Anxiety nursing diagnosis (A complete guide)

In this brief article, we will be discussing anxiety nursing diagnosis, tools involved in an anxiety nursing diagnosis, the advantages of having anxiety nursing diagnosis, and more information about anxiety nursing diagnosis.

What is anxiety nursing diagnosis in nursing?

Anxiety nursing diagnosis is a kind of diagnosis made by nurses where the patient is manifesting symptoms of some uneasiness and this kind of response is automatic and this kind of condition is frustrating and distressing the patient.

This kind of diagnosis can be made on several procedures of getting this diagnosis which will be discussed later.

This kind of psychological condition is very rampant across the country nowadays. Most people have this kind of psychological condition whatever your status in life may be.

This is why there is a need to get this kind of diagnosis to get the necessary intervention for this kind of psychological condition immediately.

Factors that might affect anxiety nursing diagnosis

The following are factors that made it possible that this kind of diagnosis is the right one.

The discovered factors that might have caused this kind of diagnosis can be part of the nursing personal statement:

Changes in or intimidation from either one or more of the following:

• Economic status
• Environment
• Health status
• Interaction patterns
• Interpersonal relationships
• Role function or status of the affected person
• Self-concept
• Maturational or situational status of the affected person
• Stress
• Substance abuse
• Unconscious conflict about essential life goals or values in the affected person
• Unmet needs

Defining features of anxiety private diagnosis

This kind of diagnosis can only be reached when you observed the following signs and symptoms in the affected patient.

You need to put the observed signs and symptoms in the assessment column once you have found them in the patient.

Affective

• Apprehensive
• Feelings of inadequacy in the affected patient
• Focus on self in the affected patient
• Irritability
• Painful or persistent increased helplessness in the affected patient

Behavioural

• Diminished productivity
• Expressed concerns about changes in life events in the affected patient
• Insomnia
• Restlessness

Cognitive

• Confusion
• Difficulty concentrating
• Diminished ability to learn or solve problems in the affected patient
• Fear of unspecified consequences in the affected patient

Physiological or sympathetic:

• Anorexia
• Diarrhoea
• Dry mouth
• Facial flushing
• Increased BP, pulse, respirations in the affected patient
• Twitching and increased reflexes in the affected patient

Physiological (parasympathetic):

• Abdominal pain
• Faintness
• Fatigue
• Nausea
• Urinary frequency and urgency in the affected patient

Expected outcomes from the anxiety nursing diagnosis

The following are the typical expected outcomes of nurses who are treating patients with this kind of diagnosis:

• Patient describes own anxiety and coping patterns in the midst of the intervention
• Patient displays improved concentration and accuracy of thoughts in the midst of the intervention
• Patient displays the ability to reassure self after the intervention.
• Patient maintains a desired level of role function and problem-solving after the intervention which can help in the improvement of one’s mental wellbeing.
• Patient observes signs and intensity of anxiety during and after the intervention.
• Patient determines techniques to minimize anxiety during and after the intervention.
• Patient determines and talks about anxiety precipitants, conflicts, and threats in the intervention.
• Patient displays return of basic problem-solving skills after the intervention which is a good coping mechanism when dealing with anxiety.
• Patient displays increased external focus after the intervention and improve one’s mental wellbeing.
• Patient has crucial signs that reflect baseline or decreased sympathetic stimulation when tested which can increase one’s mental wellbeing.
• Patient has posture, facial expressions, gestures, and activity levels that reflect decreased distress after the intervention which can indicate that the psychological disorder is minimized.

How nurses intervene for patients with an anxiety nursing diagnosis?

There are proposed nursing interventions for people with this diagnosis.

