A Patient Tearfully Says to a Nurse,"I Don't Want to Go

Multiple Choice

A patient tearfully says to a nurse,"I don't want to go on living now that my spouse has left me for someone else after 20 years.Our children are grown and don't need me.I just want to die." Which response is the most therapeutic?

A) "You're young, and you will manage well. I know several people your age who've actually done better after divorcing their spouses."
B) "It always seems bleak when we lose someone we've loved. Don't worry, it will work out-we just need to think this through."
C) "So your spouse is off having a midlife crisis and you are here thinking of killing yourself. Let's focus on how to make you feel better."
D) "I am very concerned about you wanting to die because your spouse left. Rather than trying to solve all the problems immediately let's focus on your feelings of hopelessness right now."