Addictive disorders can be particularly challenging for clients. Not only do these disorders typically interfere with a client’s ability to function in daily life, but they also often manifest as negative and sometimes criminal behaviors. Sometime clients with addictive disorders also suffer from other mental health issues, creating even greater struggles for them to overcome. In your role, you have the opportunity to help clients address their addictions and improve outcomes for both the clients and their families.
THE ASSIGNMENT
In a 5- to 10-slide PowerPoint presentation, address the following. Your title and references slides do not count toward the 5- to 10-slide limit.
Provide an overview of the article you selected
What population (individual, group, or family) is under consideration?
What was the specific intervention that was used? Is this a new intervention or one that was already studied?
What were the author’s claims?
Explain the findings/outcomes of the study in the article. Include whether this will translate into practice with your own clients. If so, how? If not, why?
Explain whether the limitations of the study might impact your ability to use the findings/outcomes presented in the article.
Use the Notes function of PowerPoint to craft presenter notes to expand upon the content of your slides.
Support your response with at least three other peer-reviewed, evidence-based sources. Explain why each of your supporting sources is considered scholarly. Provide references to your sources on your last slide. Be sure to include the article you used as the basis for this Assignment.
Prior to beginning work on this discussion, read the required chapters from the text and review the required articles for this week. Over the course of the past weeks, we have considered the use of medications in the treatment of various psychological disorders. This discussion will provide you with an opportunity to give an informed appraisal on the use of drugs to treat disorders and defend your stance based on your judgment of the literature. In your initial post, describe what you believe are the greatest strengths and weaknesses of using the medications to treat psychological disorders. Evaluate the employment of psychoactive drugs in the treatment of disorders over the lifespan from both an ethical and risk-benefits perspective. Summarize the theories of psychiatric disease and the scientific rationale behind its treatment through the employment of drug therapies. Explain what you believe to be the greatest challenges in the use of psychoactive medications over the next several years. Support your statements with references and logical arguments.
Abnormal brain development or damage at an early age can lead to neurodevelopmental disorders. Within this group of disorders, some are resolvable with appropriate and timely interventions, either pharmacological or nonpharmacological, while other disorders are chronic and need to be managed throughout the lifespan.
For this Assignment, you will develop a study guide for intellectual disability and share it with your colleagues. In sum, these study guides will be a powerful tool in preparing for your certification exam.
To Prepare
· Your Instructor will assign you to a specific neurodevelopmental disorder from the DSM-5-TR –(intellectual disability).
· Research your assigned disorder using the Walden Library. Then, develop an organizational scheme for the important information about the disorder.
The Assignment
Create a study guide for your assigned disorder (intellectual disability). Your study guide should be in the form of an outline with references, and you should incorporate visual elements such as concept maps, charts, diagrams, images, color coding, mnemonics, and/or flashcards. Be creative! It should not be in the format of an APA paper. Your guide should be informed by the DSM-5-TR but also supported by at least three other scholarly resources.
Areas of importance you should address, but are not limited to, are:
· Signs and symptoms according to the DSM-5-TR
· Differential diagnoses
· Incidence
· Development and course
· Prognosis
· Considerations related to culture, gender, age
· Pharmacological treatments, including any side effects
Assignment: Diagnosis of Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders
This week, you have focused on key symptoms related to schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders. Now, in this Assignment, you practice diagnosing in this area.
This is your fifth practice in diagnosing mental disorders. When reviewing the case study, remember that social workers keep a wide focus on several potential syndromes, analyzing patterns of symptoms, risks, and environmental factors. Narrowing down from that wider focus happens naturally as you match the individual symptoms, behaviors, and risk factors against criteria and other information in the DSM-5-TR.
Here are a few tips or reminders:
· Catatonia is a specifier, although it does have a code. It even appears on a line of its own and may look like a code. However, it cannot be used as a diagnosis on its own.
· Remember to include all of the words that go with the diagnostic code.
Note: Remember that symptoms can occur in many disorders. As a result, all disorders in the DSM-5-TR covered up until this point may factor into your diagnosis (for example, as a possible additional disorder you diagnose).
