Outline for the Psychiatric Diagnosis

Review the instructions for the Psychiatric Diagnosis assignment in Week Six. This week’s assignment will build upon the work you have completed on your chosen case study in Weeks One and Two.

For this assignment, you will construct an outline of your Psychiatric Diagnosis paper. This outline is meant to provide structure for your final assignment, jump-start your thought process on your case study, and ensure you are on the correct path toward the successful completion of your diagnosis.

Your outline should be one to two pages of content and include a brief two- to three-sentence description of each of the required areas listed in the Psychiatric Diagnosis prompt, except for the following two areas:

• Justify the use of the chosen diagnostic manual (i.e., Why was this manual chosen over others?).
• Evaluate symptoms within the context of an appropriate theoretical orientation for this diagnosis.

For these two areas, provide a complete draft of your justification and evaluation based on the case study. You must include explicit information on the theoretical orientation chosen for the case and justification of the use of the diagnostic manual chosen. Research a minimum of five peer-reviewed sources published within the last 10 years to support your choice of theoretical orientation and diagnostic manual. These sources will also be used for the Psychiatric Diagnosis paper. The outline should specify which sources will apply to the justification and evaluation areas.

The Outline for the Psychiatric Diagnosis:

• Must be one to two single-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.
• 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.

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 pseudodementia, which is primarily associated with cognitive deficits in older patients who have depression. In contrast to dementia patients, individuals suffering from pseudodementia 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.

Troy:                     Margret, I can only imagine you may be going through various feelings of mixed emotions right now. I know this may be hard on you. Do you have any informal or formal supports assisting you at this time?

Margaret:            Yes, my family provide support when able and available. But we don’t know why this has happened what caused it or where it can from and that’s why we want answers?

Troy:                     Margert without being the medical professional handling your husbands care, consulting with teams of other professional expert and knowing or reviewing all of his medical history and full diagnosis I would not be able to answer questions regarding why yours husbands condition is the way it is or what caused it and why.

Margaret:            But he was fine prior to 8 years ago…

Troy:                     What activities does your husband enjoy doing like driving, housework, or anything of interest?

Margaret:            Because of lack of concentration and forgetfulness Fred does not drive or do much of anything anymore. In fact, he had made a comment that he wanted me to put him away because of being a bother. His words were “I want you to put me away, Maggie—you know what I mean—let me go, if I ever don’t remember who you are.” Who would say such a thing to the person they say they love…. (Margret begins to cry) Then he went on further to say “just inject me or give me whatever is necessary in order to get this life over with. Don’t worry about whether it’s the right thing, because it is. I’m afraid that you won’t do this, that you’ll let me go on when I’m not myself anymore. I don’t want you to have to see me and not know that I love you and need you with me. I don’t want you to doubt my love for you because of this damned disease. Please, Maggie, don’t let that happen. Please promise me.” … (Margret crying uncontrollably)

Troy:                     Margaret I do understand how painful this is for you.

Margaret:            No, you don’t understand! The thing is the doctors said Fred’s condition is at the point that it has declined so much that he will die within a week. I am now at a point that I am sad but at the same time I feel a bit of relief because of knowing this is what he wants. Is this wrong of me to feel this way?

Troy:                     Margret you are not wrong in your feeling for they will be going through an emotional roller-coaster ride at this time. You are experiencing someone you love so dearly suffering and

Margaret:            When Fred is gone—that is, the bedridden Fred whose true spirit has already left us. When he is gone, we will all finally be delivered from this long ordeal. And Mark and I will be able to remember our beloved Fred again as he once was—strong of mind and body.

Troy:                     That is right Margaret, he will be at peace and free from pain and all the suffering he was going through. You will be able to start the healing process ad know he will still be with you in your heart and in spirit.

Margaret:            It’s just difficult that’s all seeing someone you love going through this.

Troy:                     We are here to help you Margaret. Let’s make an appointment for one of our support staff to come out and conduct a home visit within the next as soon as availability for all persons. I will confirm your phone number you provided was 555-123-6789. A support staff person will contact you in 72 business hours to set up that appointment. Please call the phone number you original called if you have any questions or concern in the meantime for someone is available 24 hours a day.

Margaret:            Thank you, you have been very helpful.

Troy:                     Are there any other questions I can help you with today Margaret?

Margaret:            No, I was just frustrated. Talking to you helped a lot thank you. I will wait for someone to call to set up the home visit.

Troy:                     That will be fine. I want to thank you for calling ABC We are here to help, you have a great day.

Margaret:            Thank you Troy, and you do the same.

References

Alzheimer’s Association. (2017). Suspicion, Delusions and Alzheimer’s. Retrieved from http:// E., & Comer, J. (2015). Case studies in abnormal psychology (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers. ISBN: 9780716772736.