Feb 23, 2024 Assignment: Assessing and Treating Clients with Bipolar Disorder
Assignment: Assessing and Treating Clients with Bipolar Disorder
Assessing and Treating Clients with With Bipolar Disorder Assignment
The DSM V describes Bipolar disorder as a group of mental disorders that result in extreme fluctuation in an individual’s mood, energy, and functioning. Bipolar disorder presents with intervals of deep, prolonged, and profound depression that alternate with intervals of mania characterized by an excessively elevated or irritable mood (APA, 2013). A manic episode represents a significant change from usual behavior. It manifests with at least three of the following symptoms: Inflated self-esteem or grandiosity, increased talkativeness, decreased need for sleep, racing thoughts, easy distraction, increase in goal-directed activity, and engaging in activities that have negative consequences (APA, 2013). This paper seeks to review a client with Bipolar disorder and outline the client’s treatment plan using a decision tree.
Case Study Overview
The case scenario depicts a 26-year-old woman of Korean descent on her first appointment after a 21-day hospitalization for acute mania. The client has been diagnosed with bipolar I disorder. Her current weight is 110 pounds, and her height is 5’ 5. She describes her mood as fantastic and mentions that she sleeps roughly 5 hours/night, but she hates sleep because it is not fun (Laureate Education, 2016). The client’s patient records show that she is in overall good health and her lab results are within normal limits. However, genetic testing shows that she is positive for the CYP2D6*10 allele.
The client admits that she stopped taking Lithium after being discharged two weeks ago. On MSE, the client is alert and oriented to person, place, time, and event. Her dressing is odd, and her speech is rapid, pressured, and tangential. Her self-reported mood is euthymic, and her affect is broad. She denies visual or auditory hallucinations, and she has no overt delusional or paranoid thought processes readily apparent (Laureate Education, 2016). Her insight is impaired, but she denies suicidal or homicidal ideation. She scores 22 on the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS).
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Decision Point One
Begin Lithium 300 mg orally BID.
Why I Selected This Decision
Lithium is a mood stabilizer recommended for treating Mania in Bipolar disorder and maintenance therapy of bipolar disorder in persons with a history of mania. I selected Lithium because it targets unstable mood, which is the major symptom of mania (Won & Kim, 2017). Besides, mania is recommended as first-line therapy for long-term prevention of Bipolar disorder, particularly for euphoric mania.
I did not select Seroquel because it has documented side effects of dry mouth, fatigue, constipation, and dizziness, contributing to decreased medication compliance. Seroquel is also associated with increased appetite and weight and elevated triglycerides and total cholesterol levels (Shah et al., 2017). The side effects make it an inappropriate drug since the client is overweight. I did not select Risperdal since the patient was positive for the CYP2D6*10 allele. According to Puangpetch et al. (2016), the CYP2D6*10 allele slows the drug’s clearance resulting in high levels of Risperdal in the blood, causing sedation.
What I Was Hoping To Achieve By Making This Decision
I hoped that prescribing Lithium would stabilize the patient’s mood and reduce the severity of manic symptoms by at least 50% in the first four weeks of treatment. According to Won and Kim (2017), Lithium exerts mood-stabilizing effects by acting on cellular targets and exerting neuroprotective effects.
How Ethical Considerations May Impact the Treatment Plan and Communication with Patients
Ethical principles of nonmaleficence and beneficence may impact the treatment plan as the PMHNP has a duty to prevent harm and promote better patient outcomes. The PMHNP is obliged to assess a drug for its impact and potential side effects before prescribing it to ensure it will promote better outcomes and have no adverse consequences to the patient (Bipeta, 2019). In this case, the PMHNP assessed each drug’s potential side effects and selected the one associated with better outcomes and fewer adverse effects.
Decision Point Two
Assess rationale for non-compliance to elicit reason for non-compliance and educate the client on drug effects and pharmacology.
Why I Selected This Decision
I selected this decision because the client reported taking the medication “off and on” when she feels that she needs it. The decision aimed at understanding the primary cause for the patient not complying with the medication (Won & Kim, 2017). Besides, educating the patient on the possible side effects and pharmacology of Lithium would enlighten her on the drug’s impact in improving her health outcomes.
I did not increase Lithium to 450 mg because the non-compliance behavior would persist if the reasons for the behavior were not identified and addressed. Besides, it is crucial that the PMHNP assess a patient’s response to Lithium and associated side effects before increasing the dose (Won & Kim, 2017). I did not switch treatment to Depakote because the patient’s response to Lithium had not been established. According to Shah et al. (2017), the evidence for Depakote efficacy in acute depression is not as robust as that for Lithium.
