Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Role II Essay
Week 6 discussion
Explain the difference between an adjustment disorder and anxiety disorder. Provide examples to illustrate your rationale.
Explain the diagnostic criteria for Generalized Anxiety Disorder.
Explain the evidenced-based psychotherapy and psychopharmacologic treatment for Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Support your rationale with references to the Learning Resources or other academic resource. Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Role II Essay
Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Role II
Adjustment Disorder and Anxiety Disorder
Adjustment disorder refers to the emotional response that occurs in response to a stressful incident such as the death of a loved one, relationship breakup, or any significant life change (Zelviene & Kazlauskas, 2018). The disorder is temporary since finally, an individual learns to cope with the stressful incident. On the other hand, anxiety disorder refers to the constant nervousness, anxiety, and worry that significantly impairs the capacity of a person to function normally and perform daily activities. Unlike adjustment disorder, symptoms of anxiety persist and only improve with treatment (Wehry et al, 2015). Moreover, while the adjustment disorder is caused by a stressor (life change), anxiety disorder occurs to the personality of an individual. For example, when an individual loses a loved one to death, they may have symptoms of adjustment disorder but the symptoms improve within six months, while in anxiety disorders like panic or generalized anxiety disorders the symptoms persist for a long time. Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Role II Essay
Diagnostic Criteria for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
GAD is characterized by excessive worry and anxiety regarding various issues and events and the worry lasts for more than six months. The worry and anxiety are very difficult to control and they are accompanied by symptoms such as restlessness; fatigue; concentration impairment; irritability; muscle aches; and sleep difficulties. Excessive worry and anxiety hinder the ability of a person to function normally (Ströhle et al., 2018).
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Evidenced-Based Psychotherapy for GAD
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is the first-line psychotherapy in the treatment of GAD. CBT is a structured short-term treatment that focuses on the interactions between thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that prolong and contribute to the anxiety (Carpenter et al., 2018). In CBT, individuals with anxiety are trained to change the negative thinking pattern to a more positive thinking pattern to avoid becoming anxious and worrying. In addition, CBT teaches individuals coping skills to enable them to manage and handle the worrying situations (Carpenter et al., 2018). CBT has been demonstrated to be effective in treating GAD by leading to a decrease in worry.
Evidenced-Based Psychopharmacologic for GAD
The recommended medication for this client is Zoloft 50 mg. Zoloft is an SSRI that hinders the reuptake of serotonin in the brain to increase the serotonin level (Stahl, 2014). Serotonin is a neurotransmitter responsible for regulating the mood and thus effective in the treatment of GAD symptoms (Rosenthal & Burchum, 2018). Moreover, people with GAD tolerate the medication well and the medication has a good safety profile. Therefore, patients who take Zoloft to treat GAD have minimal side effects (Stahl, 2014).
References
Carpenter, J. K., Andrews, L. A., Witcraft, S. M., Powers, M. B., Smits, J., & Hofmann, S. G. (2018). Cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxiety and related disorders: A meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled trials. Depression and anxiety, 35(6), 502–514. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.22728.
Stahl, S. M. (2014). The prescriber’s guide (5th ed.). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
Ströhle, A., Gensichen, J., & Domschke, K. (2018). The Diagnosis and Treatment of Anxiety Disorders. Deutsches Arzteblatt international, 155(37), 611–620. https://doi.org/10.3238/arztebl.2018.0611.
Wehry A, Katja B, Hennelly M, Connolly S & Strawn J. (2015). Assessment and Treatment of Anxiety Disorders in Children and Adolescents. Curr Psychiatry Rep, 17(7): 591.
Zelviene, P., & Kazlauskas, E. (2018). Adjustment disorder: current perspectives. Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment, 14, 375–381. https://doi.org/10.2147/NDT.S121072
