Reference no: EM133604982

Homework: Diagnosis and Treatment of Depressive and Mood Disorders

Length: 5-7 pages.

Depressive and mood disorders are common conditions in the general population. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) indicates that over 9% of the adult population in the United States suffered from a depressive or mood disorder in the past year (NIMH, 2020). While they are very treatable through both medication and psychotherapy, they cause considerable functional impairment and suffering in both clients and their families.

The readings and homework provide an opportunity for you to develop a deeper understanding of the different types of depression and mood disorders. You will develop an understanding of their causes, their symptoms, best current treatments, and the role of family and primary relationships in managing depressive and mood disorders and restoring functioning. This week's homework will also provide opportunities for you to examine outside resources and information, which are needed to gather information about mood disorders. Accessing, appraising, and applying the best current evidence is a very important skill for marriage and family therapists and all health care providers.

Of importance in depressive and mood conditions is the assessment of suicidal ideation and client safety. Suicide remains a significant but preventable cause of death in the United States. In the most recent data provided by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), suicide was the second-highest cause of death (after accidents) in people ages 10 to 34. It was the fourth leading cause of disease in people ages 35 to 54. It is very important that MFTs thoroughly assess both passive and active suicidal ideation, and work with clients, family members, and other health care professionals, including physicians, nurses, and advanced practice providers in the development of safety plans based on the best current evidence.

You will select a case vignette and provide a thorough diagnosis of a client vignette (depressive or mood disorder), assess suicidal ideation using the Columbia Suicide Scale, describe the best current medications to treat the diagnosed condition, describe an approach to individual psychotherapy and an approach to providing psychoeducation and therapy to a client's family members (explaining the biologic causes of the condition and the role of medication in treatment). Each must be supported by the best current available evidence.

Carefully review the resources.

You are expected to apply the information from these resources when you prepare your homework.

References:

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). (n.d.). Prevalence of Any Mood Disorder Among Adults.

Task

For this homework, you will provide a diagnosis of a client vignette (see vignette), describe the current evidence regarding the causes and prevalence of the diagnosis, and briefly explain the current treatment recommendations, including individual therapy, family/couple therapy, and medications.

I. Diagnosis and Supporting Evidence: Develop an accurate diagnosis using the DSM-5 criteria listed for the disorders studied. Support the diagnosis by writing a description of the symptoms and related information from the vignette that substantiates your conclusions. While developing your argument to support the provided diagnosis, specifically address each of the criteria and include an example of how the client fits the criteria. If there is a rule-out diagnosis, please highlight the ways in which the client does not fit a rule-out diagnosis based on the criteria.

II. Description of the Disorder: Briefly describe the possible causes (genetics, biological basis), course, and effects of the disorder. Please address the impact of the diagnosis on a client's family members or significant others. Many psychiatric conditions have a genetic basis and family history; therefore, dynamics are very important to consider.

III. Cultural Considerations and Implications: Provide a paragraph description in which you briefly comment on each component of Garcia and Petrovitch's (2015) Diversity/Resilience formulation (see Week 1 readings): Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, Community, and Spiritual. How is each of these illustrated in the client vignette?

IV. Treatments: Based on the readings and other outside information, please outline the best current evidence regarding treatment of the condition you diagnosed. Be sure to address each of the following:

1. Medications: What are the best current medications used to treat this condition? Be specific to identify the drug classes used. You do not need to identify specific medications, but you do need to identify which class of drugs that are commonly used.

2. Assessment of Suicide Risk: Describe how you will assess the risk of suicide using a standard assessment (e.g., Columbia Scale). How will you work with the client to develop a safety plan?

3. Psychotherapy: What psychotherapy approaches have the best evidence in treating this condition? How do these approaches address the symptoms of the diagnosed condition and improve functioning?

4. Family and/or Couple Interventions: Identify which family and/or couple interventions that have the best evidence supporting their use in treating the diagnosed condition. Describe two specific interventions you could implement with this case.

In your description of the treatments, be sure to continue to integrate information about the case from the vignette (i.e., do not simply discuss what you would do with a person with the given disorder; write about how the model and interventions that you have selected fit with the specific client from the vignette). Do not replicate the vignette in your paper. Simply provide a synopsis of the vignette as you would in a clinical note.