What I Was Hoping To Achieve By Making This Decision
I was hoping that assessing and eliciting reason for non-compliance would help in identifying a practical solution to increasing compliance and eventually improve the manic symptoms. I was hoping that educating the patient on Lithium’s drug effects and pharmacology would enable her to understand the importance of adhering to treatment and increase her medication compliance.
How Ethical Considerations May Impact the Treatment Plan and Communication with Patients
The ethical principle of autonomy, which means that patients have a right to make decisions about their lives without interference from others, may impact the treatment plan. The PMHNP must respect the patient’s decision regarding her care which may impact the treatment interventions (Bipeta, 2019). In this case, the PMHNP had to elicit the rationale for the patient not complying with treatment, which determined the next intervention.
Bipolar disorder is a unique disorder that causes shifts in mood and energy, which results in depression and mania for clients. Proper diagnosis of this disorder is often a challenge for two reasons: 1) clients often present as depressive or manic, but may have both; and 2) many symptoms of bipolar disorder are similar to other disorders. Misdiagnosis is common, making it essential for you to have a deep understanding of the disorder’s pathophysiology. For this Assignment, as you examine the client case study in this week’s Learning Resources, consider how you might assess and treat clients presenting with bipolar disorder.
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Assessing and Treating Clients with Bipolar Disorder Learning Objectives
Students will:• Assess client factors and history to develop personalized plans of bipolar therapy for clients• Analyze factors that influence pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic processes in clients requiring bipolar therapy• Evaluate efficacy of treatment plans• Analyze ethical and legal implications related to prescribing bipolar therapy to clients across the lifespan
The Assignment: 5 pages
Examine Case Study: An Asian American Woman. Diagnosis-Bipolar Disorder. You will be asked to make three decisions concerning the medication to prescribe to this patient. Be sure to consider factors that might impact the patient’s pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic processes.
At each decision point, you should evaluate all options before selecting your decision and moving throughout the exercise. Before you make your decision, make sure that you have researched each option and that you evaluate the decision that you will select. Be sure to research each option using the primary literature.
Introduction to the case (1 page)
Briefly explain and summarize the case for this Assignment. Be sure to include the specific patient factors that may impact your decision making when prescribing medication for this patient.
Decision #1 (1 page)
Which decision did you select?
Why did you select this decision? Be specific and support your response with clinically relevant and patient-specific resources, including the primary literature.
Why did you not select the other two options provided in the exercise? Be specific and support your response with clinically relevant and patient-specific resources, including the primary literature.
What were you hoping to achieve by making this decision? Support your response with evidence and references to the Learning Resources (including the primary literature).
Explain how ethical considerations may impact your treatment plan and communication with patients. Be specific and provide examples.
Decision #2 (1 page)
Why did you select this decision? Be specific and support your response with clinically relevant and patient-specific resources, including the primary literature.
Why did you not select the other two options provided in the exercise? Be specific and support your response with clinically relevant and patient-specific resources, including the primary literature.
What were you hoping to achieve by making this decision? Support your response with evidence and references to the Learning Resources (including the primary literature).
Explain how ethical considerations may impact your treatment plan and communication with patients. Be specific and provide examples.
Decision #3 (1 page)
Why did you select this decision? Be specific and support your response with clinically relevant and patient-specific resources, including the primary literature.
Why did you not select the other two options provided in the exercise? Be specific and support your response with clinically relevant and patient-specific resources, including the primary literature.
What were you hoping to achieve by making this decision? Support your response with evidence and references to the Learning Resources (including the primary literature).
Explain how ethical considerations may impact your treatment plan and communication with patients. Be specific and provide examples.
Conclusion (1 page)
Summarize your recommendations on the treatment options you selected for this patient. Be sure to justify your recommendations and support your response with clinically relevant and patient-specific resources, including the primary literature.
Note: Support your rationale with a minimum of five academic resources. While you may use the course text to support your rationale, it will not count toward the resource requirement. You should be utilizing the primary and secondary literature.
Reminder: The College of Nursing requires that all papers submitted include a title page, introduction, summary, and references. The Sample Paper provided at the Walden Writing Center provides an example of those required elements (available at
https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/templates/general#s-lg-box-20293632). All papers submitted must use this formatting.
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To prepare for this Assessing and Treating Clients with Bipolar Disorder Assignment:
• Review this week’s Learning Resources. Consider how to assess and treat clients requiring bipolar therapy.The AssignmentExamine Case Study: An Asian American Woman With Bipolar Disorder. You will be asked to make three decisions concerning the medication to prescribe to this client. Be sure to consider factors that might impact the client’s pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic processes.
At each decision point stop to complete the following:
• Decision #1
o Which decision did you select?o Why did you select this decision? Support your response with evidence and references to the Learning Resources.o What were you hoping to achieve by making this decision? Support your response with evidence and references to the Learning Resources.o Explain any difference between what you expected to achieve with Decision #1 and the results of the decision. Why were they different?
