Evaluating A Patient And Developing A Treatment Plan (Essay Sample)

Evaluating a Patient and Developing a Treatment Plan
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Evaluating a Patient and Developing a Treatment Plan
Mental illness has been on the increase in the U.S.A. Latest statistics indicate that 42.5 million Americans were diagnosed with a form of mental illness in 2016.The most common conditions are depression, mood disorders, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. This is a worrying trend for the nation. Management and treatment of mental illnesses cost American taxpayers a whopping $3.2 billion in the last financial year. In addition, complications resulting from some of these conditions are a further burden to the U.S.A healthcare system. This paper will examine one of the mental disorders based on the diagnosable character in the film, The Soloist 2009.Based on this, a case analysis and treatment plan will be written.
The Soloist is a 2009 American-British drama film starring Nathaniel Ayer (Jamie Foxx) and Steve Lopez (Robert Downey, Jr) as the main characters. Nathaniel is a Juilliard-trained musician who now sleeps on the streets of Los Angeles. He is homeless and has lost touch with his family. Steve Lopez, on the other hand, is journalist always on the lookout for new stories. One day, he bumps into Nathaniel attracted by a violin he was playing. He his surprised to discover that Nathaniel attended the prestigious Juilliard School. Lopez wonders how he could end up on the streets homeless. He considers this the perfect story he had been searching for and sets out on a mission to investigate. Nathaniel is suffering from Schizophrenia mental disorder. This diagnosis is based on the DSM-5 criteria.
DSM-5 CRITERIA
In line with the criteria, I have developed an accurate diagnosis for Nathaniel using the DSM-5 criteria. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) is a diagnostic tool for mental disorders updated in 2013 (Wade, 2013).It is divided into three sections. The first section describes DSM revision during 2013. It states the field trials, expert review as well as the public and professional review agreed upon. The second section provides the diagnostic criteria and codes for various mental disorders which include: neurodevelopmental disorders, schizophrenia, bipolar related disorders, depressive orders, anxiety disorders, trauma disorders, somatic disorders amongst others (Wade, 2013). The third section offers emerging measures and models for diagnosis of mental disorders. For schizophrenia, DSM provides that to meet the criteria for diagnosis of the disorder, the patient must have experienced the following symptoms: delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, catatonic behavior and negative symptoms (Wade, 2013). It is based on these symptoms that I developed a diagnosis for Nathaniel.
Delusion
Delusion is a false belief despite strong evidence against it.Nathaniel exhibits delusion. This is well seen in the film through the conversation that Lopez has with Lisa Grey, Nathaniel’s estranged sister. Lisa reveals that Ayer dropped out of Juilliard the streets due ending up in Los Angeles streets due to the delusion that she intended to kill him. She fell out with him because of the false claims that she presumably assumes he is dead.
Hallucinations
Hallucinations are sensations that a person sees, hears or feels that appear real but are only in their mind. They do not exist in reality. Nathaniel experiences hallucinations. In the conversation that Lisa has with Lopez, she reveals that Nathaniel was unable to handle voices in his head. This is a revelation that he was experiencing hallucinations.
Disorganized speech
A person with disorganized speech engages in incoherent words and jumps from one unrelated topic to another. Nathaniel exhibits disorganized speech in various instances. Firstly, his incoherent mumblings about Beethoven are a revelation of his disorganized speech. He claims that he hangs around Pershing square so that he could study Beethoven for inspiration. When Lopez asks him about Beethoven, he says, “I’ve never seen anything in my life that great. I’m flabbergasted by that statue because I can’t imagine how he’s here.I don’t know how God is operating.” This is also seen through the revelation of his goals to Lopez. He says, “My vision is to stay in good with God and not worry about far-off stuff, just get across the street safely and be thankful. Honor thy mother and father, don’t be disrespectful to people, be good, and maybe the music will take care of itself”.
Disorganized/catatonic behavior
Catatonic behavior is insensible behavior that is not expected of a normal person. Nathaniel exhibits catatonic behavior. From the movie, we realize that Nathaniel angrily dived into oncoming traffic in order to pick up charred cigarette butts. Also, he wanders aimlessly into the drug addicts of Los Angeles. This behavior is not expected of a normal person.
Based on the DSM-5 criteria, it is evident that Nathaniel is suffering from Schizophrenia. The symptoms he his displaying fit into the criteria provided by DSM for the disorder.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DISORDER
Schizophrenia is a brain disorder that affects how an individual thinks, feels, behaves and perceives things. The disorder mostly affects people aged 16-30.Approximately 1.1% of the world population suffer from the condition (Poole, 2016). People suffering from the disorder seem to have lost with reality and live in their own world. The disease is diagnosed through assessment by a psychiatrist. Experts hold it that the disorder is caused by genetic and environmental factors. Scientists have established that the disorder runs in families (Poole, 2016). However, no single gene has been associated with the disorder and it is therefore hard to predict who will get the disorder in a family. Environmental factors that predispose one to the disorder include exposure to viruses, problems during birth and malnutrition before birth.
The illness produces positive, negative and cognitive symptoms (Sames, 2015).Positive symptoms are psychotic behavior not witnessed in healthy people. They include delusions, hallucinations, impaired thoughts and problems in movement. Negative symptoms manifest themselves through a change in expected behaviors and emotions. They are limited talking, limited pleasure and decreased manifestation of emotions (Sames, 2015). Cognitive symptoms, on the other hand, manifest themselves through difficulty in paying attention as well as problems with “working memory”. Schizophrenia puts the life of the patient on hold. Nathaniel’s life is ruined by the disorder and his once-promising breakthrough in music is halted (Sames, 2015). Schizophrenia is treated with a combination of Antipsychotics, psychological treatment, and coordinated specialty care. Antipsychotic treatments reduce symptoms of schizophrenia preventing relapses. Psychosocial treatment, on the other hand, focuses on social skills training and cognitive training.
TREATMENT PLAN
For Nathaniel, the family therapy approach is the best way to treat this disorder. The basis of this therapy is that a family is a unit and that each part in the unit is related to the other parts (Silber, 2014). Consequently, a breakdown in any of the parts would disable the entire unit. The therapy seeks to use the strength of the family to provide help to any member experiencing a given problem (Silber, 2014). The therapy provides the patient with the necessary social support essential as he learns coping skills to address everyday challenges caused by his condition. I will use the MFT 5104 mo...