To Prepare
· Review the case study for this week.
· Start by familiarizing yourself with the disorders from the DSM-5-TR found in the Learning Resources this Week.
· Look within the noted sections for symptoms, behaviors, or other features the client presents within the case study.
· If some of the symptoms in the case study cause you to suspect an additional disorder, then research any of the previous disorders covered so far in the course.
· This mirrors real social work practice where you follow the symptoms.
· Review the correct format for how to write the diagnosis noted below. Be sure to use this format.
· Remember: When using Z codes, stay focused on the psychosocial and environmental impact on the client within the last 12 months.
By Day 7
Submit your diagnosis for the client in the case. Follow the guidelines below.
· The diagnosis should appear on one line in the following order. Note: Do not include the plus sign in your diagnosis. Instead, write the indicated items next to each other.
Code + Name + Specifier (appears on its own first line) Z code (appears on its own line next with its name written next to the code)
Then, in 1–2 pages, respond to the following:
· Explain how you support the diagnosis by specifically identifying the criteria from the case study.
· Describe in detail how the client’s symptoms match up with the specific diagnostic criteria for the disorder (or all the disorders) that you finally selected for the client. You do not need to repeat the diagnostic code in the explanation.
· Identify the differential diagnosis you considered.
· Explain why you excluded this diagnosis/diagnoses.
· Explain the specific factors of culture that are or may be relevant to the case and the diagnosis, which may include the cultural concepts of distress.
· Explain why you chose the Z codes you have for this client.
· Remember: When using Z codes, stay focused on the psychosocial and environmental impact on the client within the last 12 months
Assignment: Pharmacotherapy for Gastrointestinal and Hepatobiliary Disorders
Once the underlying cause is identified, an appropriate drug therapy plan can be recommended based on medical history and individual patient factors. In this Assignment, you examine a case study of a patient who presents with symptoms of a possible GI/hepatobiliary disorder, and you design an appropriate drug therapy plan.
To Prepare
Review the case study assigned
Reflect on the patient’s symptoms, medical history, and drugs currently prescribed.
Think about a possible diagnosis for the patient. Consider whether the patient has a disorder related to the gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary system or whether the symptoms are the result of a disorder from another system or other factors, such as pregnancy, drugs, or a psychological disorder.
Consider an appropriate drug therapy plan based on the patient’s history, diagnosis, and drugs currently prescribed.
Write a 2-page paper that addresses the following:
Explain your diagnosis for the patient, including your rationale for the diagnosis.
Describe an appropriate drug therapy plan based on the patient’s history, diagnosis, and drugs currently prescribed.
Justify why you would recommend this drug therapy plan for this patient. Be specific and provide examples.
Reminder: all papers submitted include a title page, introduction, summary, and references.
* the three bullet questions must be addressed in paper according to case study provided below:
DC is a 46-year-old female who presents with a 24-hour history of RUQ pain. She states the pain started about 1 hour after a large dinner she had with her family. She has had nausea and on instance of vomiting before presentation.
PMH: Vitals:
HTN Temp: 98.8oF
Type II DM Wt: 202 lbs
Gout Ht: 5’8”
DVT – Caused by oral BCPs BP: 136/82
HR: 82 bpm
Current Medications: Notable Labs:
Lisinopril 10 mg daily WBC: 13,000/mm3
HCTZ 25 mg daily Total bilirubin: 0.8 mg/dL
Allopurinol 100 mg daily Direct bilirubin: 0.6 mg/dL
Disorders of Development and Aging [WLOs: 1, 2] [CLOs: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Prior to beginning work on this discussion, read Chapters 15 and 17 in the course text as well as the article Ethical Considerations in Geriatric Neuropsychology (Links to an external site.), and view Dr. Chung’s TED Talk, Wendy Chung. Autism—What We Know (and What We Don’t Know Yet) (Links to an external site.).
