Assessing and Treating Clients With Psychosis and Schizophrenia
Assessing and Treating Clients With Psychosis and Schizophrenia
Psychosis and schizophrenia greatly impact the brain’s
normal processes, which interferes with the ability to think clearly. When
symptoms of these disorders are uncontrolled, clients may struggle to function
in daily life. However, clients often thrive when properly diagnosed and
treated under the close supervision of a psychiatric mental health
practitioner. 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 psychosis and schizophrenia.
Learning Objectives
Students will:
Assess client factors and history to develop personalized
plans of antipsychotic therapy for clients
Analyze factors that influence pharmacokinetic and
pharmacodynamic processes in clients requiring antipsychotic therapy
Evaluate efficacy of treatment plans
Analyze ethical and legal implications related to
prescribing antipsychotic therapy to clients across the lifespan
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 4, “Psychosis and Schizophrenia”
Chapter 5, “Antipsychotic Agents”
Stahl, S. M. (2014b). The prescriber’s guide (5th ed.). New
York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
To access information on the following medications, click on
The Prescriber’s Guide, 5th ed tab on the Stahl Online website and select the
appropriate medication.
Review the following medications:
amisulpride
aripiprazole
asenapine
chlorpromazine
clozapine
flupenthixol
fluphenazine
haloperidol
iloperidone
loxapine
lurasidone
olanzapine
paliperidone
perphenazine
quetiapine
risperidone
sulpiride
thioridazine
thiothixene
trifluoperazine
ziprasidone
Naber, D., & Lambert, M. (2009). The CATIE and CUtLASS
studies in schizophrenia: Results and implications for clinicians. CNS Drugs,
23(8), 649-659. doi:10.2165/00023210-200923080-00002
Note: Retrieved from Walden Library databases.
Document: Midterm
Exam Study Guide (PDF)
Kay, S. R., Fiszbein,
A., & Opler, L. A. (1987). The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS)
for schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 13(2), 261-276.
Note: Retrieved from Walden Library databases.
Clozapine REMS.
(2015). Clozapine REMS: The single shared system for clozapine. Retrieved from
https://www.clozapinerems.com/CpmgClozapineUI/rems/pdf/resources/Clozapine_REMS_A_Guide_for_Healthcare_Providers.pdf
Walden University. (2016). ASC success strategies: Studying for and taking a test. Retrieved from
http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/ASCsuccess/ASCtesting
Required Media Laureate Education.(2016j). Case study: Pakistani woman with delusional thought processes
[Interactive media file]. Baltimore, MD: Author
Note: This case study will serve as the foundation for this
week’s Assignment.
Optional Resources
Chakos, M., Patel, J. K., Rosenheck, R., Glick, I. D.,
Hammer, M. B., Tapp, A., & … Miller, D. (2011). Concomitant psychotropic
medication use during treatment of schizophrenia patients: Longitudinal results
from the CATIE study. Clinical Schizophrenia & Related Psychoses, 5(3),
124-134. doi:10.3371/CSRP.5.3.2
Fangfang, S., Stock, E. M., Copeland, L. A., Zeber, J. E.,
Ahmedani, B. K., & Morissette, S. B. (2014). Polypharmacy with
antipsychotic drugs in patients with schizophrenia: Trends in multiple health
care systems. American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, 71(9), 728-738.
doi:10.2146/ajhp130471
Lin, L. A., Rosenheck, R., Sugar, C., & Zbrozek, A.
(2015). Comparing antipsychotic treatments for schizophrenia: A health state
approach. The Psychiatric Quarterly, 86(1), 107-121.
doi:10.1007/s11126-014-9326-2
To prepare for this Assignment:Review this week’s Learning Resources. Consider how to assess and treat clients requiring anxiolytic therapy.
Topic 1 DQ 1
Oct 3-5, 2022
What would spirituality be according to your own worldview? How do you believe that your conception of spirituality would influence the way in which you care for patients?
According to Hart (1994, p. 23), spirituality is the way a person lives out their beliefs in daily life and the way they “respond to the end conditions of individual existence” (Bożek, Nowak, , & Blukacz, 2020).A sense of peace and well-being are generated by spirituality, which is defined by faith, a search for life’s meaning and purpose and a feeling of belonging with one another. Through spiritual connection life satisfaction may increase or make it easier to accommodate illness or disability. Although, the idea of spirituality encompasses a huge range of personal experiences and convictions. Every individual has a unique perspective on spirituality. We may develop more comprehensive and compassionate healthcare systems by addressing the spiritual needs of our patients.
Nurses are being required more and more to recognize and respond to spiritual issues because of the emphasis on holistic care and meeting the requirements of each individual patient. Physical healing, pain relief, and personal development might result from attending to the patient’s spiritual needs. The nurse must attend to the patient’s emotional as well as physical demands in order to meet their total needs.The way in which we provide patient care would be influenced by our personal understanding of spirituality. For example, my spiritual beliefs consist of treating everyone with respect, compassion, care and equality regardless of their health status, race, spiritual view, gender, etc. I can take that into consideration into my practice by providing culturally competent, holistic care so I can better understand what I can do to assist the patient’s physical, spiritual, and mental wellbeing. Further, hospitals are held liable by The Joint Commission (TJC) for upholding patient rights, which includes making accommodations for cultural, religious, and spiritual values. The bodies, minds, and spirits of patients must all be taken into consideration by healthcare practitioners and systems (Swihart, Yarrarapu, & Martin, 2021).
Bożek, A., Nowak, P. F., & Blukacz, M. (2020). The Relationship Between Spirituality, Health-Related Behavior, and Psychological Well-Being. Frontiers in Psychology, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01997
Swihart, D.L., Yarrarapu ,S.N.S & Martin R.L. (2021). Cultural Religious Competence In Clinical Practice. StatPearls Publishing https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK493216/