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NRNP 6645: Week 9 Assignment

NRNP 6645: Week 9 Assignment

It is estimated that more almost 7% of the U.S. population will experience posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in their lifetime (National Institute of Mental Health, 2017). This debilitating disorder often interferes with an individual’s ability to function in daily life. Common symptoms of anxiousness and depression frequently lead to behavioral issues, adolescent substance abuse issues, and even physical ailments. For this Assignment, you examine a PTSD video case study and consider how you might assess and treat clients presenting with PTSD.

To prepare:

  • Review this week’s Learning Resources and reflect on the insights they provide about diagnosing and treating PTSD.
  • View the media Presentation Example: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and assess the client in the case study. 
  • For guidance on assessing the client, refer to Chapter 3 of the Wheeler text.

Note: To complete this Assignment, you must assess the client, but you are not required to submit a formal comprehensive client assessment.

Succinctly, in 1–page, address the following:

  • Briefly explain the neurobiological basis for PTSD illness.
  • Discuss the DSM-5-TR diagnostic criteria for PTSD and relate these criteria to the symptomology presented in the case study. Does the video case presentation provide sufficient information to derive a PTSD diagnosis? Justify your reasoning. Do you agree with the other diagnoses in the case presentation? Why or why not?
  • Discuss one other psychotherapy treatment option for the client in this case study. Explain whether your treatment option is considered a “gold standard treatment” from a clinical practice guideline perspective, and why using gold standard, evidence-based treatments from clinical practice guidelines is important for psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioners.

Support your Assignment with specific examples from this week’s media and at least three peer-reviewed, evidence-based sources. Explain why each of your supporting sources is considered scholarly. Attach the PDFs of your sources.

Video:

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

PTSD is a mental health disease characterized by a couple of symptoms picked from various occurrences of events in the daily course of the individual. Primarily, the disorder is triggered by experiencing or witnessing events that are individually perceived to cause trauma. Similar to other psychiatric conditions, PTSD’s pathophysiology revolves around the brain, where there are abnormalities in the functioning of crucial parts. For instance, the amygdala that processes emotions like fear becomes hyperactive, resulting in exaggerated anxiety and fear responses. The prefrontal cortex cannot effectively manage emotional responses, which impairs the ability to manage stress and other reactions. Also, the hippocampus responsible for memory formation reduces its capability to differentiate between past and present threats, leading to flashbacks and intrusive memories (Smid et al., 2022).

NRNP 6645: Week 9 Assignment

NRNP 6645: Week 9 Assignment

The DSM-5 criteria suggest that, for one to be diagnosed with PTSD, they have to exhibit more than five of its outlined symptoms for more than one month after exposure to a traumatic event. These symptoms include intrusion symptoms such as flashbacks, avoidance, negative alterations in cognition and mood, altered arousal and reactivity, impairment in functioning, and exclusion (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2023). The case presented in the video substantively justifies the PTSD diagnosis due to the presentation of symptoms by Joe’s trauma of being in an accident with his father following a threat brought about by their pursuit. I disagree with other diagnoses made in this case study. My decision has been guided by the reasoning that these other comorbidities are not trauma-triggered, and they have genetic etiology. At the same time, there is no history of any psychiatric conditions in Joe’s lineage (Grande, 2019).

Prolonged Exposure therapy is an evidence-proven effective treatment that involves simulating events in a controlled, safe environment to help the patient confront trauma-related situations. This approach is considered a gold-standard treatment that improves overall well-being through the reduction of symptoms of PTSD. Using evidence-based, gold-standard treatments found in the clinical guidelines is important in ensuring high-quality care is given to the client. According to Back et al. (2022), this ensures consistency of care, upholds professional standards, and enhances trust, leading to better health outcomes.

References

Back, S. E., Acierno, R., Saraiya, T. C., Harley, B., Wangelin, B., Jarnecke, A. M., McTeague, L. M., Brown, D. G., Ana, E. S., Rothbaum, A. O., & Adams, R. J. (2022). Enhancing Prolonged Exposure therapy for PTSD using physiological biomarker-driven technology. Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications, 28, 100940. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conctc.2022.100940

Grande, T. (2019). Presentation example: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkSv_zPH-M4

Smid, G. E., Lind, J., & Bonde, J. P. (2022a). Neurobiological mechanisms underlying delayed expression of posttraumatic stress disorder: A scoping review. World Journal of Psychiatry, 12(1), 151–168. https://doi.org/10.5498/wjp.v12.i`1 q1.151

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. (2023). PTSD and DSM-5 – PTSD: National Center for PTSD. Va.gov. https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/treat/essentials/dsm5_ptsd.asp