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NRNP – 6665 Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Care Across the Lifespan I

NRNP – 6665 Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Care Across the Lifespan I

NRNP – 6665 Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Care Across the Lifespan I Essay Assignment Help

Module 1: Special Considerations Related to Children and Adolescents; Ethical and Legal Issues

At this point in your program, you have completed specialization area courses on important individual components of PMHNP work: psychopharmacology, diagnostic reasoning and assessment, and psychotherapy. While you hopefully have been able to see (and implement, in your practicums) the connections between these components, in this and the following course, NRNP 6675, you fully focus on this synthesis of knowledge as you begin the final bridge toward advanced practice nursing.Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Care Across the Lifespan

You begin this course in Module 1 with a review of two foundational areas of clinical knowledge, assessment and prescribing. Your assignments are focused on how these areas are impacted by age and developmental level for patients who are children and adolescents. Additionally, you will delve into ethical and legal issues that may impact your clinical work with patients across the lifespan. It will be important in this course to take a lifespan approach to your studies because, in your final two practicum experiences, you will be required to see at minimum 40 child/adolescent patients and 40 adult/older adult patients. NRNP – 6665 Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Care Across the Lifespan I Essay Assignment Help.

As you look toward your future career as a PMHNP, it is also time to begin formally planning and studying for the PMHNP certification exam. You will take the first steps toward this aim by taking a pretest of the material that will be on the PMHNP certification exam and developing a study plan based on its results.

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What’s Happening in This Module?

This course is composed of three modules over the span of 11 weeks. Each module consists of an overarching topic, and each week within the module includes specific subtopics for learning. As you work through each module, you will have an opportunity to draw upon the knowledge you gain in various assignment components that are due throughout each of the modules.

Module 1—Special Considerations Related to Children and Adolescents; Ethical and Legal Issues—is a 3-week module that focuses on assessment of and prescribing for children and adolescents. You also explore ethical and legal considerations of working with patients across the lifespan. Additionally, you will begin to formally prepare for your PMHNP certification exam.

What do I have to do? When do I have to do it?
Review your Learning Resources. Days 1–7, Weeks 1–3
Discussion: Comprehensive Integrated Psychiatric Assessment Post by Day 3 of Week 1 and respond to your colleagues by Day 6 of Week 1.
Discussion: Ethical and Legal Foundations of PMHNP Care Post by Day 3 of Week 2 and respond to your colleagues by Day 6 of Week 2.
Assignment: Certification Exam Pretest Complete by Day 7 of Week 2.
Assignment: Prescribing for Children and Adolescents Complete by Day 7 of Week 3.
Assignment: Study Plan Complete by Day 7 of Week 3.

Week 1: Child and Adolescent Assessment

All diagnoses, from infancy to adulthood, begin with an examination. While an organic basis for most medical disorders can be determined through the use of diagnostic testing, the field of psychiatry is different in that patients cannot be sent to the lab for blood tests to determine the degree of depression. Similarly, patients cannot be sent to the radiology department for a “scan” to determine the severity of their bipolar disorder. Instead, the field of psychiatry must use psychiatric assessments, such as the comprehensive integrated physical exam, diagnostic interviews, and questionnaires to make diagnoses. These tools must be specialized to address the needs of children and adolescents.

Diagnostic assessment of the child and adolescent is a specialized area of expertise. The PMHNP will often see children who have already been seen by a primary care provider. Many PCPs are comfortable handling attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other straightforward childhood disorders. That means that the PMHNP will often treat the more complicated patients. This week, you explore psychiatric assessment techniques and tools for children and adolescents. You also examine the role of the parent/guardian in the assessment process for this patient population.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

  • Evaluate comprehensive integrated psychiatric assessment techniques for children and adolescents
  • Recommend assessment questions for child and adolescent patients
  • Explain the importance of thorough psychiatric assessment for children and adolescents
  • Identify rating scales that are appropriate for child/adolescent psychiatric assessment
  • Identify psychiatric treatments appropriate for children and adolescents
  • Explain the role of the parent/guardian in child/adolescent psychiatric assessment

Learning Resources

Optional Discussion Forum: PMHNP Study Support Lounge

The PMHNP Study Support Lounge is offered throughout the course as a place of academic refuge where you can ask questions, offer insights, and interact with your peers. Your Instructor may also weigh in to provide global feedback to the group based on trends, common problems, and common strengths in student posts.

You are encouraged to provide constructive, helpful feedback to your peers. Advanced practice nurses always benefit from the feedback of others. Your Study Support Lounge posts may be procedural (“How do I attach a Kaltura video to a Discussion post?”), conceptual (“How does this relate to the other therapy approaches we have studied?”), or analytical (“What do these diagnostic results actually mean in the context of this specific patient case?”). Although not mandatory, this is an opportunity to interact and study together as you navigate the assignments, so you are highly encouraged to take part in this activity. Full participation in activities like this is a statistically significant predictor of success.

Acknowledgment

Practicum Manual Acknowledgment

The Practicum Manual describes the structure and timing of the classroom-based and practicum experiences and the policies students must follow to be successful in the nurse practitioner (NP) specialties.

  • Field Experience: MSN Nurse Practitioner Practicum Manual

Click here and follow the instructions to confirm you have downloaded and read the entire MSN Nurse Practitioner Practicum Manual and will abide by the requirements described in order to successfully complete this program.

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Discussion: Comprehensive Integrated Psychiatric Assessment

Many assessment principles are the same for children and adults; however, unlike with adults/older adults, where consent for participation in the assessment comes from the actual client, with children it is the parents or guardians who must make the decision for treatment. Issues of confidentiality, privacy, and consent must be addressed. When working with children, it is not only important to be able to connect with the pediatric patient, but also to be able to collaborate effectively with the caregivers, other family members, teachers, and school counselors/psychologists, all of whom will be able to provide important context and details to aid in your assessment and treatment plans.

Some children/adolescents may be more difficult to assess than adults, as they can be less psychologically minded. That is, they have less insights into themselves and their motivations than adults (although this is not universally true). The PMHNP must also take into consideration the child’s culture and environmental context. Additionally, with children/adolescents, there are lower rates of neurocognitive disorders superimposed on other clinical conditions, such as depression or anxiety, which create additional diagnostic challenges.

In this Discussion, you review and critique the techniques and methods of a mental health professional as the practitioner completes a comprehensive, integrated psychiatric assessment of an adolescent. You also identify rating scales and treatment options that are specifically appropriate for children/adolescents.

To Prepare

  • Review the Learning Resources and consider the insights they provide on comprehensive, integrated psychiatric assessment. Watch the Mental Status Examination B-6 and Simulation Scenario-Adolescent Risk Assessment videos.
  • Watch the YMH Boston Vignette 5 video and take notes; you will use this video as the basis for your Discussion post.

By Day 3 of Week 1

Based on the YMH Boston Vignette 5 video, post answers to the following questions:

  • What did the practitioner do well? In what areas can the practitioner improve?
  • At this point in the clinical interview, do you have any compelling concerns? If so, what are they?
  • What would be your next question, and why?

