Module 1 Discussion
Good Prescribing Practices
A 23-year-old biracial (Black Asian) female arrives at the clinic for an evaluation. She has lost 30 pounds in 6 weeks without trying. She complains of feelings of guilt about her symptoms and everyday sadness that does not go away. She also states she is not able to stay asleep and has difficulty concentrating. Her family is Jamaican and has used herbal teas, not a psychiatrist in the past to treat these symptoms.
Discuss how the principles of good prescribing should be applied to this case.
Describe a cultural consideration that may affect medication adherence for this patient.
Submission Instructions:
Your initial post should be at least 500 words, formatted and cited in current APA style with support from at least 2 academic sources. Your initial post is worth 8 points.
You should respond to at least two of your peers by extending, refuting/correcting, or adding additional nuance to their posts. Your reply posts are worth 2 points (1 point per response.)
All replies must be constructive and use literature where possible.
Please post your initial response by 11:59 PM ET Thursday, and comment on the posts of two classmates by 11:59 PM ET Sunday.
Late work policies, expectations regarding proper citations, acceptable means of responding to peer feedback, and other expectations are at the discretion of the instructor.
You can expect feedback from the instructor within 48 to 72 hours from the Sunday due date.
Module 2 Discussion
Chemical Neurotransmission
Modern psychopharmacology is largely the story of chemical neurotransmission. One must be fluent in the language and principles of chemical neurotransmission to:
Understand the actions of drugs on the brain.
Grasp the impact of diseases upon the central nervous system.
Interpret the behavioral consequences of psychiatric medicines.
After studying Module 2: Lecture Materials & Resources, discuss the following:
Choose an FDA-approved medication currently used in psychiatry.
Explain the concept of that drug’s half-life.
How long would it take for that drug to reach a steady state?
How frequently should the medication be dosed based on the half-life?
Use Epocrates.com as a reference for this assignment.
Submission Instructions:
Your initial post should be at least 500 words, formatted and cited in current APA style with support from at least 2 academic sources. Your initial post is worth 8 points.
You should respond to at least two of your peers by extending, refuting/correcting, or adding additional nuance to their posts. Your reply posts are worth 2 points (1 point per response.)
All replies must be constructive and use literature where possible.
Please post your initial response by 11:59 PM ET Thursday, and comment on the posts of two classmates by 11:59 PM ET Sunday.
Late work policies, expectations regarding proper citations, acceptable means of responding to peer feedback, and other expectations are at the discretion of the instructor.
You can expect feedback from the instructor within 48 to 72 hours from the Sunday due date.
Grading Rubric
Module 2 Assignment i
Enzyme Conversion Diagram
After studying Module 2: Lecture Materials & Resources, submit the following:
Starting with the precursor substance tyrosine or tryptophan, draw three diagrams showing how the various enzymes convert this substance to serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine.
Submission Instructions:
Your diagrams must be hand-drawn. Scan your diagrams and submit them as an attachment of an image file or PDF.
Follow APA 7th Edition formatting guidelines for graphs and figuresLinks to an external site.
Complete and submit the assignment by 11:59 PM ET on Sunday.
Late work policies, expectations regarding proper citations, acceptable means of responding to peer feedback, and other expectations are at the discretion of the instructor.
You can expect feedback from the instructor within 48 to 72 hours from the Sunday due date.
Grading Rubric
Your assignment will be graded according to the grading rubric.
Module 2 Assignment ii
Enzyme Conversion Description
After studying Module 2: Lecture Materials & Resources, submit the following:
Starting with the precursor substance tyrosine or tryptophan, identify and briefly describe each chemical step required to create each neurotransmitter.
Submission Instructions:
The typewritten description is original work and logically organized, formatted, and cited in the current APA style, including citation of references.
Complete and submit the assignment by 11:59 PM ET on Sunday.
Late work policies, expectations regarding proper citations, acceptable means of responding to peer feedback, and other expectations are at the discretion of the instructor.
You can expect feedback from the instructor within 48 to 72 hours from the Sunday due date.
Module 3 Discussion
Depressive Disorders
Answer the questions below based on the following case study.
