The client with a history of anxiety shows which symptom indicating severe anxiety?

The client with a history of anxiety shows which symptom indicating severe anxiety?

• A. Increased sense of being alert.
• B. Irritability, pacing.
• C. Purposeless movements, confused communication.
• D. Unable to solve problems, fear of losing control.

Answer: (C)

Severe anxiety shows itself through a breakdown in both thinking and movement, where the person becomes disorganized and unable to communicate or act with purpose. Purposeless movements reflect psychomotor agitation, and confused communication shows cognitive overload and impaired language or thought organization. Together, these signs indicate the highest level of impairment from anxiety, signaling a crisis level of distress that goes beyond mere heightened alertness or restlessness. In contrast, increased alertness is a milder arousal that the person can usually manage; irritability and pacing fit with moderate anxiety but don’t necessarily show the disorganized thinking or incoherent speech seen with severe anxiety; and while fear of losing control can occur in panic, the explicit combination of purposeless movements with confused communication most strongly indicates severe impairment requiring urgent intervention.

Severe anxiety shows itself through a breakdown in both thinking and movement, where the person becomes disorganized and unable to communicate or act with purpose. Purposeless movements reflect psychomotor agitation, and confused communication shows cognitive overload and impaired language or thought organization. Together, these signs indicate the highest level of impairment from anxiety, signaling a crisis level of distress that goes beyond mere heightened alertness or restlessness.

In contrast, increased alertness is a milder arousal that the person can usually manage; irritability and pacing fit with moderate anxiety but don’t necessarily show the disorganized thinking or incoherent speech seen with severe anxiety; and while fear of losing control can occur in panic, the explicit combination of purposeless movements with confused communication most strongly indicates severe impairment requiring urgent intervention.