Then, address the following. Your answers to these prompts do not have to be tailored to the patient in the YMH Boston video.

  • Explain why a thorough psychiatric assessment of a child/adolescent is important.
  • Describe two different symptom rating scales that would be appropriate to use during the psychiatric assessment of a child/adolescent.
  • Describe two psychiatric treatment options for children and adolescents that may not be used when treating adults.
  • Explain the role parents/guardians play in assessment.

Support your response with at least three peer-reviewed, evidence-based sources and explain why each of your supporting sources is considered scholarly. Attach the PDFs of your sources.

Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses.

By Day 6 of Week 1

Respond to at least two of your colleagues on 2 different days by offering additional insights or alternative perspectives on their analysis of the video, other rating scales that may be used with children, or other treatment options for children not yet mentioned. Be specific and provide a rationale with evidence.

Note: For this Discussion, you are required to complete your initial post before you will be able to view and respond to your colleagues’ postings. Begin by clicking on the “Post to Discussion Question” link, and then select “Create Thread” to complete your initial post. Remember, once you click on Submit, you cannot delete or edit your own posts, and you cannot post anonymously. Please check your post carefully before clicking on Submit!

Submission and Grading Information

In Week 2, you will explore ethical and legal considerations related to PMHNP care. You will also complete a pretest of the body of knowledge that will be on the PMHNP certification exam. This pretest is not graded; rather, it is used to identify your current strengths and opportunities for improvement so that you can create a study plan for the exam. You will use this study plan in this course and update it in NRNP 6675 and after your program, as needed.

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Week 2: Ethical and Legal Foundations of PMHNP Care Across the Lifespan

In your role as a PMHNP, you will regularly encounter situations that require your ability to make sound judgments and practice decisions for the safety and well-being of individuals, families, and communities. There may not be a clear-cut answer of how to address the issue, but your ethical decision making must be based on evidence-based practice and what is good, right, and beneficial for patients. You will encounter patients who do not hold your values, but you must remain professional and unbiased in the care you provide to all patients regardless of their background or worldview. You must be prepared to critically analyze ethical situations and develop an appropriate plan of action.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

  • Analyze salient ethical and legal issues in psychiatric-mental health practice
  • Analyze the impact of cultural considerations on ethical/legal decision making in advanced practice nursing
  • Evaluate mastery of nurse practitioner knowledge in preparation for the nurse practitioner national certification examination*

*Assessed in Week 3 Assignment

Learning Resources

Required Readings (click to expand/reduce)

American Nurses Association. (2015). Code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statements. https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/nursing-excellence/ethics/code-of-ethics-for-nurses/coe-view-only/f

American Psychological Association. (2017). Ethical principles of psychologists and diagnostic formulation. http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/

American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. (2014). Code of ethics. https://www.aacap.org/App_Themes/AACAP/docs/about_us/transparency_portal/aacap_code_of_ethics_2012.pdf

American Psychiatric Nurses Association. (2020). APRN psychiatric-mental health nursing practice. https://www.apna.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageID=3846

Anderson, S. L. (2012). Practice parameter on gay, lesbian, or bisexual sexual orientation, gender nonconformity, and gender discordance in children and adolescents. American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 51(9). 957–974. https://www.jaacap.org/action/showPdf?pii=S0890-8567%2812%2900500-X

Hilt, R. J., & Nussbaum, A. M. (2016). DSM-5 pocket guide for child and adolescent mental health. American Psychiatric Association Publishing.

  • Chapter 2, “Addressing Behavioral and Mental Problems in Community Settings”

Thapar, A., Pine, D. S., Leckman, J. F., Scott, S., Snowling, M. J., & Taylor, E. A. (2015). Rutter’s child and adolescent psychiatry (6th ed.). Wiley Blackwell.

  • Chapter 19, “Legal Issues in the Care and Treatment of Children with Mental Health Problems”

Zakhari, R. (2020). The psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner certification review manual. Springer.

  • Chapter 1, “Preparing to Pass the Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Certification Exam”

Reminder: Keep Your Library of Advanced Practice Nursing Texts at Your Fingertips

Several textbooks are assigned in multiple courses in your program. That is, you will see reading assignments from the books assigned in the Learning Resources of more than one course. You should, however, keep all prior textbooks—not just the ones explicitly assigned—readily accessible. The expectation is that you will independently consult these prior textbooks to synthesize information needed to complete your final courses. This is your time to “put it all together” and to more fully embrace the advanced practice nursing role. Part of the responsibility of advanced practice is developing information literacy skills to know where to locate needed information for your clinical practice.

Discussion: Ethical and Legal Foundations of PMHNP Care

Advanced practice nursing in all specialties is guided by codes of ethics that put the care, rights, duty, health, and safety of the patient first and foremost. PMHNP practice is also guided by ethical codes specifically for psychiatry. These ethical codes are frameworks to guide clinical decision making; they are generally not prescriptive. They also represent the aspirational ideals for the profession. Laws, on the other hand, dictate the requirements that must be followed. In this way, legal codes may be thought to represent the minimum standards of care, and ethics represent the highest goals for care.

NRNP – 6665 Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Care Across the Lifespan I Essay Assignment Help

For this Discussion, you select a topic that has both legal and ethical implications for PMHNP practice and then perform a literature review on the topic. Your goal will be to identify the most salient legal and ethical facets of the issue for PMHNP practice, and also how these facets differ in the care of adult patients versus children. Keep in mind as you research your issue, that laws differ by state and your clinical practice will be dictated by the laws that govern your state.

To Prepare

  • Select one of the following ethical/legal topics:
    • Autonomy
    • Beneficence
    • Justice
    • Fidelity
    • Veracity
    • Involuntary hospitalization and due process of civil commitment
    • Informed assent/consent and capacity
    • Duty to warn
    • Restraints
    • HIPPA
    • Child and elder abuse reporting
    • Tort law
    • Negligence/malpractice
  • In the Walden library, locate a total of four scholarly, professional, or legal resources related to this topic. One should address ethical considerations related to this topic for adults, one should be on ethical considerations related to this topic for children/adolescents, one should be on legal considerations related to this topic for adults, and one should be on legal considerations related to this topic for children/adolescents.

By Day 3 of Week 2

Briefly identify the topic you selected. Then, summarize the articles you selected, explaining the most salient ethical and legal issues related to the topic as they concern psychiatric-mental health practice for children/adolescents and for adults. Explain how this information could apply to your clinical practice, including specific implications for practice within your state. Attach the PDFs of your articles.

Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses.

By Day 6 of Week 2

Respond to at least two of your colleagues on 2 different days by sharing cultural considerations that may impact the legal or ethical issues present in their articles.

Note: For this Discussion, you are required to complete your initial post before you will be able to view and respond to your colleagues’ postings. Begin by clicking on the “Post to Discussion Question” link, and then select “Create Thread” to complete your initial post. Remember, once you click on Submit, you cannot delete or edit your own posts, and you cannot post anonymously. Please check your post carefully before clicking on Submit!

