By Day 3 of Week 8
Post a brief explanation of the psychological disorder presented and the decision steps you applied in completing the interactive media piece for the psychological disorder you selected. Then, explain how the administration of the associated pharmacotherapeutics you recommended may impact the patient’s pathophysiology. How might these potential impacts inform how you would suggest treatment plans for this patient? Be specific and provide examples.

 Discussion: Decision Making When Treating Psychological Disorders

The selected case is of the 8-year-old, Katie with the diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), predominantly inattentive presentation. ADHD is a psychological disorder characterized by inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity that hinder an individual’s normal functioning and development (Tong et al, 2016). Symptoms of ADHD include forgetfulness, inattentiveness, easy distraction, leaving activities uncomplete, inability to follow instructions, short attention span, disinterest in normal work, and hyperactivity. Decision Making When Treating Psychological Disorders

The first decision for Katie was to begin methylphenidate 10mg in the morning. Methylphenidate was selected because it the recommended first-line treatment for ADHD in the pediatric population. However, the client was able to maintain attention in the morning hours, but in the afternoon she was inattentive. Therefore, the second decision was to change to methylphenidate LA 20 mg. This was to ensure the client maintained attention even in the afternoon since it is a long-acting preparation (Durand et al., 2015). The third decision was to maintain the methylphenidate LA 20 mg and have Katie re-examined in four weeks. Decision Making When Treating Psychological Disorders

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Methylphenidate works by acting on the norepinephrine and dopamine transporters and thus blocks the reuptake of dopamine and norepinephrine. Therefore, the level of both dopamine and norepinephrine is increased and this helps to control symptoms the symptoms of ADHD (Todd & (Briars, 2016). Methylphenidate LA 20 mg has higher efficacy and it is long-lasting and thus the effect of the medication will last the whole day. The efficacy of Methylphenidate in the treatment of ADHD and is the first-line treatment choice for ADHD would make it the treatment choice for this client. For, example, in this case, study, the administration of Methylphenidate led to significant symptom improvement for this client.

References

Todd T & Blairs L. (2016). A Review of Pharmacological Management of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. J Pediatr Pharmacol Ther, 21(3): 192–206.

Durand A, Miguel E, Sanchez E & Celia R. (2015). Methylphenidate Efficacy: Immediate versus Extended-Release at Short Term in Mexican Children with ADHD Assessed by Conner’s Scale and EEG. Neurology Research International, 1(1): 1-9.

Tong L, Xiong X, Tan H (2016) Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Lifestyle-Related Behaviors in Children. PLoS ONE, 11(9): e0163434.

Decision Making When Treating Psychological Disorders