The following are these typical interventions used for people with this diagnosis :

• Know the awareness of the patient’s anxiety as tested. Since a trigger of anxiety cannot always be determined, the patient may feel as though the feelings being experienced are counterfeit as experienced which can help the awareness of this psychological disorder. 
• Use presence, touch with permission, verbalization, and behaviour to remind patients that they are not alone and to encourage expression or clarification of needs, concerns, unknowns, and questions in the midst of intervention which can help release the tension of this psychological disorder. Being supportive and approachable promotes communication from the affected patient and help them release their tensions to you.
• Familiarize the patient with the present environment and new experiences or people as appropriate in the intervention.which can help the patient adapt gradually Awareness of the environment promotes comfort and may minimize this psychological condition experienced by the patient and helps them be more at ease with other people as well. 
• Socialize with the patient in a peaceful manner during the intervention. The nurse or health care provider can transmit his or her own anxiety to the hypersensitive patient during the intervention which can affect the patient’s mental wellbeing. 
• Accept the patient’s defences and the nurse can do this by do not dare, argue, or debate. If defences are not threatened, the patient may feel secure and protected enough to look at behaviour during the intervention and make the patient get the feel of a healthy mental wellbeing.
• Talk using a simple language and brief statements so that the patient can understand what he or she is going through during the intervention. When experiencing moderate to severe anxiety, patients may be unable to understand anything more than a simple, direct, and brief instruction towards the patient during the intervention.
• Strengthen patient’s personal reaction to or expression of pain, discomfort, or threats to mental well-being such as talking, crying, walking, other physical or nonverbal expressions during the intervention. Talking or otherwise opening up about feelings sometimes minimizes this psychological condition.
• Minimize sensory stimuli by keeping a quiet and peaceful environment and keep threatening equipment out of sight during the intervention. This psychological condition may intensify to a panic state with excessive conversation, noise, and equipment around the patient and increasing anxiety may become frightening to the patient and others during the intervention.
• Help the patient identify precipitants of this psychological condition that may indicate interventions in the treatment process. Getting insight permits the patient to re-assess the threat or determine new methods to cope with it.
• Permit the patient to open up about anxious feelings and examine anxiety-provoking situations if they are identifiable so that the patient can warm up to the treatment which can promote mental wellbeing during the intervention. If the situational response is rational, use empathy to encourage the patient to interpret the anxiety symptoms as normal to help him or her have a healthy mental wellbeing during the intervention. This psychological condition is a normal response to actual or perceived danger as most experts have agreed upon.
• Recommend patient to keep a log of episodes of this psychological condition. The patient should take into account how this psychological condition dissipates. The patient may be unaware of the relationship between emotional complications and this psychological disorder. 
• Encourage the patient to consider positive self-talk to help promote a healthy mental wellbeing such as (Anxiety won’t kill me). (I can do this one step at a time), (Right now I need to breathe and stretch), and (I don’t have to be perfect). Replacing negative self-statements with positive self-statements helps to lessen the occurrence of this psychological disorder.
• Consider the patient’s use of coping techniques that the patient has found effective in the past before the intervention so that he or she can work on having a healthy mental wellbeing independently. This increases the patient’s sense of personal mastery and confidence during the intervention.
• Prevent inappropriate reassurance and this situation may enhance undue worry on the patient’s part. Reassurance is not helpful for the anxious patient for a healthy mental wellbeing during the intervention.
• Assist the patient in building new anxiety-reducing strategies such as relaxation, deep breathing, positive visualization, and reassuring self-statements during the intervention. Discovering new coping strategies offers the patient with a variety of ways to manage this psychological disorder which can help promote a healthy mental wellbeing independently.
• Intervene when possible to stop triggers of this psychological disorder. As mentioned before, this psychological disorder is a normal response to actual or perceived danger and if the threat is stopped, the response will be eliminated during the intervention.
• Assist the patient in enhancing problem-solving abilities which can help them deal with this psychological disorder outside the therapy room during the intervention. Highlight the logical methods that the patient can use when experiencing anxious feelings when they occur. Learning to determine a problem and to assess the alternatives to resolve that problem helps the patient deal with this psychological disorder.
• Explain all activities, procedures, and concerns that involve the patient and use nonmedical terms and calm, slow speech during the intervention. Do this in advance of procedures when possible and validate patient’s understanding of the procedures used. Uncertainty and lack of predictability contribute to this psychological disorder in affected people.
• Instruct the patient in the necessary use of antianxiety medications during the intervention. Short-term use of these medications can increase patient coping and reduce physiological manifestations of this psychological disorder which can help in promoting a healthy mental wellbeing.
• Benzodiazepines for people with this psychological disorder. Drugs in this group work through increasing the action of the inhibitory neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the brain of the affected patient which can promote healthy mental wellbeing biologically. These medications are recommended for short-term use and not to exceed 3 to 4 months in affected patients. Physical dependence and tolerance are complications related to the prolonged use of these medications.
• Buspirone HCl (BuSpar) as an antianxiety medication. This medication has a slower onset of action and may take 1 to 2 weeks to make a noticeable therapeutic effect in the patient which can help promote a healthy mental wellbeing.
• Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) as antianxiety medications to treat people with this psychological disorder biologically. Several medications in this group have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in the management of panic disorder in affected people who are seeking a first-line of treatment for this anxiety disorder. Their use in the treatment of other types of this psychological disorder is being researched.
• Nonselective beta-blockers and alpha-2-receptor agonists as antianxiety medications for people with this psychological disorder that is distressing them. The alpha-2 agonists are used to manage this psychological disorder related to withdrawal from nicotine and opioids in affected people.
• Tell the patient to restrict the use of central nervous system stimulants for his or her psychological disorder to minimize a negative mental wellbeing. Stimulant substances and drinks such as caffeine, nicotine, theophylline, terbutaline sulfate, amphetamines, and cocaine can enhance the physical symptoms of this psychological disorder in affected people which can affect mental wellbeing.
• Offer massage and backrubs for the patient to minimize this psychological disorder. This intervention helps in the healing from this psychological disorder.
• Offer patients with a means to listen to music of their choice during the intervention to help them have a calm mindset. Music is a simple, inexpensive, and esthetically pleasing means of minimizing this psychological disorder.
• Rule out withdrawal from alcohol, sedatives, or smoking as the cause of this psychological disorder during the assessment which can also promote a healthy mental wellbeing. Withdrawal from these substances is characterized by this psychological disorder and can make it less likely to be an anxiety disorder but more of a substance abuse situation.
• Educate patient and family about the symptoms of this psychological disorder during the intervention. If the patient and family can determine anxious responses, they can intervene earlier than otherwise which is important to the patient’s mental wellbeing and help the patient get treated immediately.
• Teach the patient to visualize or fantasize about the absence of this psychological disorder or pain, successful experience of the situation, resolution of conflict or outcome of the procedure in the intervention to promote positive visualization on the patient’s part. Use of guided imagery has been useful for minimizing this psychological disorder and has helped promote mental wellbeing.
• Teach the use of necessary community resources in emergency situations such as suicidal thoughts like hotlines, emergency rooms, law enforcement, and judicial systems during the intervention and will help the patient know where to go to when they are feeling psychologically distressed. The way of suicide prevention found to be most effective is a systematic and direct-screening procedure that has a high potential for institutionalization of the affected patient which can minimize the risk associated with this harmful behaviour.