Submission and Grading Information

Assignment: Certification Exam Pretest

It is time to begin formal planning and studying for your certification exam. You will use your review text, The Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Certification Review Manual, in both this course and in NRNP 6675 as a tool to aid in your preparation. Chapter 16 of this text contains practice exam questions that will help you prepare to take the national certification. For this Assignment, you will take 100 of these questions as a pretest.

To Prepare

You do not need to study or prepare for this test. It is being used as a diagnostic pre-assessment to gauge your current knowledge. Set aside time to complete 100 of these questions.

By Day 7 of Week 2

Complete the practice questions. Afterward, score your results using the answer key in the text. Save your score for next week, when you will create a certification exam study plan based on your results. There is no submission requirement this week related to your pretest.

Note: Your grade for the Week 3 Assignment will not be derived from your test results but from your self-reflection on the results in your Week 3 Study Plan Assignment.

What’s Coming Up in Week 3?

NRNP – 6665 Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Care Across the Lifespan I Essay Assignment Help

In Week 3, you will review psychopharmacological treatments for mental health disorders, focusing specifically on prescribing for children and adolescents. You will also use your pretest results from this week to create a study plan for the PMHNP certification exam.

Next Week

Week 3: Special Considerations Related to Prescribing for Children and Adolescents

There is probably no greater responsibility that the psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner assumes than the responsibility of prescribing medications. While patients can be harmed by psychotherapy, the level and intensity of the harm generally does not approach the same level of harm that can occur from improper prescribing. PMHNPs must understand their responsibility, both at the state and federal levels, when it comes to prescribing medications.

This week, you will explore the particular clinical considerations associated with prescribing for children and adolescents.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

  • Recommend psychopharmacological interventions for children and adolescents
  • Recommend nonpharmacological interventions for children and adolescents in mental health settings
  • Analyze clinical decision making related to treatment of children and adolescents in mental health settings
  • Evaluate mastery of nurse practitioner knowledge in preparation for the nurse practitioner national certification examination
  • Create a study plan for the nurse practitioner national certification examination

Learning Resources

Required Readings (click to expand/reduce)

Hilt, R. J., & Nussbaum, A. M. (2016). DSM-5 pocket guide for child and adolescent mental health. American Psychiatric Association Publishing.

  • Chapter 14, “Psychosocial Interventions”
  • Chapter 15, “Psychotherapeutic Interventions”
  • Chapter 16, “Psychopharmacological Interventions”

Thapar, A., Pine, D. S., Leckman, J. F., Scott, S., Snowling, M. J., & Taylor, E. A. (2015). Rutter’s child and adolescent psychiatry (6th ed.). Wiley Blackwell.

  • Chapter 43, “Pharmacological, Medically-Led and Related Treatments”

Walden University. (n.d.). Developing SMART goals. https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/ld.php?content_id=51901492

Zakhari, R. (2020). The psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner certification review manual. Springer.

  • Chapter 5, “Psychopharmacology” NRNP – 6665 Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Care Across the Lifespan I Essay Assignment Help

Required Media (click to expand/reduce)

CriticalThinkRx. (2019, June 9). Module 5: Specific drug classes: Focus on adverse effects [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/Gbq6RnOsGKQ

CriticalThinkRx. (2019, June 9). Module 2: Use of psychotropics with youth_prevalence and concerns [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/NRef-g4Ding

Assignment 1: Prescribing for Children and Adolescents

Off-label prescribing is when a physician gives you a drug that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved to treat a condition different than your condition. This practice is legal and common. In fact, one in five prescriptions written today are for off-label use.

—Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Photo Credit: Getty Images/Ingram Publishing

Psychotropic drugs are commonly used for children and adolescents to treat mental health disorders, yet many of these drugs are not FDA approved for use in these populations. Thus, their use is considered “off-label,” and it is often up to the best judgment of the prescribing clinician. As a PMHNP, you will need to apply the best available information and research on pharmacological treatments for children in order to safely and effectively treat child and adolescent patients. Sometimes this will come in the form of formal studies and approvals for drugs in children. Other times you may need to extrapolate from research or treatment guidelines on drugs in adults. Each individual patient case will need to be considered independently and each treatment considered from a risk assessment standpoint. What psychotherapeutic approach might be indicated as an initial treatment? What are the potential side effects of a particular drug?

For this Assignment, you consider these questions and others as you explore FDA-approved (“on label”) pharmacological treatments, non-FDA-approved (“off-label”) pharmacological treatments, and nonpharmacological treatments for disorders in children and adolescents.

Reference: NRNP – 6665 Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Care Across the Lifespan I Essay Assignment Help

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (2015). Off-label drugs: What you need to know. https://www.ahrq.gov/patients-consumers/patient-involvement/off-label-drug-usage.html

To Prepare

  • Your Instructor will assign a specific disorder for you to research for this Assignment.
  • Use the Walden library to research evidence-based treatments for your assigned disorder in children and adolescents. You will need to recommend one FDA-approved drug, one off-label drug, and one nonpharmacological intervention for treating this disorder in children and adolescents.

The Assignment (1–2 pages)

  • Recommend one FDA-approved drug, one off-label drug, and one nonpharmacological intervention for treating your assigned disorder in children and adolescents.
  • Explain the risk assessment you would use to inform your treatment decision making. What are the risks and benefits of the FDA-approved medicine? What are the risks and benefits of the off-label drug?
  • Explain whether clinical practice guidelines exist for this disorder and, if so, use them to justify your recommendations. If not, explain what information you would need to take into consideration.
  • Support your reasoning with at least three scholarly resources, one each on the FDA-approved drug, the off-label, and a non-medication intervention for the disorder. Attach the PDFs of your sources.

By Day 7 of Week 3

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 “WK3Assgn1+last name+first initial.(extension)” as the name.
  • Click the Week 3 Assignment 1 Rubric to review the Grading Criteria for the Assignment.
  • Click the Week 3 Assignment 1 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 “WK3Assgn1+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.
  • Click on the Submit button to complete your submission.

Grading Criteria

Assignment 2: Study Plan

Based on your practice exam question results from Week 2, identify strengths and areas of opportunity and create a tailored study plan to use throughout this course to help you prepare for the national certification exam. This will serve as an action plan to help you track your goals, tasks, and progress. You will revisit and update your study plan in NRNP 6675, and you may continue to refine and use it until you take the exam.

To Prepare: NRNP – 6665 Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Care Across the Lifespan I Essay Assignment Help

  • Reflect on your practice exam question results from Week 2. Identify content-area strengths and opportunities for improvement.
  • Also reflect on your overall test taking. Was the length of time allotted comfortable, or did you run out of time? Did a particular question format prove difficult?

The Assignment

  • Based on your practice test question results, and considering the national certification exam, summarize your strengths and opportunities for improvement. Note: Your grade for this Assignment will not be derived from your test results but from your self-reflection and study plan.
  • Create a study plan for this quarter to prepare for the certification exam, including three or four SMART goals and the tasks you need to complete to accomplish each goal. Include a timetable for accomplishing them and a description of how you will measure your progress.
  • Describe resources you would use to accomplish your goals and tasks, such as ways to participate in a study group or review course, mnemonics and other mental strategies, and print or online resources you could use to study.

