A Patient Has Been Newly Diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes

A patient has been newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. The teaching begins in the hospital with an interdisciplinary approach and continues with outpatient classes. However, the patient continues to state, "I know I do not need to spend my time doing all this because I will be fine once I get out from under all this stress." The barrier to learning that the nurse recognizes and must deal with is the

A) patient already knows all she needs to know, so more education is not necessary.
B) patient doesn't know what she doesn't know, so the circle will continue.
C) patient's blood sugar is keeping her from thinking clearly, so it is too soon to try to teach her.
D) patient is in denial and that will need to be dealt with before she will accept the diagnosis and thus the education related to it.