Evaluate symptoms within the context of an appropriate theoretical orientation for this diagnosis

02/04/18

Psychiatric Diagnosis (My Initial Call is included & Professional Voice and Writing Included)

For this assignment, students will investigate and propose a psychiatric diagnosis based on the case study from the Gorenstein and Comer (2015) textbook Case Studies in Abnormal Psychology, chosen in the Week One “Initial Call” discussion. This paper will include an in-depth overview of the disorder(s) within the diagnosis, treatment options for the diagnosis, and a sound rationale that explains why this diagnosis was made. Note that the diagnosis may include more than one psychiatric disorder.

The paper must present a thorough overview of each disorder within the diagnosis. Assume the audience has no prior knowledge of the disorder(s) within the diagnosis, and provide relevant and easy to understand explanations of each for the readers. When writing the paper, it is critical to convey all the necessary information in a straightforward manner using non-technical language. (Reference the Professional Voice and Writing (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. resource provided by the Ashford Writing Center for assistance.) Support the analysis with at least five peer-reviewed sources published within the last ten years in addition to the course text.

The Psychiatric Diagnosis topical paper must include the following:

• Explain psychological concepts in the patient’s presentation using professional terminology. Identify symptoms and behaviors exhibited by the patient in the chosen case study.
• Match the identified symptoms to potential disorders in a diagnostic manual.
• Propose a diagnosis based on the patient’s symptoms and the criteria listed for the disorder(s) in the diagnostic manual.
• Analyze and explain how the patient meets criteria for the disorder(s) according to the patient’s symptoms and the criteria outlined in the diagnostic manual.
• Justify the use of the chosen diagnostic manual (i.e., Why was this manual chosen over others?).
• Summarize general views of the diagnosis from multiple theoretical orientations and historical perspectives. Include a discussion on comorbidity if the diagnosis includes more than one disorder.
• Evaluate symptoms within the context of an appropriate theoretical orientation for this diagnosis.
• Use at least two peer-reviewed articles to assess the validity of this diagnosis, and describe who is most likely to have the diagnosis with regard to age, gender, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, and ethnicity. Provide a brief evaluation of the scientific merit of these peer-reviewed sources in the validity assessment.
• Summarize the risk factors (i.e., biological, psychological, and/or social) for the diagnosis. If one of the categories is not relevant, address this within the summary.
• Compare evidence-based and non-evidence-based treatment options for the diagnosis.
• Evaluate well-established treatments for the diagnosis, and describe the likelihood of success or possible outcomes for each treatment.
• Create an annotated bibliography of five peer-reviewed references published within the last ten years to inform the diagnosis and treatment recommendations. In the annotated bibliography, write a two- to three-sentence evaluation of the scientific merit of each of these references. For additional assistance with this portion of the assignment, access the Ashford Writing Center’s Sample Annotated Bibliography (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..

Attention Students: The Masters of Arts in Psychology program is utilizing the Pathbrite portfolio tool as a repository for student scholarly work in the form of signature assignments completed within the program. After receiving feedback for this Psychiatric Diagnosis topical paper, please implement any changes recommended by the instructor, go to Pathbrite and upload the revised Psychiatric Diagnosis topical paper to the portfolio. (Use the Pathbrite Quick-Start Guide to create an account if you do not already have one.) The upload of signature assignments will take place after completing each course. Be certain to upload revised signature assignments throughout the program as the portfolio and its contents will be used in other courses and may be used by individual students as a professional resource tool. See the Pathbrite (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. website for information and further instructions on using this portfolio tool.

The Psychiatric Diagnosis

• Must be 8 to 15 double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..
• Must include a separate title page with the following:
  • Title of paper
  • Student’s name
  • Course name and number
  • Instructor’s name
  • Date submitted
• Must use at least five peer-reviewed sources published within the last 10 years in addition to the course text.
• Must include a separate annotated bibliography page.
• Must document all sources in APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
• Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

Carefully review the Grading Rubric (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.

Initial Call from Week One:

Initial Call: Case 19 “My Husband’s Brain has stopped working!”.

Alzheimer’s Disease

According to the Alzheimer’s Association (2017), Delusions (firmly held beliefs in things that are not real) may occur in middle- to late-stage Alzheimer’s. Confusion and memory loss such as the inability to remember certain people or objects can contribute to these untrue beliefs. A person with Alzheimer’s may believe a family member is stealing his or her possessions or that he or she is being followed by the police” (para. 2). In both Major or Mild Neurocognitive Disorder, paranoia and other delusions are common features, and often a persecutory theme exists with these delusions. As you can imagine, this can be very stressful for the family members who care for their loved one with the neurocognitive disorder.

When diagnosing neurocognitive disorders, an important differential diagnosis is pseudo dementia, which is primarily associated with cognitive deficits in older patients who have depression. In contrast to dementia patients, individuals suffering from pseudo dementia can often recall the onset of their cognitive impairments, exaggerate their symptoms, and are frequently positively responsive to treatment with antidepressants.

Initial Call

Troy:          Hello my name is Troy from the Louisville Wellness Health Association and I am here to help. For whom do I have the                            pleasure of speaking with today?

Margaret:   Hello my name is Margaret and I am calling on behalf of my husband, Fred.

Troy:          Hello, Margaret! What would be a good call back number in the event that we are disconnected?

Margaret:   Oh, yes! My number is 555-123-6789.

Troy:          Thank you, Margaret, for providing your call back number. How may I assist you today?

Margaret:   I do not feel comfortable with giving my last name over the phone if that is ok but would like to see if I can speak with                              someone about my husband’s brain. It has stopped working properly. Troy, I am not sure I called the right number, but a                      friend told me to give this place a try. So, can you help us?

Troy:          Is it alright that I call you Margaret?

Margaret:   Sure, that is fine!

Troy:          Does your husband Fred give permission to discuss any of his personal information and does he give his verbal consent                        for you to speak with me on his behalf?

Margaret:   My husband Fred is very forgetful and not in his right mind according to the doctors so I take care of everything.

Troy:          Is Fred not cognitively capable of making his own decisions and if not do you have medical power of attorney.

Margaret:   Fred has become less and less capable of taking care of himself. His Dr. Schoenfeld, broke the news to us that Fred was                      suffering from a neurocognitive disorder, which because of it Fred cannot make sound or safe decisions for himself so I                        do everything for him.

Troy:          Margret, I recommend you speak with Dr. Schoenfeld regarding your POA for Fred so that you can speak on his behalf for                      dual representation medically and financially.

Margaret:   Thank you Troy, I will speak with Dr. Schoenfeld about this as soon as I hang up the phone with you.

Troy:          Without legal consent due to going into any ethical code violations, how can I help to the best of my ability today                                      Margaret?

Margaret:   Well Troy, as I said before I am so upset and filled with all these mixed emotions because my husband’s brain stopped                           working and I really don’t know what to do or who can help us.