Pick a disorder of brain development (i.e., onset during childhood) or aging (e.g., dementia due to a neurodegenerative disorder). Explain the symptoms, how the diagnosis is made (e.g., findings on brain imaging, laboratory testing, etc.), the neurobiological basis for the disorder (e.g., CNS structures involved and neurotransmitters), and current treatment options (including mechanism of action for any drug therapies).
You must use a minimum of two peer-reviewed articles in your discussion to support your statements. You must use a minimum of two peer-reviewed articles in your discussion to support your diagnostic conclusions.
To assist you with your research consider using the library’s Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources (Links to an external site.) tip sheet.
Assignment: Controversy Associated With Dissociative Disorders
The DSM-5-TR is a diagnostic tool. It has evolved over the decades, as have the classifications and criteria within its pages. It is used not just for diagnosis, however, but also for billing, access to services, and legal cases. Not all practitioners are in agreement with the content and structure of the DSM-5-TR, and dissociative disorders are one such area. These disorders can be difficult to distinguish and diagnose. There is also controversy in the field over the legitimacy of certain dissociative disorders, such as dissociative identity disorder, which was formerly called multiple personality disorder.
In this Assignment, you will examine the controversy surrounding dissociative disorders. You will also explore clinical, ethical, and legal considerations pertinent to working with patients with these disorders.
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Wavebreak Media
To Prepare
· Review this week’s Learning Resources on dissociative disorders.
· Use the Walden Library to investigate the controversy regarding dissociative disorders. Locate at least three scholarly articles that you can use to support your Assignment.
The Assignment (2–3 pages)
· Explain the controversy that surrounds dissociative disorders.
· Explain your professional beliefs about dissociative disorders, supporting your rationale with at least three scholarly references from the literature.
· Explain strategies for maintaining the therapeutic relationship with a client that may present with a dissociative disorder.
· Finally, explain ethical and legal considerations related to dissociative disorders that you need to bring to your practice and why they are important.
By Day 7 of Week 9
Submit your Assignment.
Submission and Grading Information
To submit your completed Assignment for review and grading, do the following:
· Please save your Assignment using the naming convention “WK9Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” as the name.
· Click the Week 9 Assignment Rubric to review the Grading Criteria for the Assignment.
· Click the Week 9 Assignment link. You will also be able to “View Rubric” for grading criteria from this area.
· Next, from the Attach File area, click on the Browse My Computer button. Find the document you saved as “WK9Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” and click Open.
· If applicable: From the Plagiarism Tools area, click the checkbox for I agree to submit my paper(s) to the Global Reference Database
We’re finally going to cover the topic that most of you probably thought we’d spend all semester on: psychological disorders (this week) and treatment (next week)! When people think of psychology, this is what they think of, but I hope that you now understand that these chapters needed to come after all the rest. One cannot understand psychological disorders and their treatments without understanding why people think the way they do and why people act the way they do. We’ll talk about nature versus nurture and its role in the genetic or environmental root causes of some disorders. We’ll talk about how the various approaches we’ve been talking about (cognitive, behavioral, psychoanalytic, humanistic, etc) influence how we think about these disorders and their treatments. These next two weeks are your opportunity to apply everything we’ve been talking about to understand psychological disorders and their treatments.
This week we’ll cover the following topics in Chapter 13: Psychological Disorders:
· What’s normal, what’s not
· Classifying and explaining psychological disorders
As you read through the chapter, you might feel yourself succumbing to the psychological version of intern’s syndrome (Links to an external site.), where you think you should be diagnosed with whatever disorder you happen to be reading about. We all feel sad, anxious, or angry at times. These are normal fluctuations in mood. Psychological disorders are not “normal” fluctuations in mood. Disorders seriously interfere with a person’s life (personal, professional, or day to day interactions) for an extended period of time (DSM defines this time period).
Mental health professionals rely on the three Ds to determine if someone is exhibiting abnormal behavior, as opposed to maladaptive behavior:
1. Dysfunction: behavior interferes with daily life and relationships
2. Distress: behaviors/emotions cause person to feel upset
3. Deviance: degree to which behavior is considered outside the norms of society
Mental illnesses are health conditions involving changes in emotion, thinking or behavior (or a combination of these). Mental illnesses are associated with distress and/or problems functioning in social, work or family activities.
