist in monitoring the client's anxiety levels during therapy, often using a Subjective Units of Distress Scale (SUDS) from 0 to 100, to ensure the exposure is gradual and not overwhelming.
- What if the client is unable to visualize the feared object? In such cases, the therapist might use real objects in a controlled manner (in vivo desensitization) or use virtual reality exposure, which is a more modern approach.
How to Approach the Question
- First, identify the key terms in the question: 'desensitization method' and 'phobias'.
- Recall or deduce the meaning of 'desensitization'. It implies a gradual reduction of a reaction to something.
- Analyze the options in the context of treating a phobia, which is an intense, irrational fear.
- Evaluate 'Imagery'. This involves creating mental pictures. In therapy, this allows a person to confront a fear in a controlled, non-threatening way, which aligns with the concept of gradual desensitization.
- Consider the other options. 'Assertiveness training' and 'role playing' are more related to social skills and interpersonal interactions. 'Modeling' is about observing others. While these can be therapeutic, they don't represent the core process of classic systematic desensitization, which is an internal process of pairing relaxation with imagined feared stimuli.
Concept Tested & Keywords
- Concept Tested: The core component of the desensitization method for treating phobias.
- Stem keywords: desensitization method, phobias
- Lead-in keywords: focuses on
- Negative lead-in flag: false
Question ID
Q-rW9Sc3X6mOmvpBKdkbtF
Reference Book
E6 Kaplan Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry-2022 (pp 1-3768 of 3768) pp. 2422-2424, 2424-2426
E6 Robert Boland, Marcia L. Verduin - Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Text of Psychiatry-Wolters Kluwer Health (2024) (pp 1-16525 of 16525) p. 5853-5855
Practise the full NVS Staff Nurse - 2019
Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.
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