To plan effective care for patients with somatoform disorders,the nurse must understand that the patients may have difficulty giving up the symptoms because they:

Question

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At the unconscious level,the patient's primary gain from the symptoms is anxiety relief.Considering that the symptoms actually make the patient more psychologically comfortable and may also provide secondary gain,patients frequently fiercely cling to the symptoms while simultaneously complaining about them.Persons with somatoform disorders do not necessarily have interpersonal deficits and may demonstrate a great deal of interpersonal sophistication.By definition,the symptoms are not under voluntary control and are not physiologically based.

To Plan Effective Care for Patients with Somatoform Disorders,the Nurse