Case study [MUSIC PLAYING] DR. MOORE: Hi. Good afternoon. My name is Dr. Moore. Am I understanding you’re here
for a mental health assessment today? PETUNIA PARK: That’s right. DR. MOORE: OK. So to make sure I have the right
patient and the right chart, can you tell me your name
and your date of birth? PETUNIA PARK: Yes. I’m Petunia Park. My birthday is July 1, 1995. DR. MOORE: And can you tell
me what today’s date is? PETUNIA PARK: So
it’s December 1. DR. MOORE: Do you know the year? PETUNIA PARK: 2020. DR. MOORE: And what day
of the week is this? PETUNIA PARK: It’s Tuesday. [CHUCKLING] DR. MOORE: And do you
know where we are today? PETUNIA PARK: Yes I am here
in the beautiful, sunny office at the clinic. DR. MOORE: OK, great. Thank you. So can you tell me a little bit
about why you’re here today? What brings you here today? PETUNIA PARK: Yes. So I have a history of taking
medications and then stopping them. I don’t think I need them. I really feel like the
medication squashes who I am. DR. MOORE: OK, OK. So I’m going to be able
to help you with that. But to begin, I’m going
to ask you some questions about your family. I’m going to ask you some
history-type questions. I’m going to ask
you some symptoms that you might be having. And all of these
questions are going to help me work with you
on a treatment plan, OK? So I would like to
begin with, when was the first time that you
ever had any mental health or substance use
treatment in your life? PETUNIA PARK: OK. Well, when I was a teenager,
my mom put me in the hospital after I went four or five
days without sleeping. I think I may have been
hearing things at that time. [CHUCKLES] I think they
started me on some medication, but I’m not sure. DR. MOORE: Oh, OK so
you were hospitalized. How many times have you been
hospitalized for mental health? PETUNIA PARK: Oh, I’ve been
hospitalized about four times. The last time was
this past spring. No detox or residential
rehabs, though. DR. MOORE: OK, good. Were any of these
hospitalizations due to any suicide gestures? PETUNIA PARK: One was in 2017. I overdosed on
Benadryl, but I’ve not had those thoughts since then. DR. MOORE: Well, I’m very glad
to hear that you’ve not had any of those thoughts since then. And I’m glad that you turned
out OK from that overdose. I’m glad that you’re here today. Can you tell me a
little bit about what you’ve been diagnosed with
during your past treatments? PETUNIA PARK: Well,
I think depression, and anxiety, had some
even say maybe bipolar. DR. MOORE: OK, and
what medications have you been tried on
before for those illnesses? And if you can remember,
what was your reactions to those medications? PETUNIA PARK: Oh, let’s see. Oh, I took Zoloft, and that
made me feel really high. [CHUCKLES] I couldn’t sleep. My mind was racing, and
then I took risperidone. That made me gain
a bunch of weight. Seroquel gave me weight, too. I took Klonopin, and that
seems to slow me down some. I really can’t
remember the others. I think the one I just
stopped taking was helping. It started with an L, I think. I don’t really
remember the name, but it squashed
me in creativity. DR. MOORE: OK, well,
we’re going to try to help you find some
medication that doesn’t make you feel squashed or have any of
those negative side effects today. But in order to do that, I
need some more information. And the next questions I’m going
to ask you are about substances you may have used. And I want you to know that you
don’t get in trouble in here if you’ve used some
of these substances. It really just helps
me to make sure that what’s in your
system that could be impacting your neurochemistry. And when we do talk
about medications, so I don’t give you something
that would negatively interact with something
you may be using, OK? So do you– PETUNIA PARK: OK. DR. MOORE: –use any nicotine? PETUNIA PARK: Yes. I smoke about a pack
a day, and I’m not going to quit for you, either. [CHUCKLES] Oh. DR. MOORE: That’s OK, that’s OK. And what about alcohol? When was your last
drink of alcohol? PETUNIA PARK: When I
was 19 because alcohol and me do not work
well together. [CHUCKLES] DR. MOORE: OK, and what
about any marijuana? When was your last
use of any marijuana? PETUNIA PARK: Oh no. I tried that once and
got really paranoid. DR. MOORE: OK. What about any last
