Question

A nurse invites a friend to her home one evening. On arrival, the friend sees the nurse's large, white, long-haired cat sitting on the couch. She begins to experience palpitations, trembling, nausea, shortness of breath, and a feeling of losing control. What should the nurse do first?

*Remove the cat from the room

Rationale:
Remove the source of the panic attack first.

Answer 1

The nurse should first remove the cat from the room to alleviate the friend's panic attack symptoms, then provide a calm environment and reassurance to help them regain composure.

Step-by-step explanation:

The first thing a nurse should do when a friend experiences a panic attack upon seeing a cat is to remove the source of the panic. In this case, removing the cat from the room would be the initial step to alleviate the friend's symptoms, which include palpitations, trembling, nausea, shortness of breath, and a feeling of losing control.

These symptoms arise due to the body's fight-or-flight response, often triggered by fear and activated by hormones from the adrenal glands. After removing the cat, the nurse can further assist by providing a calm environment, offering reassurance, and using grounding techniques to help their friend regain composure.