By Day 7 of Week 3

Submit your study plan.

Submission and Grading Information

To submit your completed Assignment for review and grading, do the following: NRNP – 6665 Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Care Across the Lifespan I Essay Assignment Help

  • Please save your Assignment using the naming convention “WK3Assgn2+last name+first initial.(extension)” as the name.
  • Click the Week 3 Assignment 2 Rubric to review the Grading Criteria for the Assignment.
  • Click the Week 3 Assignment 2 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 “WK3Assgn2+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.
  • Click on the Submit button to complete your submission.

Grading Criteria

What’s Coming Up in Module 2?

NRNP – 6665 Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Care Across the Lifespan I Essay Assignment Help

In Module 2, you will explore the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of mental health disorders across the lifespan. This will allow you to synthesize pharmacology, diagnostic reasoning, and psychotherapy knowledge from prior coursework to effectively treat patients. Look at how far you’ve come!

Next Module

Module 2: Assessing, Diagnosing, and Treating Mood, Anxiety, Eating, Sleeping, and Elimination Disorders Across the Lifespan

In Module 2, you begin to apply all your foundational knowledge to the assessment, diagnosis, and effective treatment of mental health disorders encountered across the lifespan. Beginning with assessment, the PMHNP needs to be well versed in gathering critical history and symptom information from the client and, as applicable, caregivers. After a thorough assessment, the PMHNP can determine an initial differential diagnosis, potentially needing to tease apart symptoms that may be found in two or more disorders or identifying comorbid conditions. When it is time to formulate a treatment plan, it is important to consider both potential pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic interventions as well as the specific life circumstances of each patient to determine the most effective treatment plan. In this module, you will examine mental health concerns such as mood, anxiety, eating, sleeping, and elimination disorders. As you review these disorders, pay attention to how each may manifest and how each may disturb the daily functioning of patients with the disorder.

What’s Happening in This Module?

Module 2—Assessing, Diagnosing, and Treating Mood, Anxiety, Eating, Sleeping, and Elimination Disorders Across the Lifespan—is a 3-week module that focuses on the assessment, diagnosis, and development of treatment plans for a variety of disorders the PMHNP is likely to encounter as a practitioner.  NRNP – 6665 Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Care Across the Lifespan I Essay Assignment Help

What do I have to do? When do I have to do it?
Review your Learning Resources. Days 1–7, Weeks 4, 5, and 6
Assignment: Assessing, Diagnosing, and Treating Adults With Mood Disorders Submit by Day 7 of Week 4.
Assignment: Patient Education for Children and Adolescents Submit by Day 7 of Week 5.
Midterm Exam Complete by Day 7 of Week 6.

NURSING ASSIGNMENT ESSAY HELP

Week 4: Mood Disorders in Adults

I am finally doing everything right. I stayed up all night studying for my final exams and even managed to clean out my closet and order a whole new bedroom from the internet. I know I will ace all my exams. Nothing can go wrong like they did a few months ago. I was so low and was sleeping all the time. I did not think I would ever be happy again, but now I know I can do anything.

—Jessica, age 22

Patients presenting with mood disorders may find that their moods impact their ability to function or that their moods are not consistent with their circumstances. Bipolar and related disorders are one category of mood disorders. They affect nearly 3% of the U.S. population each year (Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, n.d.). Although being relatively rare in terms of lifetime prevalence, bipolar disorder is burdensome to the individual and health care system because of its early onset, severity, and chronic nature. The average age of onset is around 25 and it affects men and women equally.

The importance of evidence-based intervention for treatment in persons with mood disorders cannot be underestimated. Unstable moods can result in repeat chronic hospitalizations and profound life disruption. Mood disorders are a leading cause of disability worldwide and can contribute to suicide (World Health Organization, 2020). Practitioners should understand that developing a good rapport and relationship with the patient can make a significant difference in the course, symptom management, and stability of the patient.

This week, you will assess, diagnose, and develop appropriate treatment plans for adults presenting with mood disorders.

Reference: 

Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance. (n.d.). Bipolar disorder statistics. https://www.dbsalliance.org/education/bipolar-disorder/bipolar-disorder-statistics/#

World Health Organization. (2020). Depression. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/depression

Learning Objectives

Students will:

  • Assess adults presenting with mood disorders
  • Develop differential diagnoses for adult patients with mood disorders
  • Develop appropriate treatment plans for adult patients with mood disorders
  • Advocate health promotion and patient education strategies for adult patients with mood disorders

Learning Resources

Required Readings (click to expand/reduce)

Sadock, B. J., Sadock, V. A., & Ruiz, P. (2015). Kaplan & Sadock’s synopsis of psychiatry (11th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.

  • Chapter 8, “Mood Disorders”

Zakhari, R. (2020). The psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner certification review manual. Springer.

  • Chapter 11, “Mood Disorders”

Document: Focused SOAP Note Template

Document: Focused SOAP Note Exemplar

Required Media (click to expand/reduce)

CrashCourse. (2014, September 8). Depressive and bipolar disorders: Crash course psychology #30 [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/ZwMlHkWKDwM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwMlHkWKDwM&t=1s

Walden University. (2021). Case study: Petunia Park. Walden University Blackboard. https://class.waldenu.edu

Accessible player  –Downloads– Download Video w/CC Download Audio Download Transcript

Medication Review

Review the FDA approved use of the following medicines related to treating mood disorders.

Depression Premenstrual dysphoric disorder Seasonal affective disorder (MDD with Seasonal Variation)
agomelatine
amitriptyline
amoxapine
aripiprazole
(adjunct)
brexpiprazole (adjunct)bupropion
citalopram
clomipramine
cyamemazine
desipramine
desvenlafaxine
dothiepindoxepin
duloxetine
escitalopram
fluoxetine
fluvoxamine
iloperidone
imipramine
isocarboxazid
ketamine
lithium (adjunct)
l-methylfolate (adjunct)		 lofepramine
maprotiline
mianserin
milnacipran
mirtazapine
moclobemide
nefazodone
nortriptyline
paroxetine
phenelzine
protriptyline quetiapine (adjunct)
reboxetine
selegiline
sertindole
sertraline
sulpiride
tianeptine
tranylcypromine
trazodone
trimipramine
venlafaxine
vilazodone
vortioxetine		 citalopram
desvenlafaxine
duloxetin
eescitalopram
fluoxetin
eparoxetine
pepexev
sarafe,
sertraline
venlafaxine		 Bupropion HCL extended-release
Bipolar depression Bipolar disorder (mixed Mania/Depression Bipolar maintenance Mania
lithium (used with lurasidone)
lurasidone
olanzapine-fluoxetine combination (symbyax)
quetiapine
valproate (divalproex) (used with lurasidone)		 aripiprazole
asenapine
carbamazepine		 olanzapine
ziprasidone		 aripiprazole

lamotrigine
lithium
olanzapine

 aripiprazole
asenapine
carbamazepine
lithium
olanzapine
quetiapine
risperidonevalproate (divalproex)
ziprasidone

Assignment: Assessing, Diagnosing, and Treating Adults With Mood Disorders

It is important for the PMHNP to have a comprehensive understanding of mood disorders in order to assess and accurately formulate a diagnosis and treatment plan for patients presenting with these disorders. Mood disorders may be diagnosed when a patient’s emotional state meets the diagnostic criteria for severity, functional impact, and length of time. Those with a mood disorder may find that their emotions interfere with work, relationships, or other parts of their lives that impact daily functioning. Mood disorders may also lead to substance abuse or suicidal thoughts or behaviors, and although they are not likely to go away on their own, they can be managed with an effective treatment plan and understanding of how to manage symptoms.