use of cocaine? PETUNIA PARK: Never. DR. MOORE: Last use of any
stimulants or methamphetamines? PETUNIA PARK: Never. DR. MOORE: What about
any huffing or inhalants? PETUNIA PARK: Never. DR. MOORE: OK, have
you used anything like Klonopin or Xanax, any
of those sedative medications? PETUNIA PARK: Never. DR. MOORE: All right, good. What about any hallucinogenics
like LSD, or PCP, or mushrooms? PETUNIA PARK: No, never. DR. MOORE: Wonderful. OK, what about any use of pain
pills or opiate medications? Anything prescribed
or anything you’ve obtained from the street? PETUNIA PARK: No, never. DR. MOORE: Good. And anything synthetic like
Spice, or ecstasy, Bath Salts, Mollies, anything like that? PETUNIA PARK: Never. DR. MOORE: Oh, wonderful. Well, I’m glad to hear that. You know those things
aren’t good for your brain. So I encourage you to continue
to stay away from those things. Have you ever had any
blackouts or seizures from drugs or alcohol? Or seen things that you
weren’t sure were there? PETUNIA PARK: Never. DR. MOORE: Good. What about any legal
issues or any DUIs? PETUNIA PARK: Never. DR. MOORE: OK. Good, good. All right, so I’m just
going to ask a little bit about your family right now. Any blood relatives have any
mental health or substance abuse issues? PETUNIA PARK: Yeah, well,
well, why would you ask that? It’s not your business. DR. MOORE: Right. I could see where you
might find that wouldn’t be any my business. But really, sometimes these
issues can be genetic. They’re alarm behaviors. So my understanding
of your family helps me to understand you. PETUNIA PARK: Huh. Well, my mother
was seen as crazy. I think they said she
had bipolar or something. And my father went
to prison for drugs. And well, we haven’t heard,
or seen, or heard from him in 8 or 10 years. My brother, while I think
he’s a little schizo, but he hasn’t ever
went to the doctor. Nobody else with anything. DR. MOORE: OK. So that sounds like
it must be tough growing up not
seeing your father and having some of those
issues in your family. But any family, blood
relatives commit suicide? PETUNIA PARK: Well, my mom
tried, but nobody really did it, you know? DR. MOORE: OK. Have you ever done anything
like that, or anything like cut on yourself, burn yourself? PETUNIA PARK: I already told
you, I tried to kill myself. Why ask me that again? No, I’m not going to kill
myself or anyone else, and I don’t cut myself. DR. MOORE: OK. Well, I’m glad to hear that. And I want you to know
that I am here for you, and we most certainly
will make sure you have a crisis like number
at the end of this session if you do have those
thoughts in the future. So I’m glad to
hear that you don’t have those thoughts today. OK. What type of medical
issues do you have? PETUNIA PARK: Oh, hoo. Let’s see. I have a thyroid issue that
I take some medicine for, that hypothyroidism. And I take a birth control
pill for polycystic ovaries. DR. MOORE: OK, when
was your last menses? PETUNIA PARK: Oh, well I have
a regular one each month. So let’s see. It was last month sometime. DR. MOORE: OK, so any
chance that you’re pregnant? PETUNIA PARK:
[LAUGHS] Lordy, no. I may have a lot of sex
around, but I’m safe. DR. MOORE: Hm. You “have a lot of sex around.” Can you maybe tell
me what that means? PETUNIA PARK: Well, it’s
exciting and thrilling to find new people to explore sex with. It helps me keep my
moods high, high, high. [CHUCKLES] DR. MOORE: OK, so that makes
you feel really high and kind of what, OK? PETUNIA PARK: Oh yeah. DR. MOORE: So who raised you? PETUNIA PARK: My mom and
my older brother, mainly. DR. MOORE: And who
do you live with now? PETUNIA PARK: Well, I
live with my boyfriend. And sometimes, stay with my
mom when he gets mad at me for sleeping around some. DR. MOORE: So that’s
created some issues in your relationship, I see. OK. Are you single, married,
widowed, or divorced? PETUNIA PARK: I’ve
never been married. DR. MOORE: OK. Do you have any children? PETUNIA PARK: No. DR. MOORE: All right. Are you working? PETUNIA PARK: Yes, I work part
time at my aunt’s bookstore. She’s more tolerant of
the days I don’t come in from feeling too depressed. DR. MOORE: OK, so I hear some,
maybe, feelings of depressed. OK. What is your level of education? PETUNIA PARK: Oh,
I’m in vo-tech school right now for cosmetology. I’m going to do makeup
for movie stars. [CHUCKLES] DR. MOORE: Oh, that