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• Decision #2
o Why did you select this decision? Support your response with evidence and references to the Learning Resources.o What were you hoping to achieve by making this decision? Support your response with evidence and references to the Learning Resources.o Explain any difference between what you expected to achieve with Decision #2 and the results of the decision. Why were they different?
• Decision #3
o Why did you select this decision? Support your response with evidence and references to the Learning Resources.o What were you hoping to achieve by making this decision? Support your response with evidence and references to the Learning Resources.o Explain any difference between what you expected to achieve with Decision #3 and the results of the decision. Why were they different?Also include how ethical considerations might impact your treatment plan and communication with clients.Note: Support your rationale with a minimum of three academic resources. While you may use the course text to support your rationale, it will not count toward the resource requirement.
Assessing and Treating Clients with Bipolar Disorder CASE STUDY
Bipolar Therapy: Client of Korean Descent/Ancestry
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The client is a 26-year-old woman of Korean descent who presents to her first appointment following a 21-day hospitalization for onset of acute mania. She was diagnosed with bipolar I disorder.
Upon arrival in your office, she is quite “busy,” playing with things on your desk and shifting from side to side in her chair. She informs you that “they said I was bipolar, I don’t believe that, do you? I just like to talk, and dance, and sing. Did I tell you that I liked to cook?”
She weights 110 lbs. and is 5’ 5”
SUBJECTIVE
Patient reports “fantastic” mood. Reports that she sleeps about 5 hours/night to which she adds “I hate sleep, it’s no fun.”
You reviewed her hospital records and find that she has been medically worked up by a physician who reported her to be in overall good health. Lab studies were all within normal limits. You find that the patient had genetic testing in the hospital (specifically GeneSight testing) as none of the medications that they were treating her with seemed to work.
Genetic testing reveals that she is positive for CYP2D6*10 allele.
Patient confesses that she stopped taking her lithium (which was prescribed in the hospital) since she was discharged two weeks ago.
MENTAL STATUS EXAM
The patient is alert, oriented to person, place, time, and event. She is dressed quite oddly- wearing what appears to be an evening gown to her appointment. Speech is rapid, pressured, tangential. Self-reported mood is euthymic. Affect broad. Patient denies visual or auditory hallucinations, no overt delusional or paranoid thought processes readily apparent. Judgment is grossly intact, but insight is clearly impaired. She is currently denying suicidal or homicidal ideation.
The Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) score is 22
RESOURCES
Chen, R., Wang, H., Shi, J., Shen, K., & Hu, P. (2015). Cytochrome P450 2D6 genotype affects the pharmacokinetics of controlled-release paroxetine in healthy Chinese subjects: comparison of traditional phenotype and activity score systems. European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 71(7), 835-841. doi:10.1007/s00228-015-1855-6
Decision Point One
Select what the PMHNP should do:
Begin Lithium 300 mg orally BID
Begin Risperdal 1 mg orally BID
Begin Seroquel XR 100 mg orally at HS
OPTION 1: Assessing and Treating Clients with Bipolar Disorder
Assessing and Treating Clients with Bipolar Disorder Bipolar Therapy: Client of Korean Descent/Ancestry
Decision Point One
Begin Risperdal 1 mg orally BID
RESULTS OF DECISION POINT ONE
Client returns to clinic in four weeks
Client is accompanied today by her mother who must help the client into your office, the client looks very sedated and lethargic
Client’s mother explains that “she has been like this since about a week after the last office visit”
Decision Point Two
Decrease Risperdal to 1 mg at HS
RESULTS OF DECISION POINT TWO
Client returns to clinic in four weeks
Client is less sedate, less lethargic and shows symptom improvement
Young Mania Rating Scale has decreased from 22 to 16 (a bit more than a 25% decrease in symptoms)
Decision Point Three
Continue at same dose of Risperdal and reassess in 4 weeks
Assessing and Treating Clients with Bipolar Disorder Guidance to Student
At this point, the PMHNP may be wise to allow the client to remain at the same dose and reassess in 4 weeks. Recall that the client is of Korean descent and is positive for CYP2D6*10 allele. As a result, she may have slower clearance of Risperdal from her system, which may have resulted in higher than normal levels of Risperdal in the blood, which in turn resulted in sedation. Therefore, if we were to increase back to 1 mg orally BID, she may have the same side effects. Latuda is FDA approved for bipolar I depression, which is not the presentation we are attempting to treat. Additionally, it is quite expensive and many insurance companies will not pay for it until other agents have been attempted and failed.
