A nurse is interviewing a 76-year-old patient who lost her spouse of 51 years over a year ago. The patient describes herself as feeling intensely sad and hopeless all the time. What is an appropriate response for the nurse?
1. Assess the patient as experiencing normal grieving.
2. Decide that the patient is experiencing unresolved grief.
3. Determine that the patient is experiencing chronic sorrow.
4. Determine that further assessment for depression is needed.
Answer: 4
Explanation: Based on the patient's feeling of hopelessness and the duration of intense grieving, the patient should be evaluated for depression. Normal grieving is not characterized by hopelessness. Unresolved grief occurs when individuals suppress or avoid grief. Chronic sorrow is a response to an ongoing source of grief.
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