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Pages:
2 pages/≈550 words
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2 Sources
Style:
APA
Subject:
Health, Medicine, Nursing
Type:
Article
Language:
English (U.S.)
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MS Word
Date:
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Topic:

Treatment for a Patient with Worsen Depression and Sleeping Habits

Article Instructions:

Hi
This a discussion assignment
Insomnia is one of the most common medical conditions you will encounter as a PNP. Insomnia is a common symptom of many mental illnesses, including anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, and ADHD (Abbott, 2016). Various studies have demonstrated the bidirectional relationship between insomnia and mental illness. In fact, about 50% of adults with insomnia have a mental health problem, while up to 90% of adults with depression experience sleep problems (Abbott, 2016). Due to the interconnected psychopathology, it is important that you, as the PNP, understand the importance of the effects some psychopharmacologic treatments may have on a patient’s mental health illness and their sleep
Subjective: A patient presents to your primary care office today with chief complaint of insomnia. Patient is 75 YO with PMH of DM, HTN, and MDD. Her husband of 41 years passed away 10 months ago. Since then, she states her depression has gotten worse as well as her sleep habits. The patient has no previous history of depression prior to her husband’s death. She is awake, alert, and oriented x3. Patient normally sees PCP once or twice a year. Patient denies any suicidal ideations. Patient arrived at the office today by private vehicle. Patient currently takes the following medications:
Metformin 500mg BID
Januvia 100mg daily
Losartan 100mg daily
HCTZ 25mg daily
Sertraline 100mg daily
Current weight: 88 kg
Current height: 64 inches
Temp: 98.6 degrees F
BP: 132/86
By Day 3 of Week 7
Post a response to each of the following:
List three questions you might ask the patient if she were in your office. Provide a rationale for why you might ask these questions.
Identify people in the patient’s life you would need to speak to or get feedback from to further assess the patient’s situation. Include specific questions you might ask these people and why.
Explain what, if any, physical exams, and diagnostic tests would be appropriate for the patient and how the results would be used.
List a differential diagnosis for the patient. Identify the one that you think is most likely and explain why.
List two pharmacologic agents and their dosing that would be appropriate for the patient’s antidepressant therapy based on pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. From a mechanism of action perspective, provide a rationale for why you might choose one agent over the other.
For the drug therapy you select, identify any contraindications to use or alterations in dosing that may need to be considered based on ethical prescribing or decision-making. Discuss why the contraindication/alteration you identify exists. That is, what would be problematic with the use of this drug in individuals based on ethical prescribing guidelines or decision-making?
Include any “check points” (i.e., follow-up data at Week 4, 8, 12, etc.), and indicate any therapeutic changes that you might make based on possible outcomes that may happen given your treatment options chosen.
Thank you

Article Sample Content Preview:

Treatment for a Patient with a Common Condition
Name
Department
Course
Instructor
Due Date
Treatment for a Patient with a Common Condition
Background
 The patient has PMH of DM (diabetes mellitus), HTN (high blood pressure or hypertension), and MDD (Major depressive disorder). The patient’s depression and sleep habits have worsened in the past ten months.
 Three questions and rationale
 1. Do you drink caffeinated drinks, coffee, cola, and tea at night? If so, how many per day?
The patient would describe whether they drink caffeinated drinks that interfere with their sleeping patterns.
 2. Are there any other members of your family who are depressed?
 This provides clues on family history of depression and can close family members can offer support based on their experience and knowledge.
 3. Has there been a noticeable change in sleeping patterns at bedtime, weekday, weekend, and awakening in the past six months?
 The bedtime, awakening time, and hours of sleeping are helpful indicators of sleeping patterns.
 People in the patient’s life
 Children
 • What time does your mother go to bed on weekdays and weekends?
 • Is she woken up in the morning by another person or alarm clock?
 • Does she wake up at night when she cannot sleep?
 These questions provide insights into her sleeping patterns and whether there are is anything unusual about her sleeping habits and patterns.
Close friends
 • Has the patient ever reported on her depression status and how this affects her?
 • How often does she speak about her hope for future well-being?
There is a higher risk of sleep difficulties if depression and depressive symptoms affect the quality of life. The patient seems to be less hopeful after the death of her husband. Still, it is necessary to understand better her views that indicate depression and hopelessness.
 Caregiver
 • What is your perception of the level of support the patient gets?
 • On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate the living situation?
 • What is your perception of the patient’s health condition compared to six months ago?
 The caregivers provide feedback based on their observations of the patient’s physical and mental health status. Social support is beneficial, and if the patient has adequate support, this will improve her quality of life and coping.
 Physical exams and diagnostic tests
One of the tests is using the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE), a screening tool for cognitive impairment, assessing orientation and concentration. Based on the results, it helps to identify ways to improve functioning. Another test is the Geriatric Depression Scale (GSD) for depression and cognitive functioning among the elderly, and psychological intervention will improve the qua...
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