A 41-year-old man presents to his PCP with feelings of hopelessness, sadness, and helplessness. He says that he cries for no reason, and has difficulty sleeping. He noticed that the problems began about 6 weeks before, and he did not feel able to shrug them off. He has been drinking more alcohol than usual and has stopped going to work. When on his own, he admitted that he had thought of driving his car into the nearest canal.
Summarize the clinical case.
What is the DSM 5-TR diagnosis based on the information provided in the case?
Which pharmacological treatment would you prescribe including the name, dose, route and frequency of the drug in accordance with the clinical guidelines? Include the rationale for this treatment.
Which non-pharmacological treatment would you prescribe according to the clinical guidelines? Include the rationale for this treatment excluding a psychotherapeutic modality.
Include an assessment of the treatment’s appropriateness, cost, effectiveness, safety, and potential for patient adherence to the chosen medication. Use a local pharmacy to research the cost of the medication and provide the most cost-effective choice for the patient. Use great detail when answering questions 3-5.
Submission Instructions:
Your initial post should be at least 500 words, formatted and cited in the current APA style with support from at least 2 academic sources. Your initial post is worth 8 points.
You should respond to at least two of your peers by extending, refuting/correcting, or adding additional nuance to their posts. Your reply posts are worth 2 points (1 point per response.)
All replies must be constructive and use literature where possible.
Please post your initial response by 11:59 PM ET Thursday, and comment on the posts of two classmates by 11:59 PM ET Sunday.
Late work policies, expectations regarding proper citations, acceptable means of responding to peer feedback, and other expectations are at the discretion of the instructor.
You can expect feedback from the instructor within 48 to 72 hours from the Sunday due date.
Module 3 Assignment
Start Preparing Realistic Treatment Plan
For detailed instructions go to Module 4 Assignment i: Realistic Treatment Plan.
There is no submission in this module, the assignment is due in module 4.
Module 4 Discussion
Anxiety & Sleep Wake Disorders
Answer the questions below based on the following case study.
A 26-year-old woman presented to the clinic after her cleaning rituals had so exhausted her that she had given up and could now enter only two of the five rooms in her home. For more than a year she has worried that if her house is not sufficiently clean, her 3-year-old son will become ill and could die. Having touched a surface she has to disinfect it repeatedly – a procedure performed in a particular way and taking several hours. In addition, she repetitively washes her hands and sterilizes all the crockery and cutlery before eating. She realizes that she is ‘going over the top’, but she cannot stop thinking that items may have germs on them. This leads to disabling anxiety and fear for her son’s health, which she can only resolve by cleaning. This helps temporarily, but soon the thoughts return again.
Summarize the clinical case.
What is the DSM 5-TR diagnosis based on the information provided in the case?
Which pharmacological treatment would you prescribe according to the clinical guidelines? Include the rationale for this treatment.
Which non-pharmacological treatment would you prescribe according to the clinical guidelines? Include the rationale for this treatment excluding a psychotherapeutic modality.
Include an assessment of the treatment’s appropriateness, cost, effectiveness, safety, and potential for patient adherence to the chosen medication. Use a local pharmacy to research the cost of the medication and provide the most cost-effective choice for the patient. Use great detail when answering questions 3-5.
Submission Instructions:
Your initial post should be at least 500 words, formatted and cited in the current APA style with support from at least 2 academic sources. Your initial post is worth 8 points.
You should respond to at least two of your peers by extending, refuting/correcting, or adding additional nuance to their posts. Your reply posts are worth 2 points (1 point per response.)
All replies must be constructive and use literature where possible.
Please post your initial response by 11:59 PM ET Thursday, and comment on the posts of two classmates by 11:59 PM ET Sunday.
Late work policies, expectations regarding proper citations, acceptable means of responding to peer feedback, and other expectations are at the discretion of the instructor.
You can expect feedback from the instructor within 48 to 72 hours from the Sunday due date.
Module 4 Assignment i
Realistic Treatment Plan
For this assignment, you will develop a realistic clinical case presentation. Use PowerPoint to create the slides for your presentation. You will record narration for the slides in the next assignment, so keep that in mind as you work.