OPTION 2: Assessing and Treating Clients with Bipolar Disorder
Assessing and Treating Clients with Bipolar Disorder- Bipolar Therapy: Client of Korean Descent/Ancestry
Decision Point One
Begin Seroquel XR 100 mg orally at HS
RESULTS OF DECISION POINT ONE
Client returns to clinic in four weeks
Client is reporting that she sleeps a bit more at bedtime
Client states that she has gained about 2 or 3 pounds, which she does not like
Client also reports that she has been constipated since starting this medication
Client is also complaining of dry mouth which she does not like.
Client’s score on the Young Mania Rating Scale has decreased from a 22 to an 18
Client is reporting really good mood, but is asking for a different medication because of the weight gain
Decision Point Two
Discontinue Seroquel and start Geodon 40 mg orally BID. Administer with 500 calorie meal
RESULTS OF DECISION POINT TWO
Client returns to clinic in four weeks
Client demonstrates a 50% decrease in score on the Young Mania Rating Scale (from 22 to 11)
Client denies any additional weight gain and denies any additional side effects
Decision Point Three
Continue same dose and reassess in 4 weeks
Assessing and Treating Clients with Bipolar Disorder: Guidance to Student
The PMHNP should provide counseling to the client about this side effect and encourage increased fluids and fiber in the diet to combat constipation. Hard candies or gum can be used to prevent dry mouth. This is another issue as the drug can cause dental problems as a result of dry mouth.
Changing to Geodon clearly helped with symptoms and arrested weight gain in this client. The PMHNP could wait 4 weeks and see if any changes in Young Mania Rating Scale are noted, or increasing to 60 mg orally BID in an attempt to hasten symptom improvement. Increasing dose may be associated with side effects.
Augmentation with Lithium may be appropriate if the goal of therapy is to discontinue antipsychotic therapy and treat with Lithium monotherapy. Lithium was problematic for this client but changing formulation to the extended release may overcome the difficulties she was experiencing with side effects. The PMHNP would need to educate client regarding side effects of medication and need to maintain compliance.
OPTION 3: Assessing and Treating Clients with Bipolar Disorder
Assessing and Treating Clients with Bipolar Disorder: Bipolar Therapy: Client of Korean Descent/Ancestry
Decision Point One
Begin Risperdal 1 mg orally BID
RESULTS OF DECISION POINT ONE
Client returns to clinic in four weeks
Client is accompanied today by her mother who must help the client into your office, the client looks very sedated and lethargic
Client’s mother explains that “she has been like this since about a week after the last office visit”
Decision Point Two
Discontinue Risperdal and start Lithium sustained release 300 mg orally BID
RESULTS OF DECISION POINT TWO
Client returns to clinic in four weeks
Client no longer lethargic after the end of the first week
Client has a slight decrease in her Young Mania Rating Scale (from 22 to 19)
Client reports that her sleep is again decreasing, but that overall, she is happy
Decision Point Three
Make no changes at this time & reevaluate in 4 weeks
Assessing and Treating Clients with Bipolar Disorder Guidance to Student
Recall that the client is of Korean descent and is positive for CYP2D6*10 allele. As a result, she may be demonstrating slower clearance of Risperdal from her system, resulting in higher than normal levels of Risperdal in the blood, resulting in sedation. The client responded well to the discontinuation of Risperdal and after about a week of drug cessation, she was no longer lethargic/sedate. However, in the following 3 weeks, she had experienced increased symptoms, although a slight improvement in YMSR score was noted.
The PMHNP could make no changes at this time and allow the lithium to remain at its current dose for an additional 4 weeks and reassess. Conversely, the PMHNP can increase the lithium to 450 mg orally BID and then reassess in 4. The additional milligrams may hasten mood stabilization. Risperdal 0.5 mg orally BID may be appropriate if the clients’ symptoms are worsening, however, the PMHNP would need to have the client return to the office sooner than 4 weeks for an interim visit to assess effects of drug and presence of somnolence/lethargy.
Assessing and Treating Clients with Bipolar Disorder Learning Resources
Note: To access this week’s required library resources, please click on the link to the Course Readings List, found in the Course Materials section of your Syllabus.
Required Readings
Note: All Stahl resources can be accessed through the Walden Library using this link. This link will take you to a log-in page for the Walden Library. Once you log into the library, the Stahl website will appear.
Stahl, S. M. (2013). Stahl’s essential psychopharmacology: Neuroscientific basis and practical applications (4th ed.). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
To access the following chapters, click on the Essential Psychopharmacology, 4th ed tab on the Stahl Online website and select the appropriate chapter. Be sure to read all sections on the left navigation bar for each chapter.
Chapter 6, “Mood Disorders”
Chapter 8, “Mood Stabilizers”
Stahl, S. M., & Ball, S. (2009b). Stahl’s illustrated mood stabilizers. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
To access the following chapters, click on the Illustrated Guides tab and then the Mood Stabilizers tab.
Chapter 4, “Lithium and
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