In this Assignment you will assess, diagnose, and devise a treatment plan for a patient in a case study who is presenting with a mood disorder.

To Prepare

  • 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.

GRAB A NURSING PAPER NOW

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 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: What would you do differently with this client if you could conduct the session again? Discuss what your next intervention would be if you were able to follow up with this patient. Also include in your reflection a discussion related to legal/ethical considerations (demonstrate critical thinking beyond confidentiality and consent for treatment!), 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.).

By Day 7 of Week 4

Submit your Focused SOAP Note.

Submission and Grading Information

To submit your completed Assignment for review and grading, do the following:

  • Please save your Assignment using the naming convention “WK4Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” as the name.
  • Click the Week 4 Assignment Rubric to review the Grading Criteria for the Assignment.
  • Click the Week 4 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 “WK4Assgn+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.
  • Click on the Submit button to complete your submission.

Grading Criteria

What’s Coming Up in Week 5?

Next week, you will explore mood and anxiety disorders in children and adolescents and the unique approaches to assessment and treatment of these disorders in this population compared to treating them in adults. In next week’s Assignment, you will prepare patient education materials for an assigned disorder in which you will explain signs and symptoms, pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatments, and community resources.

You should also begin studying for your midterm exam, which is completed in Week 6. This will be a 100-question, multiple-choice exam covering all topics in Week 1 through Week 6 of the course. The exams in your MSN program are designed to test your knowledge in preparation for your certification exam and to simulate the certification exam environment. Accordingly, no outside resources, including books, notes, websites, or any other type of resource, may be used to help you complete the exams in your courses.

Next Week

Week 5: Mood and Anxiety Disorders in Children and Adolescents

School and going out with my friends used to be fun, but not anymore. Mom keeps telling me just to go out and have fun, but I don’t see the point of trying. All my friends are better than I am. I keep having these headaches and just feel worthless. I used to get As and Bs in school, but not anymore. I can’t concentrate at school. I would rather be at home sleeping.

—Madison, age 16

Mood and anxiety disorders can be particularly challenging to address in childhood and adolescence for many reasons. Children may not be able to fully express or understand their feelings and behaviors. Parents may misattribute or not recognize signs and symptoms. The symptoms of disorders also vary when present in children as opposed to adults. The PMHNP needs to know how to diagnose these conditions and must understand the importance of integrating medication management strategies with both individual and family therapy to optimize treatment outcomes.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

  • Explain signs and symptoms of mood and anxiety disorders in children and adolescents
  • Explain the pathophysiology of mood and anxiety disorders in children and adolescents
  • Explain diagnosis and treatment methods for mood and anxiety disorders in children and adolescents
  • Develop patient education materials for mood and anxiety disorders in children and adolescents

Learning Resources

Required Readings (click to expand/reduce)

Hilt, R. J., & Nussbaum, A. M. (2016). DSM-5 pocket guide for child and adolescent mental health. American Psychiatric Association Publishing.

  • Chapter 3, “Common Clinical Concerns”
  • Chapter 7, “A Brief Version of DSM-5″
  • Chapter 8, “A stepwise approach to Differential Diagnosis”
  • Chapter 10, “Selected DSM-5 Assessment Measures”
  • Chapter 11, “Rating Scales and Alternative Diagnostic Systems”

Shoemaker, S. J., Wolf, M. S., & Brach, C. (2014). The patient education materials assessment tool (PEMAT) and user’s guide. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. https://www.ahrq.gov/sites/default/files/publications/files/pemat_guide.pdf

Thapar, A., Pine, D. S., Leckman, J. F., Scott, S., Snowling, M. J., & Taylor, E. A. (2015). Rutter’s child and adolescent psychiatry (6th ed.). Wiley Blackwell.

Required Media (click to expand/reduce)

Center for Rural Health. (2020, May 18). Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder & childhood bipolar disorder [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/tSfYXkst1vM

Mood Disorders Association of BC. (2014, November 20). Children in depression [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/Qg-BBKB1nJc

Psych Hub Education. (2020, January 7). LGBTQ youth: Learning to listen. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wn4AVjMMYX4

Medication Review

Review the FDA-approved use of the following medicines related to treating mood and anxiety disorders in children and adolescents.

Bipolar depression Bipolar disorder
lurasidone (age 10–17)
olanzapine-fluoxetine combination (age 10–17)		 aripiprazole (age 10–17)
asenapine  (for mania or mixed episodes, age 10–17)
lithium (for mania, age 12–17)olanzapine (age 13–17)
quetiapine (age 10–17)
risperidone (age 10–17)
Generalized anxiety disorder Depression
duloxetine (age 7–17) escitalopram (age 12–17)
fluoxetine (age 8–17)

NRNP – 6665 Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Care Across the Lifespan I Essay Assignment Help

Obsessive-compulsive disorder
clomipramine (age 10–17)
fluoxetine (age 7–17)
fluvoxamine (age 8–17)
sertraline (age 6–17)

Assignment: Patient Education for Children and Adolescents

Patient education is an effective tool in supporting compliance and treatment for a diagnosis. It is important to consider effective ways to educate patients and their families about a diagnosis—such as coaching, brochures, or videos—and to recognize that the efficacy of any materials may differ based on the needs and learning preferences of a particular patient. Because patients or their families may be overwhelmed with a new diagnosis, it is important that materials provided by the practitioner clearly outline the information that patients need to know.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

For this Assignment, you will pretend that you are a contributing writer to a health blog. You are tasked with explaining important information about an assigned mental health disorder in language appropriate for child/adolescent patients and/or their caregivers.

To Prepare

  • By Day 1, your Instructor will assign a mood or anxiety disorder diagnosis for you to use for this Assignment.
  • Research signs and symptoms for your diagnosis, pharmacological treatments, nonpharmacological treatments, and appropriate community resources and referrals.

The Assignment

In a 300- to 500-word blog post written for a patient and/or caregiver audience, explain signs and symptoms for your diagnosis, pharmacological treatments, nonpharmacological treatments, and appropriate community resources and referrals.
Although you are not required to respond to colleagues, collegial discussion is welcome.

By Day 7 of Week 5

Submit your Assignment.

Submission and Grading Information

To complete your Blog for review and grading, do the following:

  • Click the Week 5 Assignment Rubric to review the Grading Criteria for the Assignment.
  • Click the Week 5 Assignment link.
  • Next, click Create Blog Entry Link.
  • In the title box, enter the title of the Blog Entry. Please title it: WK5Assgn+last name+first initial.
  • In the Entry Message box, type your Blog Entry or click Browse My Computer and select the document you saved as “WK5Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” and click Open.
  • Click Post Entry.