sounds really wonderful. OK, so but what about now? What do you do for fun now? PETUNIA PARK: Well, I am
writing my life story, and it’s going to be published. I also paint like Picasso. I’m going to sell those
paintings to movie stars, too. DR. MOORE: Well,
that’s wonderful. Maybe someday you can show
me your paintings as well. OK, have you ever been arrested
or convicted for anything? PETUNIA PARK: No. The police did pick me up and
take me to the hospital once. I didn’t have much
sleep that week. And they said I was dancing
around in my nightgown in a field with my guitar. I really don’t remember
much of that, though. I think maybe my mom made
up that story against me because she wanted me to go
back to my boyfriend’s house. DR. MOORE: OK, so that was
one of your hospitalizations that we talked about earlier. OK, what about any history of
trauma with childhood or adult? Any kind of physical,
sexual, emotional abuse? PETUNIA PARK: Well, my
dad was pretty hard on us when he was around. But he didn’t really
touch us or anything. More just yelled at us a lot. DR. MOORE: OK. All right, so I’ve
gathered some history here. Now, I want to get
into more of some of the symptoms that brought
you in to see me today. So you mentioned before that
sometimes your depression keeps you from working
at your aunt’s bookstore. Can you tell me
a little bit more about what that
looks like for you? PETUNIA PARK: Well, about
four or five times a year, I have these times when I just
don’t want to get out of bed. I have no energy, no
motivation to do anything. I just can’t feel any
interest in my creativity. I feel like I’m not worth
anything because I feel that creativity slipping away. So this is usually
happening after I’ve been up for five
days working hard on my works with my writing,
painting, and music. Everyone says I’m
depressed, but I’m not sure. It could be that I’m just
exhausted from working so hard. DR. MOORE: OK, so I hear you
talking about these creativity episodes right before you crash. Per se, this depression. Tell me a little bit more
about those episodes. What do those look like for you? PETUNIA PARK: Oh,
I love those times. Those are the reasons
I don’t always take my medication because
I feel like I’m squashed. I have lots of energy
to do a lot of things. I can go four or five days
with very little sleep. I get lots of things
done, but my friends tell me I talk too much
and appear scattered. [SIGHS] They’re just jealous
of all the accomplishments I’m getting done. These are the times I
look to explore my mind and body with feeling good
through sex with other people. DR. MOORE: OK, how long do
those episodes last typically when you have them? PETUNIA PARK: About a week. DR. MOORE: About a week. OK. So I want to ask a little bit
more about some other symptoms that maybe we
haven’t talked about. Do you feel like you worry
a lot or have any kind of anxiety and panic symptoms? PETUNIA PARK: No, no no. I’m not a worry. DR. MOORE: OK, do
you do anything that you feel like you have to
do repetitively over and over? And if you can’t do them, you
feel like the end of the world is coming? Something like maybe
count on threes or wash your hands 20 times? Anything like that? PETUNIA PARK: [LAUGHS] No, no. I don’t have OCD, if
that’s what you’re asking. DR. MOORE: OK, what about
hearing or seeing things you’re not sure
others see or hear? Anything like that? PETUNIA PARK: Not right now. It’s been a couple of
months since that happened. Sometimes when I’m
not sleeping good, I hear voices telling me how
great and wonderfully talented I am. DR. MOORE: OK. So, but no voices right now? PETUNIA PARK: No. DR. MOORE: OK, good. What about your appetite? How’s your appetite? PETUNIA PARK: Well, when
I’m really creative, I’m too busy to eat. And when I’m
crashing and resting, I eat everything in sight. DR. MOORE: OK, so
what about your sleep? On average, how much time
do you think you sleep in a whole 24-hour period? And do you have any bad dreams? PETUNIA PARK: No bad dreams. Most of the time, I get
about five or six hours. When I’m creative,
I’m lucky to get three hours and a whole week. Ugh. And when I’m crashed, I sleep
about 12 or 16 hours a day. DR. MOORE: OK, wonderful. So this is great. I have a lot of
information from you that I think we will be able to
