Select an adult or older adult client with a bipolar disorder that you have seen in your practicum.

Assignment: “captain of the ship” project – bipolar disorders

Introduction:

Bipolar disorder is a mental health condition that causes extreme changes in mood, energy, and activity levels. It is a severe disorder that affects an individual’s daily life and their relationships with others. The disorder includes both depressive episodes and manic episodes, and it is important to differentiate the psychosis of bipolar disorder from schizophrenia. This paper aims to provide a treatment plan for an adult client with bipolar disorder, including psychopharmacologic treatments, psychotherapy choices, medical management needs, community support resources, and a plan for follow-up intensity and frequency and collaboration with other providers.

HPI and Clinical Impression:

The client is a 36-year-old woman diagnosed with bipolar disorder. The patient reports a history of major depressive episodes and manic episodes with a current chief complaint of feeling hopeless, lack of interest in daily activities, and decreased appetite for the past two weeks. She reports difficulty sleeping and feeling excessively tired during the day. The client denies any suicidal or homicidal ideation, hallucinations, or delusions. The clinical impression is that the patient is experiencing a depressive episode with psychotic features.

Psychopharmacologic Treatments:

The recommended psychopharmacologic treatment for the client is quetiapine. Quetiapine is an atypical antipsychotic medication used in the treatment of bipolar disorder with depressive episodes. It helps to reduce the symptoms of depression, including insomnia, agitation, and anxiety, and has shown efficacy in treating bipolar disorder’s acute manic episodes. The therapeutic endpoint of quetiapine is to reduce the depressive symptoms and improve the patient’s overall functioning. The initial dose of quetiapine is 50 mg at bedtime, increasing the dose gradually up to 200 mg twice daily if necessary, according to the patient’s response and tolerability.

Psychotherapy Choices:

The recommended psychotherapy choice for the client is cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT is a short-term therapy that focuses on identifying and changing negative thought patterns and behaviors that contribute to the patient’s mood disorder. CBT has been shown to be effective in treating bipolar disorder by reducing depressive and manic symptoms and improving the patient’s overall functioning. The specific therapeutic endpoint for CBT is to reduce negative thought patterns, increase coping skills, and improve overall quality of life.

Medical Management Needs:

The client requires regular follow-up with a primary care physician to monitor the medication’s side effects and provide medical management for any comorbidities such as hypertension or diabetes. The primary care physician should also monitor the patient’s response to medication and adjust the medication dose accordingly. It is important to evaluate the patient’s thyroid function and liver function tests before starting medication and regularly throughout the treatment course.

Community Support Resources:

The client requires community support resources to help with housing and socioeconomic needs. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is an organization that provides support and resources to individuals with mental illness and their families. The NAMI helpline can provide information on local resources for housing and financial assistance. Additionally, the client may benefit from joining a support group for individuals with bipolar disorder or attending group therapy sessions.

Plan for Follow-up Intensity and Frequency:

The recommended plan for follow-up intensity and frequency is a weekly psychotherapy session for the first month to monitor the patient’s response to treatment and assess any adverse effects. After the first month, the frequency can be reduced to bi-weekly or monthly depending on the patient’s response to treatment. The patient should also have regular follow-up appointments with their primary care physician to monitor medication side effects and any comorbidities.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, bipolar disorder is a severe mental health condition that requires a comprehensive treatment plan to address the patient’s symptoms and improve their overall functioning. The recommended treatment plan for the client includes psychopharmacologic treatments with qu