Pre-Surgical Psychological Evaluation Plan
The medical procedure selected for this discussion is deep brain stimulation for Parkinson’s disease.
Fictitious Client Scenario
The patient is a 71-year-old African American male diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease five years ago. His current treatment includes levodopa and carbidopa (Gandhi & Saadabadi, 2022). Despite being compliant with his treatment plan, his symptoms are progressively worsening. His current symptoms include slowness of movement, forgetfulness, sleep disturbances, slowness in thinking, weakness, fatigue, and tremors (Zafar & Yaddanapudi, 2022). The patient’s caregiver highlights that his tremors have progressed from only the fingers and now include uncontrollable tremors in both the lower and upper extremities. The patient cannot walk, eat, or do activities without support. His caregiver is concerned that the patient might be unresponsive to medication. The patient holds a Ph.D. in Physics; he is a retired researcher and lecturer. The patient lives with his wife and a caregiver. He has three adult children whom he depends on for financial assistance. The caregiver states that the patient’s children ensure that he receives adequate basic needs and treatment.
Recommended Tests
Deep brain stimulation is recommended in patients with Parkinson’s disease for at least four years with worsening symptoms despite being on medications (Fariba & Gupta, 2022). Parkinson’s disease patients with uncontrolled tremors and symptoms severely hindering their daily activities are referred for deep brain stimulation. The patient must have the medical history and clinical symptoms required to be eligible for deep brain stimulation. It is vital to ensure that the patient has been compliant with his medication since most Parkinson’s patients undergo dementia. A patient who has not adhered to his treatment plan is excluded from deep brain stimulation. Deep brain stimulation is only recommended if the patient is compliant yet unresponsive to the current medication therapy. Also, patients with dementia, psychosis, and severe depression are excluded from deep brain stimulation. The patient is, therefore, screened for psychiatric conditions. Any patient who screens positive for psychiatric conditions such as dementia is not recommended for deep brain stimulation. Structural magnetic resonance imaging is conducted on the brain to assess the safety of the trajectory of electrodes during stimulation. Patients whose brain MRI reveals cerebral conditions such as atrophy are not recommended for deep brain stimulation (Fariba & Gupta, 2022).
The Rationale for the Recommended Tests
The patient is recommended for deep brain stimulation because he has been prescribed levodopa and carbidopa for the past five years without improvement. Five years is one year more than the four years recommended for deep brain stimulation. The patient has been compliant with his medication, yet his symptoms, including tremors, progressively become uncontrollable. The severe tremors are affecting the patient’s quality of life. He cannot perform any task without assistance. Deep brain stimulation is adjustable; therefore, the stimulation can be adjusted based on the patient’s response. If the patient experiences unwanted side effects, the deep brain stimulation is easily turned off and withdrawn. The stimulation is reversible; therefore, if the patient is unresponsive to stimulation, he will not suffer irreversible brain damage. Although deep brain stimulation is costly, the patient’s caregiver has explained that the patient’s children are financially able and willing to cater to their father’s treatment. The patient and his caregiver are educated on the risks and benefits of the procedure. It is crucial for the patient and his caregiver to highlight their expectations before and after the procedure.
References
Fariba, K. A., & Gupta, V. (2022). Deep Brain Stimulation. StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557847/.
Gandhi, K. R., & Saadabadi, A. (2022). Levodopa (L-Dopa) StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482140/.
Zafar, S., & Yaddanapudi, S. S. (2022). Parkinson Disease. StatPearls Publishing; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470193/.
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Question 
Prior to beginning work on this assignment, read the following resources:
Chapters 5 and 6 in your textbook
Assessment of Depression: Which are the Prominent Mental Health Instruments in Research Studies?Download Assessment of Depression: Which are the Prominent Mental Health Instruments in Research Studies?
Review the overview and product detail information about the following assessments:
Pre-Surgical Psychological Evaluation Plan
Battery for Health Improvement 2Links to an external site.
Eating InventoryLinks to an external site.
Millon Behavioral Medicine DiagnosticLinks to an external site.
Quality of Life InventoryLinks to an external site.
In addition, research at least two peer-reviewed journal articles to support your presurgical psychological evaluation plan based on the medical procedure you select below.
For this discussion, you will develop a presurgical psychological evaluation plan. Select one medical procedure from the list below.
Chronic pain control procedure
Deep-brain stimulation for Parkinson’s disease
Gender transitioning or gender-affirming surgery
Organ transplant
Reconstructive (plastic) surgery
Reversal of gender transitioning or gender detransitioning surgery
Spine surgery
Stem cell and bone marrow implantation
To successfully complete this discussion, include the following:
Identify which medical procedure you selected at the top of your initial post.
Create a one- to two-paragraph fictitious client scenario pertinent to the medical procedure you selected. Include relevant demographics (e.g., age, gender, languages, ethnicity, family status, education, socio-economic status).
Create a list of culturally appropriate, ethical tests, and assessment procedures you would recommend to determine whether to recommend the client for the medical procedure. Be specific about what the tests measure and address the following question:
What types of test results would lead you to recommend or not recommend the client have the medical procedure at this time?
Include APA-formatted in-text citations and a reference list to scholarly sources in the written portion of your post.
Write 2-3 paragraphs explaining to your client why you are recommending each test or assessment procedure.