Side Note: I have tried and tested various products and services to help with my anxiety and depression. See my top recommendations here, as well as a full list of all products and services our team has tested for various mental health conditions and general wellness.

Conclusion

In this brief article, we have discussed anxiety nursing diagnosis, tools involved in an anxiety nursing diagnosis, the advantages of having anxiety nursing diagnosis, and more information about anxiety nursing diagnosis.

If you have any questions about anxiety nursing diagnosis, please let us know and the team will gladly answer your queries.

If you’re a nurse dealing with an anxiety disorder, here are some specialisations that will suit you better.

What we recommend for curbing Anxiety

Below are some of the services and products we recommend for anxiety

Online Therapy

• Online therapy is another thing we should all try. We highly recommend Online therapy with a provider who not only provides therapy but a complete mental health toolbox to help your wellness.

Anxiety Weighted Blankets

• Anxiety Weighted Blankets are by far the number 1 thing every person who suffers from anxiety should at least try. Anxiety Blankets may improve your sleep, allow you to fall asleep faster and you can even carry them around when chilling at home.

Light Therapy

• Amber light therapy from Amber lights could increase the melatonin production in your body and help you sleep better at night.  An Amber light lamp helps reduce the amount of time it takes you to fall asleep and increases overall sleep quality.

FAQs: anxiety nursing diagnosis

Citations

Nurseslabs. Anxiety.