NSG 4055 Week 5 Project Creating a Plan of Care

NSG 4055 Week 5 Project Creating a Plan of Care

Patients diagnosed with mental health problems and their families should be supported to cope effectively with the disorder. Accordingly, depression alters the normal functioning and behaviors of the affected interventions. Nurses should assist them in learning effective strategies that they can use in reducing the severity and recurrence of depressive symptoms. Interventions such as the provision of cognitive behavioral therapy are effective in helping the client to develop the needed skills for managing depressive symptoms. Educating the patient on the use of interventions such as eating healthy diets and engaging in physical activity minimizes the depressive symptoms in patients. Patients should also be linked with the existing social support systems to ensure that they learn from others on the effective interventions they can use to manage their depression. The impacts of the coping skills include reduction in severity and recurrence of symptoms of depression and improvement in the effectiveness of pharmacological interventions utilized for the disorder.

Summary of Information

The focus of my assignments from week 1 to 4 has been mainly on depression in adults. The focus on this area is attributed to the fact that the Healthypeople 2030 recognizes it a common problem that is affecting adults in the USA. The current statistics shows that 17.3 million Americans have experienced at least one major depressive episode. The effects of depression among adults are varied. They include major impairment in functioning, decline in quality of life, increased cost of healthcare, and loss of productivity. The morbidity and comorbidity of major depression is high. For example, the global risk of individuals developing major depression is estimated to range between 15 and 18%. Major depression is associated with adverse effects that include the lowering of the psychosocial functioning as well as quality of life of the affected populations. It also predisposes patients to other health problems that include anxiety and substance abuse disorders. Depression is also an independent risk factor as well as negative prognostic factor for somatic disorders that include cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disorders, hypertension and arthritis (Gutiérrez-Rojas et al., 2020).  The morbidity in depressive disorders is significantly high, as seen from the fact that up to 50% of the patients with major depressive disorders experience illnesses even after their discharge from the hospital. Patients may also present with depression with mixed features, which has been associated with poor response to recommended treatments such as the use of antidepressants (Baldessarini et al., 2017).

I interviewed K.H, a 35-year-old male diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder after exhibiting delusions and hallucinations, which alternated with depressive symptoms. K.H reported that accepting that he was suffering from depression was hard for him, as he had to live in denial for three years. However, he has accepted the diagnosis and currently engages in self-care activities that minimize the severity of depressive symptoms. His family has also accepted his diagnosis and providing him the support that he needs for the optimum management of the disorder. K.H has also developed effective coping skills for managing the disorder. Currently, K.H is undergoing pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy to manage depression. He also has access to adequate social support that has led to effective management and coping with depression.

The assessment of K.H revealed a number of his support needs. High priority needs include coping skills, positive reinforcement, and treatment adherence.  Medium-priority needs include self-esteem, financial, and sleep issues. Low-priority needs include nutrition, physical exercise, and acceptance to treatment. Therefore, the appropriate interventions that were required to address the needs included encouraging the client to adhere to his treatment plan, giving positive reinforcement by reminding him of his positive qualities and his significance to his family and friends and assisting him in creating a low-stress environment, which will lower the severity of depressive symptoms.

Interventions to reduce to improve the mental health of patients as stated in Healthypeople 2030 should therefore be implemented. At the individual level, outreach activities can be implemented to increase access to mental health services and evidence-based treatment for individuals. Health providers can provide psycho-education for families to improve mental health literacy, reduce stigma, and increase help-seeking in mental health at the family level. At the policy level, policy-makers should provide technical and financial support for community-based organizations that focus on mental health to collaborate with the healthcare sector. Nur