Assignment: Assessing And Treating Clients With Impulsivity, Compulsivity, And Addiction

Examine Case Study: A Puerto Rican Woman With Comorbid Addiction. 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.

Impulsivity and compulsivity have a wide range of clinical presentations and often overlap with many other psychiatric disorders. Some individuals act without forethought and have difficulty saying “no” to certain things such as using illicit drugs or spending money, whereas other individuals engage in compulsive behaviors with undesirable consequences. In some cases, these impulsive and compulsive behaviors also fuel issues with addiction. To effectively assess and treat clients, you must understand how these disorders differ, as well as how their symptoms impact clients and their families.

This week, as you examine therapies for individuals with impulsivity, compulsivity, and addiction, you explore the assessment and treatment of clients with these disorders. You also consider ethical and legal implications of these therapies.

Photo Credit: [Apolinar B. Fonseca]/[Moment]/Getty Images

 

Assignment: Assessing and Treating Clients With Impulsivity, Compulsivity, and Addiction

Impulsivity, compulsivity, and addiction are challenging disorders for clients across the lifespan. These disorders often manifest as negative behaviors, resulting in adverse outcomes for clients. In your role as the psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, you have the opportunity to help clients address underlying causes of the disorders and overcome these behaviors. For this Assignment, as you examine the client case study in this week’s Learning Resources, consider how you might assess and treat clients presenting with impulsivity, compulsivity, and addiction.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

· Assess client factors and history to develop personalized therapy plans for clients with impulsivity, compulsivity, and addiction

· Analyze factors that influence pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic processes in clients requiring therapy for impulsivity, compulsivity, and addiction

· Evaluate efficacy of treatment plans

· Analyze ethical and legal implications related to prescribing therapy for clients with impulsivity, compulsivity, and addiction

Learning Resources

Note:  To access this week’s required library resources, please click on the link to the Course Readings List, found in the  Course Materials  section of your Syllabus.

Required Readings

 

Note: All Stahl resources can be accessed through the Walden Library using this link. This link will take you to a log-in page for the Walden Library. Once you log into the library, the Stahl website will appear.

 

Stahl, S. M. (2013). Stahl’s essential psychopharmacology: Neuroscientific basis and practical applications (4th ed.). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

 

To access the following chapters, click on the Essential Psychopharmacology, 4th ed tab on the Stahl Online website and select the appropriate chapter. Be sure to read all sections on the left navigation bar for each chapter.

· Chapter 14, “Impulsivity, Compulsivity, and Addiction”

Stahl, S. M., & Grady, M. (2012). Stahl’s illustrated substance use and impulsive disorder New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

 

To access the following chapter, click on the Illustrated Guides tab and then the Substance Use and Impulsive Disorders tab.

· Chapter 10, “Disorders of Impulsivity and Compulsivity”

Stahl, S. M. (2014b). The prescriber’s guide (5th ed.). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

 

To access information on the following medications, click on The Prescriber’s Guide, 5th ed tab on the Stahl Online website and select the appropriate medication.