come up with a treatment plan and maybe find some
medication that’s going to help you feel better
without you feeling so squashed and having negative
side effects, but really help you be able
to function through the day. [MUSIC PLAYING]
It is important for the PMHNP to have a comprehensive understanding of mood disorders in order to assess and accurately formulate a diagnosis and treatment plan for patients presenting with these disorders. Mood disorders may be diagnosed when a patient’s emotional state meets the diagnostic criteria for severity, functional impact, and length of time. Those with a mood disorder may find that their emotions interfere with work, relationships, or other parts of their lives that impact daily functioning. Mood disorders may also lead to substance abuse or suicidal thoughts or behaviors, and although they are not likely to go away on their own, they can be managed with an effective treatment plan and understanding of how to manage symptoms.
In this Assignment you will assess, diagnose, and devise a treatment plan for a patient in a case study who is presenting with a mood disorder.
RESOURCES
Be sure to review the Learning Resources before completing this activity.
Click the weekly resources link to access the resources.
TO PREPARE
- Review this week’s Learning Resources. Consider the insights they provide about assessing, diagnosing, and treating mood disorders.
- Review the Focused SOAP Note template, which you will use to complete this Assignment. There is also a Focused SOAP Note Exemplar provided as a guide for Assignment expectations.
- Review the video, Case Study: Petunia Park. You will use this case as the basis of this Assignment. In this video, a Walden faculty member is assessing a mock patient. The patient will be represented onscreen as an avatar.
- Consider what history would be necessary to collect from this patient.
- Consider what interview questions you would need to ask this patient.
- Consider patient diagnostics missing from the video: Provider Review outside of interview:Temp 98.2 Pulse 90 Respiration 18 B/P 138/88Laboratory Data Available: Urine drug and alcohol screen negative. CBC within normal ranges, CMP within normal ranges. Lipid panel within normal ranges. Prolactin Level 8; TSH 6.3 (H)
THE ASSIGNMENT
Develop a Focused SOAP Note, including your differential diagnosis and critical-thinking process to formulate a primary diagnosis. Incorporate the following into your responses in the template:
- Subjective: What details did the patient provide regarding their chief complaint and symptomatology to derive your differential diagnosis? What is the duration and severity of their symptoms? How are their symptoms impacting their functioning in life?
- Objective: What observations did you make during the psychiatric assessment?
- Assessment: Discuss the patient’s mental status examination results. What were your differential diagnoses? Provide a minimum of three possible diagnoses with supporting evidence, listed in order from highest to lowest priority. Compare the DSM-5-TR diagnostic criteria for each differential diagnosis and explain what DSM-5 criteria rules out the differential diagnosis to find an accurate diagnosis. Explain the critical-thinking process that led you to the primary diagnosis you selected. Include pertinent positives and pertinent negatives for the specific patient case.
- Plan: What is your plan for psychotherapy? What is your plan for treatment and management, including alternative therapies? Include pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic treatments, alternative therapies, and follow-up parameters as well as a rationale for this treatment and management plan. Also incorporate one health promotion activity and one patient education strategy.
- Reflection notes: Reflect on this case. Discuss what you learned and what you might do differently. Also include in your reflection a discussion related to legal/ethical considerations (demonstrate critical thinking beyond confidentiality and consent for treatment!), social determinates of health, health promotion, and disease prevention that takes into consideration patient factors (such as age, ethnic group, etc.), PMH, and other risk factors (e.g., socioeconomic, cultural background, etc.).
BY DAY 7 OF WEEK 4
Submit your Focused SOAP Note.