Grading Criteria

NRNP – 6665 Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Care Across the Lifespan I Essay Assignment Help

What’s Coming Up in Week 6?

In Week 6, you explore eating, sleeping, and elimination disorders and consider how these disorders can impact normal functioning. By Day 7, you will also complete your midterm exam, which covers materials from Week 1 through Week 6.

Next Week

Week 6: Eating, Sleeping, and Elimination Disorders; Midterm Exam

Eating, sleeping, and elimination disorders may come to the attention of providers in a variety of settings. These disorders can be profoundly disturbing to patients’ lives and may have significant comorbidities with other disorders. Eating disorders, such as anorexia and bulimia, are widely known. But it is important to understand and be able to recognize less common disorders, such as pica and rumination disorder. Sleep is essential for a healthy mind and body, and lack of quality sleep can cause distress during the daytime. Sleep disorders can involve difficulties with quality, timing, and amount of sleep, and they frequently accompany other disorders, especially depression, anxiety, and PTSD. The elimination disorders of enuresis and encopresis are troubling to children and parents and cause significant difficulty in daily functioning.

Obtaining a thorough history is essential to diagnosing eating, sleeping, and elimination disorders; formulating a treatment plan; and monitoring the plan’s effectiveness. This week, you will explore these categories of disorders and complete your midterm exam.

Learning Objectives

Students will: NRNP – 6665 Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Care Across the Lifespan I Essay Assignment Help

Apply concepts related to psychopathology, diagnostic reasoning, and treatment planning in advanced practice psychiatric-mental health nursing care

Learning Resources

Required Readings (click to expand/reduce)

Sadock, B. J., Sadock, V. A., & Ruiz, P. (2015). Kaplan & Sadock’s synopsis of psychiatry (11th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.

  • Chapter 15, “Feeding and Eating Disorders”
  • Chapter 16, “Normal Sleep and Sleep-Wake Disorders”

Thapar, A., Pine, D. S., Leckman, J. F., Scott, S., Snowling, M. J., & Taylor, E. A. (2015). Rutter’s child and adolescent psychiatry (6th ed.). Wiley Blackwell.

  • Chapter 70, “Sleeping Interventions: A Developmental Perspective”
  • Chapter 71, “Feeding and Eating Disorders”

Zakhari, R. (2020). The psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner certification review manual. Springer.

  • Chapter 10, “Sleep Disorders”

Medication Review

Review the FDA-approved use of the following medicines related to treating eating, sleeping, and elimination disorders.

Bulimia nervosa/binge eating Enuresis
Fluoxetine – bulimia
Lisdexamfetamine – binge eating		 Desmopressin
Tofranil
Excessive sleepiness in narcolepsy, obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea
syndrome, shift work sleep disorder		 Insomnia Restless leg syndrome
armodafinil
modafinil
pitolisant
sodium oxybate
Solriamfetol		 Doxepin
Eszopiclone
Estazolam
Flurazepam
Lemborexant
Quazepam
Ramelteon
Suvorexant
Temazepam
Triazolam
Zaleplon
Zolpidem		 Ropinirole
Pramipexole
Rotigotine patch
Gabapentin enacarbil

Midterm Exam

This exam will cover the following topics from Week 1 through Week 6 of the course relevant to assessment, diagnosis, and treatment across the lifespan:
Child and adolescent psychiatric assessment

Photo Credit: [Vergeles_Andrey]/[iStock / Getty Images Plus]/Getty Images

Prior to starting the exam, you should review all of your materials. There is a 2.5-hour time limit to complete this 100-question, multiple-choice exam. You may only attempt this exam once.

This exam is a test of your knowledge in preparation for your certification exam. No outside resources—including books, notes, websites, or any other type of resource—are to be used to complete this exam. You are expected to comply with Walden University’s Code of Conduct.
By Day 7

Complete your exam.

Submission and Grading Information

NRNP – 6665 Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Care Across the Lifespan I Essay Assignment Help

What’s Coming Up in Module 3?

In Module 3, you continue to analyze the process of assessing, diagnosing, and developing treatment plans for patients presenting with a variety of disorders. This module will focus on neurocognitive, neurodevelopmental, dissociative, somatic symptom-related, disruptive, impulse-control, and conduct disorders. Additionally, you will consider legal and ethical considerations and health promotion and patient education strategies for patients with a variety of disorders.

Next Module

Module 3: Assessing, Diagnosing, and Treating Neurocognitive, Neurodevelopmental, Dissociative, Somatic Symptom-Related, Disruptive, Impulse-Control, and Conduct Disorders

In Module 3, you will continue to apply the knowledge that you have gained throughout your program as you practice assessing, diagnosing, and formulating treatment plans for a variety of mental health disorders that are found across the lifespan. Week 7 covers neurocognitive disorders, which describe diminished mental functioning due to causes such as brain injury and degenerative disorders. In Week 8, you will turn to neurodevelopmental disorders, which encompass a variety of disorders that occur due to abnormalities in the developmental trajectory. Dissociative disorders are the focus of Week 9, which involve a significant disconnect between thoughts and feelings and reality. Somatic symptom-related disorders, which occur when patients encounter disproportionate reactions to physical symptoms, will be explored in Week 10. In the last week of the course, you will explore disruptive, impulse-control, and conduct disorders, which are all rooted in a lack of self-control. The effective PMHNP will have a command of these disorders in order to prepare for the certification exam and be able to recognize them in the practice setting.

What’s Happening in This Module?

Module 3—Assessing, Diagnosing, and Treating Neurocognitive, Neurodevelopmental, Dissociative, Somatic Symptom-Related, Disruptive, Impulse-Control, and Conduct Disorders—is a 5-week module that continues to focus on assessment, diagnosis, and treatment plans for a variety of disorders the PMHNP will need to identify to be an effective practitioner.

What do I have to do? When do I have to do it?
Review your Learning Resources. Days 1–7, Weeks 7–11
Assignment: Study Guide Forum Submit your Assignment by Day 7 of Week 8.
Assignment: Controversy Associated With Dissociative Disorders Submit your Assignment by Day 7 of Week 9.
Final Exam Complete by Day 7 of Week 11.

Go to the Week’s Content

Week 7: Neurocognitive Disorders

My mother used to be a teacher—an elementary school teacher. We were all so proud of her when she completed her PhD when she was 50. Now she is 75 and has begun to have times when she does not know what day it is. We found her wandering around the neighborhood because she could not find her way home. Once, she forgot where she parked her car at the grocery store. She thought someone had stolen it. The manager was so kind to drive her around the parking lot until she recognized her car. We are afraid she might get hurt or lost.

—Gary, age 50, son of Dorothy, age 75

Neurocognitive disorders are unique among the other psychiatric disorders you have studied in that they “are syndromes for which the underlying pathology, and frequently the etiology as well, can potentially be determined” (DSM-5, 2013). That is, diseases or injuries are to blame for the neurocognitive manifestations. These conditions are acquired and (in contrast to neurodevelopmental disorders) represent a decline from a previous higher level of functioning. Neurocognitive disorders present a diagnostic challenge for the PMHNP in that many of the signs and symptoms overlap.

