A patient is admitted complaining of pain from a femur fracture and is anxious and agitated.The patient is receiving steroids and theophylline for exacerbation of asthma.What disorder should the nurse suspect the patient may be experiencing?

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Pain triggers anxiety,and increased anxiety intensifies pain experiences.This reciprocal relationship varies,depending on whether pain is produced by disease processes or invasive procedures,is acute or chronic in nature,or if the pain is anticipated.Medications such as theophylline,anticholinergics,dopamine,levodopa,salicylates,and steroids can also contribute to feelings of anxiety.Self-esteem refers to how well one's behavior correlates with a sense of the ideal self and is most closely linked to one's sense of self-worth.Regression is an unconscious defense mechanism characterized by a retreat,in the face of stress,to behaviors characteristic of an earlier developmental level.

A Patient Is Admitted Complaining of Pain from a Femur