The Psychopharmacologic Treatments Essay
Assignment 1: Short Answer Assessment
As a psychiatric nurse practitioner, you will likely encounter patients who suffer
from various mental health disorders. Not surprisingly, ensuring that your patients
have the appropriate psychopharmacologic treatments will be essential for their
overall health and well-being. The psychopharmacologic treatments you might
recommend for patients may have potential impacts on other mental health
conditions and, therefore, require additional consideration for positive patient
outcomes. For this Assignment, you will review and apply your understanding of
psychopharmacologic treatments for patients with multiple mental health
disorders. The Psychopharmacologic Treatments Essay
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To Prepare
• Review the Learning Resources for this week.
• Reflect on the psychopharmacologic treatments that you have covered up to this
point that may be available to treat patients with mental health disorders.
• Consider the potential effects these psychopharmacologic treatments may have on
co-existing mental health conditions and/or their potential effects on your patient’s
overall health.
To complete:
Address the following Short Answer prompts for your Assignment. Be sure to include
references to the Learning Resources for this week.
1. In 3 or 4 sentences, explain the appropriate drug therapy for a patient who presents
with MDD and a history of alcohol abuse. Which drugs are contraindicated, if any,
and why? Be specific. What is the timeframe that the patient should see resolution of
symptoms? The Psychopharmacologic Treatments Essay
2. List 4 predictors of late onset generalized anxiety disorder.
3. List 4 potential neurobiology causes of psychotic major depression.
4. An episode of major depression is defined as a period of time lasting at least 2
weeks. List at least 5 symptoms required for the episode to occur. Be specific.
5. List 3 classes of drugs, with a corresponding example for each class, that precipitate
insomnia. Be specific. The Psychopharmacologic Treatments Essay