This week, you will explore evidence-based psychotherapy and psychopharmacologic treatment for neurocognitive disorders.

Learning Resources

Required Readings (click to expand/reduce)

 

Sadock, B. J., Sadock, V. A., & Ruiz, P. (2015). Kaplan & Sadock’s synopsis of psychiatry (11th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.

  • Chapter 21, “Neurocognitive Disorders”

Zakhari, R. (2020). The psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner certification review manual. Springer.

Required Media (click to expand/reduce)

PhysioPathoPharmaco. (2018, December 19). Alzheimer’s disease – plaques, tangles, pathogenesis, risk factors, disease progression [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2du03tXjopQ

Speed Pharmacology. (2019, July 6). Pharmacology – drugs for Alzheimer’s disease (Made easy) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euzRPrvrwj0

Medication Review

Review the FDA-approved use of the following medicines related to treating neurocognitive disorders.

Alzheimer’s disease Delirium Parkinson’s disease dementia/psychosis
caprylidene
donepezil
galantamine
memantine
rivastigmine		 There are no FDA-approved medications for the treatment of delirium. nuplazid
rivastigmine
pimavanserin

Assignment: Diagnosing, and Treating Patients With Neurocognitive Disorders

Neurocognitive disorders (NCDs) such as delirium, dementia, and amnestic disorders are more prevalent in older adults. As the population ages and as life expectancy in the United States continues to increase, the incidence of these disorders will continue to increase. Cognitive functioning in such areas as memory, language, orientation, judgment, and problem solving are affected in clients with NCDs. Caring for someone with a neurocognitive disorder is not only challenging for the clinician; it is stressful for the family as well. The PMHNP needs to consider not only the patient but also the “family as patient.” Collaboration with primary care providers and specialty providers is essential. Anticipatory guidance also becomes extremely important.

There is no Assignment due this week. You should review this week’s Learning Resources and consider the insights they provide about assessing, diagnosing, and treating neurocognitive disorders. Use this quiet week to work on your practicum assignment if you are taking both courses concurrently.

What’s Coming Up in Week 8?

Photo Credit: [BrianAJackson]/[iStock / Getty Images Plus]/Getty Images

In Week 8, you will analyze the signs, symptoms, and pathophysiology of neurodevelopmental disorders. These disorders occur when brain development does not follow expected trajectories. While some of these disorders can be resolved with appropriate intervention, others are chronic.

Next Week

Week 8: Neurodevelopmental Disorders

I can’t believe I am sitting here talking to this lady. Mom thinks I am nuts just because I will not do what she asks. She doesn’t care about me. She only cares about my little brother and that man that keeps coming around. I don’t care about her. That is why I throw things and won’t do what she asks. I don’t care about anyone. Those kids at school who used to be my friends don’t know anything. I am so much smarter than they are.

—Jacob, age 11

There are many mental disorders that occur early in the life course. The DSM-5 describes neurodevelopmental disorders such as intellectual disability and delay, autism spectrum disorder, language and speech disorders, ADHD, and specific learning disorders (e.g., dyslexia, difficulty mastering mathematical reasoning). Diagnosis of these various conditions can rarely be made in a single office visit and often requires a comprehensive approach involving multiple stakeholders, including the child, his or her parents, teachers, other significant figures in the child’s life, and medical and mental health professionals, such as psychologists who can conduct comprehensive neuropsychological testing. NRNP – 6665 Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Care Across the Lifespan I Essay Assignment Help

The PMHNP must coordinate and integrate several sources of information to arrive at an accurate diagnosis of these disorders. Early and accurate diagnosis is essential to developing an effective treatment plan, which will have the potential to minimize the impact of these disorders on the child’s developmental trajectory. When one considers appropriate diagnosis from this perspective, the importance of diagnostic accuracy becomes quite apparent.

This week, you begin exploring disorders that occur early in the life course and use this knowledge to create a study guide for a neurodevelopmental disorder.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

  • Analyze signs and symptoms of neurodevelopmental disorders
  • Analyze the pathophysiology of neurodevelopmental disorders
  • Analyze diagnosis and treatment methods for neurodevelopmental disorders
  • Summarize legal, ethical, and patient education factors related to neurodevelopmental disorders

Learning Resources

Required Readings (click to expand/reduce)

DO MY NURSING PAPER NOW

Hilt, R. J., & Nussbaum, A. M. (2016). DSM-5 pocket guide for child and adolescent mental health. American Psychiatric Association Publishing.

  •  Chapter 12, “Developmental Milestones”

Thapar, A., Pine, D. S., Leckman, J. F., Scott, S., Snowling, M. J., & Taylor, E. A. (2015). Rutter’s child and adolescent psychiatry (6th ed.). Wiley Blackwell.

  • Chapter 51, “Autism Spectrum Disorder”
  • Chapter 55, “ADHD and Hyperkinetic Disorder”

Utah State University. (n.d.). Creating study guides. https://www.usu.edu/academic-support/test/creating_study_guides

Walden University. (2020). Success strategies: Self-paced interactive tutorials. https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/academic-skills-center/skills/tutorials/success-strategies

Zakhari, R. (2020). The psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner certification review manual. Springer.

  • Chapter 13, “Child/Adolescent Neurodevelopmental Disorders”

Required Media (click to expand/reduce)

Dillon, K. (2019, March 23). DSM-5 neurodevelopmental disorders. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ydr9s_UwACo

The National Center for Learning Disabilities. (2013, February 20). What is ADHD? [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/0Wz7LdLFJVM

Osmosis. (2017, October 17). Autism – causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, pathology [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/x2hWVgZ8J4A

Medication Review

Irritability in autism Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
aripiprazole
risperidone		 amphetamine IR, XR, and ER
dextroamphetamine
atomoxetineclonidine hydrocholoride ER
Dexmethylphenidate IR and XR
guanfacine hydrocholride ER
lisdexamfetamine
methylphenidate
methylphenidate hydrocholoride IR and ER, transdermal

Assignment: Study Guide Forum

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 an assigned disorder and share it with your colleagues. In sum, these study guides will be a powerful tool in preparing for your certification exam.

Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

To Prepare

  • Your Instructor will assign you to a specific neurodevelopmental disorder from the DSM-5.
  • 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. 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 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
  • Differential diagnoses
  • Incidence
  • Development and course
  • Prognosis
  • Considerations related to culture, gender, age
  • Pharmacological treatments, including any side effects
  • Nonpharmacological treatments
  • Diagnostics and labs
  • Comorbidities
  • Legal and ethical considerations
  • Pertinent patient education considerations

By Day 7 of Week 8

Submit your Assignment to the forum as an attachment. Although no responses are required, the collegial discussion is welcome. You are encouraged to utilize your peers’ submitted guides on their assigned neurodevelopmental disorders for study.