Mental illness is common. In a given year:
· nearly one in five (19 percent) U.S. adults experience some form of mental illness
· one in 24 (4.1 percent) has a serious mental illness*
· one in 12 (8.5 percent) has a diagnosable substance use disorder
Mental illness is treatable. The vast majority of individuals with mental illness continue to function in their daily lives.
*Serious mental illness is a mental, behavioral or emotional disorder (excluding developmental and substance use disorders) resulting in serious functional impairment, which substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities. Examples of serious mental illness include major depressive disorder, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
So mental illnesses are both common and treatable. This may surprise you because there is a huge stigma against mental health (Links to an external site.). This can lead to devastating consequences because people will not seek help when they really need it. Needing help is not a weakness and is necessary in most cases. A person suffering from a mental illness cannot just get over it, as they are sometimes told. Taking psychoactive medications and/or engaging in talk therapy may be part of getting oneself psychologically well.
Some of the harmful effects of stigma can include:
· Reluctance to seek help or treatment
· Lack of understanding by family, friends, co-workers or others
· Fewer opportunities for work, school or social activities or trouble finding housing
· Bullying, physical violence or harassment
· Health insurance that doesn’t adequately cover your mental illness treatment
· The belief that you’ll never succeed at certain challenges or that you can’t improve your situation
So you can see why it’s important to combat this stigma. The consequences are far reaching and extremely harmful.
Classifying and explaining psychological disorders
In the US, mental health professionals use the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (Links to an external site.) (DSM) to help diagnose people with particular disorders. It uses a checklist of symptoms to diagnose individuals and to determine the best course of treatment. There are both pros and cons to using the DSM and clinicians are constantly revising, defending, and debunking the use of the DSM.
Given the prevalence of disorders, you might not be surprised to learn that some people can suffer from more than one disorder at a time. This is called comorbidity. It’s similar to suffering from both the flu and cancer – 2 different disorders with different underlying symptoms.
Researchers and clinicians talk about the etiology (Links to an external site.)of a disorder. That is, what are the root causes of a disorder. It should not surprise you of some of the common explanations:
People who suffer from anxiety disorders (Links to an external site.) have extreme anxiety and/or fears that are debilitating. This is not your regular run of the mill anxiety about an upcoming test or a dislike of spiders. This is severe anxiety and fear that leads to changes in the way one interacts with the world. Some examples of anxiety disorders include:
· Panic disorder (Links to an external site.) – panic attacks (Links to an external site.) that happen frequently and without a discernible reason are a symptom of this disorder. Panic attacks make a person feel as though they are having a heart attack and that their death is imminent. Sometimes, telling someone that they are not dying, but are instead suffering from a panic attack, can help them to calm down.
· Obsessions – repeated thoughts/urges that won’t go away; examples:
· Fear of contamination
· Fear that something wasn’t done right
· Compulsions – actions to get rid of the obsessions; examples:
· Constant hand washing
· Constant checking or repetitive rituals
Depressive Disorders
People with depressive disorders (Links to an external site.) feel profound sadness and despair, often for a long period of time, so much so that it interferes with their everyday life. This is not just “feeling blue”. Table 13.5 lists some of the different types of depressive disorders.
People who suffer from schizophrenia (Links to an external site.) appear to have lost touch with reality in their thoughts, behavior, and feelings. This is called psychosis. Symptoms of schizophrenia (Links to an external site.) (Tables 13.7, 13.8) are categorized as positive or negative. In this case, I don’t mean “good” or “bad”, but rather are symptoms that are present or absent.
· Positive symptoms: distortions of behavior; examples:
· Negative symptoms: reduction / absence of expected behaviors; include decreased pleasure, lack of motivation, lack of emotion
Note that people often confuse schizophrenia with dissociative identity disorder (Links to an external site.) (DID). DID is a personality disorder in which a person can exhibit more than one personality. DID is an extremely rare disorder.
