You are a nurse working in an emergency department. One of your clients, a 55-year old Caucasian-American woman, presented with chest pain and feelings of impending doom. She is recently divorced and has been living alone since her last child moved away for college one-year ago. The medical provider wrote a diagnosis of panic disorder and an order for alprazolam .5mg PO now. The client refused the medication stating, “I heard those things can be really addicting. I don’t want any medication. The provider said I have panic disorder. Does that mean I am crazy?” How should the nurse begin to address the client’s concerns?
