A client has been admitted to the hospital with severe chest pain and has been medically diagnosed with myocardial infarction. The client tells the nurse, "I don't think this is my heart. That spaghetti I ate for lunch tasted a little strange. I think I have food poisoning." What defence mechanism is this client exhibiting?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The client is exhibiting denial, a defence mechanism in which they refuse to acknowledge the reality of a situation. In this case, the client is denying that their chest pain could be due to a heart attack, and is instead attributing it to food poisoning.

A Client Has Been Admitted to the Hospital with Severe