Submission and Grading Information

Grading Criteria

To access your rubric:

Week 8 Assignment Rubric

 

Post by Day 7 of Week 8

To Participate in this Assignment:

Week 8 Assignment

 

What’s Coming Up in Week 9?

In Week 9, you will analyze clinical, ethical, and legal issues related to diagnosing and treating dissociative disorders.

Photo Credit: [BrianAJackson]/[iStock / Getty Images Plus]/Getty Images

Next Week

Week 9: Dissociative Disorders

Have you ever been driving and realized you don’t remember the last few minutes of driving? Or have you gotten so wrapped up in a book or movie that you lose some awareness of your surroundings? These are examples of common and very mild dissociation, or a disconnect or lack of continuity between thoughts, feelings, actions, and sense of self.

There are three major dissociative disorders defined in the DSM-5: dissociative identity disorder, dissociative amnesia, and depersonalization-derealization disorder. Dissociative disorders may be associated with traumatic events in order to help manage difficult memories or experiences. Patients with these types of disorders are likely to also exhibit symptoms of a variety of other dysfunctions, such as depression, alcoholism, or self-harm and may also be more susceptible to personality, sleeping, and eating disorders.

This week, you will analyze issues related to the diagnosis and treatment of dissociative disorders as well as associated legal and ethical considerations.

Learning Objectives

Students will: NRNP – 6665 Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Care Across the Lifespan I Essay Assignment Help

  • Analyze issues related to the diagnosis and treatment of dissociative disorders
  • Analyze legal and ethical considerations related to dissociative disorders

Learning Resources

Sadock, B. J., Sadock, V. A., & Ruiz, P. (2015). Kaplan & Sadock’s synopsis of psychiatry (11th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.

  • Chapter 12, “Dissociative Disorders”

Osmosis. (2017, November 20). Dissociative disorders – causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, pathology [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/XF2zeOdE5GY

Mad Medicine. (2019, August 18). Dissociative disorders (Psychiatry) – USMLE Step 1 [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/Iz03M9pwhs0

Grande, T. (2018, October 22). The dissociative identity disorder controversy (Trauma vs. Iatrogenic). [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqTP0CP9aDk

Assignment: Controversy Associated With Dissociative Disorders

The DSM-5 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, 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.
  • Click on the Submit button to complete your submission.

Grading Criteria

What’s Coming Up in Week 10?

Photo Credit: [BrianAJackson]/[iStock / Getty Images Plus]/Getty Images

In Week 10, you will explore effective assessment, diagnosis, and treatment for somatic symptom-related disorders. In these disorders, a patient has symptoms that can’t be traced to a definitive physical cause. The physical pain and symptoms are then attributed to psychological factors.

Next Week

Week 10: Somatic Symptom-Related Disorders

Patients with somatic symptom-related disorders suffer from disproportionate feelings, thoughts, or behaviors related to physical symptoms. These disorders may manifest as excessive anxiety given the severity of a diagnosis or as pain or symptoms that don’t have a specific physical cause and are then attributed to psychological factors. Although it may be easier for some to understand and accept a physical diagnosis, somatic symptom-related disorders demonstrate the amazing connection between mind and body.

This week, you will explore the relationship between cognitive and physical symptoms in somatic symptom-related disorders.

Learning Resources

Sadock, B. J., Sadock, V. A., & Ruiz, P. (2015). Kaplan & Sadock’s synopsis of psychiatry (11th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.

  • Chapter 13, “Psychosomatic Medicine”

Thapar, A., Pine, D. S., Leckman, J. F., Scott, S., Snowling, M. J., & Taylor, E. A. (2015). Rutter’s child and adolescent psychiatry (6th ed.). Wiley Blackwell.

  • Chapter 72, “Somatoform and Other Related Disorders”

Osmosis. (2017, April 3). Somatic symptom disorder – causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, pathology [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/oVO7tZS2ZdI

KeltyMentalHealth. (2014, November 5). Body talk: Stories of somatization. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wycDLD0Bxo

The Feed SBS. (2015, April 30). Conversion disorder. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwQAkgq7-e8

Assessing, Diagnosing, and Treating Patients With Somatic Symptom-Related Disorders

Effectively treating patients with somatic symptom-related disorders begins with a comprehensive assessment and understanding of the symptoms and duration of the patient’s complaints. As a practitioner, you will need to listen to your patients and know what questions to ask in order to elicit the information that will allow you to determine the most effective diagnosis. You will have to do this while understanding that there could be more than one disorder contributing to the symptoms that are disrupting their daily lives. When you believe you have established the diagnosis, you must then consider a course of treatment that will work best for a particular patient. For the same disorder, both pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatments may be considered depending on the needs of the patient.

Photo Credit: Photographee.eu / Adobe Stock

There is no Assignment due this week. You should spend this week reviewing the Learning Resources on somatic symptom-related disorders and preparing for your final exam, which you will take next week.

What’s Coming Up in Week 11?

Photo Credit: [BrianAJackson]/[iStock / Getty Images Plus]/Getty Images

In Week 11, the final week of the course, you will consider disruptive, impulse-control, and conduct disorders. By the end of the week, you will also complete your final exam, which covers material from Week 7 through Week 11.

Next Week

Week 11: Disruptive, Impulse-Control, and Conduct Disorders; Final Exam

This week you will explore disruptive, impulse-control, and conduct disorder. These disorders have in common the fact that they are rooted in a lack of self-control. Many of these disorders may start in childhood or adolescence and may continue into adulthood. Within this group, you will find disorders such as oppositional defiant disorder, antisocial personality disorder, intermittent explosive disorders, pyromania, and kleptomania. Effective therapy for these disorders often includes cognitive behavior therapy, skill building, and skills management.

This week you will also complete your final exam.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

  • Apply concepts related to psychopathology, diagnostic reasoning, and treatment planning in advanced practice psychiatric-mental health nursing care

Learning Resources

Sadock, B. J., Sadock, V. A., & Ruiz, P. (2015). Kaplan & Sadock’s synopsis of psychiatry (11th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.

  • Chapter 19, “Disruptive, Impulse-Control and Conduct Disorders”

Thapar, A., Pine, D. S., Leckman, J. F., Scott, S., Snowling, M. J., & Taylor, E. A. (2015). Rutter’s child and adolescent psychiatry (6th ed.). Wiley Blackwell.

  • Chapter 65, “Oppositional and Conduct Disorders”

Osmosis. (2016, October 4). Disruptive, impulse control, and conduct disorders [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/XH46Nm1QOcg

Dillon, K. (2019, June 19). DSM conduct disorder. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TTkembrEfU

Final Exam

This exam will cover the following topics, as they relate to assessment, diagnosis, and treatment across the lifespan:

NRNP – 6665 Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Care Across the Lifespan I Essay Assignment Help

Prior to starting the exam, you should review all of your materials. There is a 2.5-hour time limit to complete this 100-question, multiple-choice exam. You may only attempt this exam once.

This exam is a test of your knowledge in preparation for your certification exam. No outside resources—including books, notes, websites, or any other type of resource—are to be used to complete this exam. You are expected to comply with Walden University’s Code of Conduct.

Also, Read:

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