To prepare for this Assignment:

• Review this week’s Learning Resources. Consider how to assess and treat pediatric clients requiring antidepressant therapy.

The Assignment

Examine Case Study: An African American Child Suffering From Depression. You will be asked to make three decisions concerning the medication to prescribe to this client. Be sure to consider factors that might impact the client’s pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic processes.

• At each decision point stop to complete the following:
  • Decision #1
    • Which decision did you select?
    • Why did you select this decision? Support your response with evidence and references to the Learning Resources.
    • What were you hoping to achieve by making this decision? Support your response with evidence and references to the Learning Resources.
    • Explain any difference between what you expected to achieve with Decision #1 and the results of the decision. Why were they different?
  • Decision #2
    • Why did you select this decision? Support your response with evidence and references to the Learning Resources.
    • What were you hoping to achieve by making this decision? Support your response with evidence and references to the Learning Resources.
    • Explain any difference between what you expected to achieve with Decision #2 and the results of the decision. Why were they different?
  • Decision #3
    • Why did you select this decision? Support your response with evidence and references to the Learning Resources.
    • What were you hoping to achieve by making this decision? Support your response with evidence and references to the Learning Resources.
    • Explain any difference between what you expected to achieve with Decision #3 and the results of the decision. Why were they different?
  • Also include how ethical considerations might impact your treatment plan and communication with clients.

  • Therapy for Pediatric Clients with Mood Disorders
    An African American Child Suffering From Depression

    BACKGROUND INFORMATION

    The client is an 8-year-old African American male who arrives at the ER with his mother. He is exhibiting signs of depression.

    • Client complained of feeling “sad”

    • Mother reports that teacher said child is withdrawn from peers in class

    • Mother notes decreased appetite and occasional periods of irritation

    • Client reached all developmental landmarks at appropriate ages

    • Physical exam unremarkable

    • Laboratory studies WNL

    • Child referred to psychiatry for evaluation

    • Client seen by Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner

    MENTAL STATUS EXAM

    Alert & oriented X 3, speech clear, coherent, goal directed, spontaneous. Self-reported mood is “sad”. Affect somewhat blunted, but child smiled appropriately at various points throughout the clinical interview. He denies visual or auditory hallucinations. No delusional or paranoid thought processes noted. Judgment and insight appear to be age-appropriate. He is not endorsing active suicidal ideation, but does admit that he often thinks about himself being dead and what it would be like to be dead.

    The PMHNP administers the Children’s Depression Rating Scale, obtaining a score of 30 (indicating significant depression)

    Solution:

    Assessing and Treating Pediatric Clients with Mood Disorders

    According to Magellan Health (2013), pediatric mood disorders including depression and bipolar spectrum disorder have been established to be among the most common and more severe pediatric disorders. These mood disorders usually result in impaired communication patterns, interpersonal interactions, family engagement, academic and employment functioning, and suicide. Taking this into consideration, this paper is an assessment and treatment plan for pediatric patients with mood disorders. It includes an assessment of a case study of an 8-year-old African American patient with symptoms for a mood disorder, factors influencing antidepressant therapy pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic processes in pediatric patients, treatment plan, and ethical and legal implications in relation to prescribing antidepressant therapy to pediatric patients.

    Patient Assessment

    Rao (2013) mentions one of the optimal approaches to understanding pediatric depressive symptoms as recognizing them as a continuum. Ensuring accurate diagnostic procedures for pediatric mood disorders is highly crucial as it aids in developed and deduction of the ultimate treatment interventions….Please click the icon below to purchase full solution at $15