DSSSB - 28 August 2019 (Shift-1)
Mental Health Nursing
Easy
What is the term coined for circumscribed fear of a discrete object or situation?
Appeared in: DSSSB - 28 August 2019 (Shift-1)
Explanation
- Specific phobia is the correct diagnostic term for a marked, persistent, and excessive fear cued by a discrete object or situation.
- The term 'circumscribed' in the question points directly to the specific and focused nature of this type of phobia.
- It is a broad category that encompasses numerous fears, including those of animals (like ailurophobia) and situations (like claustrophobia).
- The diagnosis requires that the fear is out of proportion to the actual threat and causes significant distress or impairment in functioning.
Why Other Options Were Wrong
- Option A: Ailurophobia is a specific example of a phobia (fear of cats), not the general term for a fear of any discrete object or situation.
- Option C: Agoraphobia is the fear of situations where escape might be difficult (e.g., crowds, open spaces), not a fear of a specific, discrete object.
- Option D: Claustrophobia is another example of a specific phobia (fear of enclosed spaces). The question asks for the broader, umbrella term.
Related Visual
Clinical Relevance
- Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Classification and types of phobias as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
- Nurses must be able to identify phobic anxiety in patients, as it can interfere with necessary medical procedures (e.g., a patient with trypanophobia refusing a blood test).
- Recognizing a phobia allows the nurse to provide reassurance, implement anxiety-reducing techniques (like deep breathing), and collaborate with the healthcare team to modify the care plan.
- What if? If a patient with severe claustrophobia requires an MRI scan, the nurse's priority action would be to notify the provider and radiology department to explore alternatives like an open MRI or the use of pre-procedure anxiolytics.
How to Approach the Question
- First, analyze the question to identify the key defining terms: 'circumscribed fear' and 'discrete object or situation'.
- Recognize that 'circumscribed' and 'discrete' point to a very specific, focused fear, rather than a general state of anxiety.
- Evaluate the options provided. Note that 'Ailurophobia' (fear of cats) and 'Claustrophobia' (fear of enclosed spaces) are highly specific examples.
- Consider 'Agoraphobia', which relates to fear of situations where escape is difficult, which is different from a fear of a discrete object.
- Conclude that 'Specific phobia' is the correct umbrella term that encompasses the other specific fears and perfectly matches the definition in the question stem.
Concept Tested & Keywords
- Concept Tested: Classification and types of phobias.
- Stem keywords: circumscribed fear, discrete object, situation
- Lead-in keywords: term coined for
- Negative lead-in flag: false
Question ID
Q5VW5IxPrN7sdHtxurBGSm
Reference Book
E6 Kaplan Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry-2022 (pp 1-3768 of 3768) p. 1290-1292
E6 Robert Boland, Marcia L. Verduin - Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Text of Psychiatry-Wolters Kluwer Health (2024) (pp 1-16525 of 16525) pp. 5729-5731, 3869-3872
Practise the full DSSSB - 28 August 2019 (Shift-1)
Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.
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