Hit reply and type your answers to the following:
1. Why do you believe there is a stigma against mental health? Pick either panic disorder or a specific phobia and describe its symptoms. Imagine talking to someone who held negative views towards a person who sought treatment for one of those disorders. What arguments might you use to change their mind?
2. What are some pros and cons of using the DSM when diagnosing someone with a psychological disorder? What is your opinion?
3. Choose one of the following disorders: OCD, major depressive disorder, or schizophrenia. Use what you learned in the textbook and/or my lecture above, and (a) summarize the symptoms, (b) using the biopsychosocial model, talk about some of the causes (etiology) that may contribute to its appearance (include the biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors).
4. Find a first person account of a person living with a psychological disorder of your choosing (but it can’t be any of the disorders you have already mentioned in your previous answers). You can find either a written artifact – blog, article, news story – or a video. Describe how the person describes living with the disorder and your thoughts on it. Be sure to share where you got the first person account (URL or PDF)
Review this week’s Learning Resources. Consider the insights they provide about assessing, diagnosing, and treating mood disorders.
Review the Focused SOAP Note template, which you will use to complete this Assignment. There is also a Focused SOAP Note Exemplar provided as a guide for Assignment expectations.
Review the video, Case Study: Petunia Park. You will use this case as the basis of this Assignment. In this video, a Walden faculty member is assessing a mock patient. The patient will be represented onscreen as an avatar.
Consider what history would be necessary to collect from this patient.
Consider what interview questions you would need to ask this patient.
Consider patient diagnostics missing from the video: Provider Review outside of interview: Temp 98.2 Pulse 90 Respiration 18 B/P 138/88 Laboratory Data Available: Urine drug and alcohol screen negative. CBC within normal ranges, CMP within normal ranges. Lipid panel within normal ranges. Prolactin Level 8; TSH 6.3 (H)
The Assignment
Develop a Focused SOAP Note, including your differential diagnosis and critical-thinking process to formulate a primary diagnosis. Incorporate the following into your responses in the template:
Subjective: What details did the patient provide regarding their chief complaint and symptomatology to derive your differential diagnosis? What is the duration and severity of their symptoms? How are their symptoms impacting their functioning in life?
Objective: What observations did you make during the psychiatric assessment?
Assessment: Discuss the patient’s mental status examination results. What were your differential diagnoses? Provide a minimum of three possible diagnoses with supporting evidence, listed in order from highest to lowest priority. Compare the DSM-5-TR diagnostic criteria for each differential diagnosis and explain what DSM-5 criteria rules out the differential diagnosis to find an accurate diagnosis. Explain the critical-thinking process that led you to the primary diagnosis you selected. Include pertinent positives and pertinent negatives for the specific patient case.
Plan: What is your plan for psychotherapy? What is your plan for treatment and management, including alternative therapies? Include pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic treatments, alternative therapies, and follow-up parameters as well as a rationale for this treatment and management plan. Also incorporate one health promotion activity and one patient education strategy.
Reflection notes: Reflect on this case. Discuss what you learned and what you might do differently. Also include in your reflection a discussion related to legal/ethical considerations (demonstrate critical thinking beyond confidentiality and consent for treatment!), social determinates of health, health promotion, and disease prevention that takes into consideration patient factors (such as age, ethnic group, etc.), PMH, and other risk factors (e.g., socioeconomic, cultural background, etc.
This week, you learned about the following three commonly confused mental health disorders in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition: major depressive disorder, bipolar (I and II) disorder, and borderline personality disorder.
In two-pages, describe the differences between major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder. Then, differentiate bipolar disorder from borderline personality disorder. Why do you think these disorders are commonly confused?
Find three peer-reviewed articles on treating these conditions (one for each disorder). Describe reasons why correctly identifying these disorders is important for treatment.
Parameters: APA format; Times New Roman, 12-pt. font; one-inch margins; double-spaced; subheads; two-pages, in addition to a cover page and a reference page; support with academic references
