10 Page Paper For Mental Health
10 Page Paper For Mental Health
10 Page Paper For Mental Health
Hayden Turk
Abstract
This paper will be an overview of the case of B.C. a 29 year old male who presented to
ED in a manic state. The patient states he was making a suicide attempt by taking heroin and
trying to crash his motor vehicle. He crashed his car and was bought in by police and EMS and
pink slipped and placed on suicide precautions. Once in the psychiatric unit he was given the
diagnosis of bipolar 2, PTSD, and substance abuse disorder. Upon interviewing the patient his
affect was flat and didn't seem to have much to say initially. After some basic questions he was
able to open up and started to make eye contact more as well as engage with the conversation.
We were able to learn that he lost custody of his son recently and has yet to find a healthy coping
mechanism. He takes heroin and smokes marijuana while maintaining a job as a pizza delivery
Objective Data
Age: 29
Sex: Male
Behaviors on Day of Care: B.C. was pink slipped on admission due to his suicide
attempt and SI. Patient exhibited a depressed, anxious, and sad mood with a flat affect. Little eye
contact was made during the interview even after he was well acquainted with the two
Laboratory Results
Glucose 68
TSH 1.62
T4 1.08
RBC 4.26
Hbg 12.3
Hct 36.8
WBC 16.8
BUN 17
Creat. 1.15
QTc 419
Toxicology Anphetam
ines,
+THC
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Psychiatric Medications
Bipolar 2 Disorder
It involves at least one depressive episode lasting at least two weeks and at least one hypomanic
episode lasting at least four days. Depressive symptoms include sadness or hopelessness.
terrifying event. The condition may last months or years, with triggers that can bring back
memories of the trauma accompanied by intense emotional and physical reactions. Symptoms
may include nightmares or unwanted memories of the trauma, avoidance of situations that bring
back memories of the trauma, heightened reactions, anxiety, or depressed mood. These
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symptoms go along with the diagnosis of Bipolar 2 as well and may be difficult to distinguish
substance or substances leading to impairments in health, social function, and control over
substance use. It is a cluster of cognitive, behavioral, and physiological symptoms indicating that
the individual continues using the substance despite harmful consequences. Patterns of
symptoms resulting from substance use can help a doctor diagnose a person with a substance
abuse disorder. Substance abuse disorders can range in severity from mild to severe and can
Through our interview with BC we were able to identify multiple stressors and behaviors
that lead up to his admission to the hospital. His first complaint was the loss of custody of his
baby boy to the mother of the mother of his child. His second complaint was of his baby's mom
and her use of drugs that also precipitated the loss of custody from both parents. These stressors
coupled with his ineffective coping habits of the use of many drugs, not having a proper support
system at home, and recent financial hardships for him from the loss of his job made the feeling
Bipolar 2 Disorder
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Treatment includes counseling and medications, such as mood stabilizers which this patient is
taking in the form of Sodium valproate or Depakote. You'll typically need mood-stabilizing
(Tegretol, Equetro, others) and lamotrigine (Lamictal). These medications will help to lessen the
swing of moods and allow for the patient to maintain a more regular and stable mood. (Carmina,
2022) Therapies and counseling can be used to evaluate effectiveness of medications as well as
development of health coping strategies in order to become more effective at self reversing the
The main treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder are talking therapies and medicine.
Traumatic events can be very difficult to come to terms with, but confronting your feelings and
getting professional help is often the only way of effectively treating PTSD. Cognitive Behavior
Therapy is a type of psychotherapy that has consistently been found to be the most effective
treatment of PTSD both in the short term and the long term. Cognitive Behavior Therapy for
PTSD is trauma-focused, meaning the trauma events are the center of the treatment (Sten, 2020).
For this patient the focus of therapy would be on the loss of custody of his son. Sessions would
be spent on diving into the details of what happened and how that trauma has affected his life.
selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors which would help reduce symptoms of depression or
anxiety in people with PTSD. SSRIs include fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil), and
sertraline (Zoloft).
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- Medications for opioid use disorder– Specific conditions like opioid use disorder may
require medication as the first course of treatment. Medications for opioid use disorder
can help with cravings and withdrawal symptoms. These medications include Naltrexone
- Outpatient counseling– Helps people understand addiction, their triggers, and their
reasons for using drugs. This form of treatment can be done at a doctor’s office or via
telehealth appointment.
- Behavioral health care – Trained providers who help with mental health concerns as well
BC wasn't able to identify very many influences on him from spiritual or cultural sources.
When asked if he practices religion he stated that he was raised in a christian household but
wasn't ever in the place or mindset to follow the religion after he left his parents house. As far as
ethical principles that BC follows he stated in the interview that following discharge from the
psychiatric unit he plans on admitting himself into rehab and getting clean to be able to start the
path of getting custody back of his son. We were able to listen to him and give encouragement
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that rehab was a good first step when he gets out of the hospital and getting clean from drugs was
Patient Outcomes
The outcomes for patients struggling with bipolar disorder are adherence to medication
regimens which in turn will help to manage symptoms of mania and depression alike. It is most
important for patients like BC to also develop a support system to help with remembering
medications, offering emotional support, and helping with ADLs and other such chores which
For substance abuse disorder it is most important to seek treatment to initially get off of
the drugs they are using due to the potential harmful effects of detoxing. Being overseen
medically will help to manage symptoms of withdrawal and allow for further help to be given as
needed from the medical community. After withdrawal symptoms have gone the next step would
be counseling and even medications to prevent further drug use and development of healthy
coping strategies.
Discharge Plan
The discharge plan for BC following the expiration of his pink slip is to assist him in
finding a rehab facility that will take him to facilitate his journey to stop using drugs. The
expiration of his pink slip will happen 72 hours after his admission or once the psychiatrist
- Risk For Suicide related to Alcohol and substance abuse/use, legal or disciplinary
- Risk for Self-Harm/Injury related to suicidal thoughts, manic episode and hopelessness.
- Ineffective Coping related to alcohol and substance abuse/use and lack of eternal support
systems
- Powerlessness
- Low Self-Esteem
- Deficient Knowledge
Conclusion
Throughout the interview process BC seemed to have a genuine regret for how he has
conducted his life so far and seemed remorseful about his actions. Although he attempted suicide
in a time of mania and hopelessness, he now seemed to want to get better and quit using drugs.
There is a long road ahead of him with a DUI charge now and loss and custody of his son he will
need a strong support system in place to get through the upcoming steps in his life. Through
counseling and medication management it is possible that he gets better. BC experienced a manic
episode related to a situational crisis exacerbated by the fact that his family kicked him out when
he was younger, which he is still dealing with the PTSD from lack of family support, and he lost
custody of his child and current unemployment. Due to a previous suicide attempt he is now at
increased risk for that to happen again. There will need to be careful medication management
and counseling as well as setting up an external support system for BC to be able to overcome
References
https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/bipolar-disorder/treatment/.
Lester, Marco (2019). “Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders.” SAMHSA,
https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/disorders.
https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/treatments.