Content Requirements
You will create a PowerPoint presentation with a realistic case study and include appropriate and pertinent clinical information based on the DSM5-TR and current US clinical guidelines to support the case:
Subjective data:
Chief Complaint
Demographics
History of the Present Illness (HPI) includes the presenting problem and the 8 dimensions of the problem. See an example of the correct way to document the psychiatric HPI hereLinks to an external site.
Review of Systems (ROS)
Objective data:
Current Medications
Allergies
Past medical history
Family psychiatric history
Social history
Labs and screening tools
Vital signs
Mental status exam
Assessment:
Primary Diagnosis - DSM5 only
Differential diagnosis - DSM5 only
Plan:
Pharmacologic treatment plan
Non-pharmacologic treatment plan
Follow up plan
Other:
Incorporation of current US clinical guidelines
Integration of research articles
Role of the nurse practitioner
Submission Instructions:
The presentation is original work and logically organized, formatted, and cited in the current APA style, including citation of references.
The presentation should consist of 10-15 slides. There should be no narration recorded for this submission. Submit the slides only.
Incorporate a minimum of 4 current (published within the last five years) scholarly journal articles or primary legal sources (statutes, court opinions) within your work. Journal articles should be referenced according to the current APA style (the online library has an abbreviated version of the APA Manual).
Complete and submit the assignment by 11:59 PM ET on Sunday.
Late work policies, expectations regarding proper citations, acceptable means of responding to peer feedback, and other expectations are at the discretion of the instructor.
You can expect feedback from the instructor within 48 to 72 hours from the due date.
Module 4 Assignment ii
Realistic Treatment Plan Voiceover/Video Submission
For this assignment, you will use voiceover PowerPoint, Canvas Studio Screen Capture, Teams, or Zoom to narrate the PowerPoint presentation slides you submitted in the previous assignment.
Content Requirements
Students will create a narrated PowerPoint presentation with a realistic case study and include appropriate and pertinent clinical information based on the DSM5-TR and current US clinical guidelines to support the case:
Subjective data:
Chief Complaint
Demographics
History of the Present Illness (HPI) includes the presenting problem and the 8 dimensions of the problem. See an example of the correct way to document the psychiatric HPI hereLinks to an external site.
Review of Systems (ROS)
Objective data:
Current Medications
Allergies
Past medical history
Family psychiatric history
Social history
Labs and screening tools
Vital signs
Mental status exam
Assessment:
Primary Diagnosis - DSM5 only
Differential diagnosis - DSM5 only
Plan:
Pharmacologic treatment plan (including the name, dose, route and frequency of the drug in accordance with the clinical guidelines.)
Non-pharmacologic treatment plan
Follow up plan
Other:
Incorporation of current US clinical guidelines
Integration of research articles
Role of the nurse practitioner
Submission Instructions:
The presentation is original work and logically organized, formatted, and cited in the current APA style, including citation of references.
The presentation should consist of 10-15 slides and 10-15 minutes in length.
Incorporate a minimum of 4 current (published within the last five years) scholarly journal articles or primary legal sources (statutes, court opinions) within your work. Journal articles should be referenced according to the current APA style (the online library has an abbreviated version of the APA Manual).
You can submit your assignment by embedding a Canvas Studio Screen Capture video or by providing the URL to your recorded presentation.
Complete and submit the assignment by 11:59 PM ET on Sunday.
Late work policies, expectations regarding proper citations, acceptable means of responding to peer feedback, and other expectations are at the discretion of the instructor.
You can expect feedback from the instructor within 48 to 72 hours from the due date.
Module 5 Discussion
Bipolar Disorders
Answer the questions below based on the following case study.
A 20-year-old woman is brought to the local emergency department (ED) by her family. She appears restless, pacing around the waiting room, and her parents say that she has recently been asked to leave her job as a tattoo artist. She has not slept for four nights, and her speech is rapid and quickly wanders off the point. She had recently purchased a $20,000 car and a $40,000 van to jump-start her mobile tattoo business in Naples, Florida. She is very reluctant to remain in the ED department because she has far too much to do and considers it a waste of everyone’s time. She believes that she is far too important to be held back by minions.
Summarize the clinical case.
What is the DSM 5-TR diagnosis based on the information provided in the case?
Which pharmacological treatment would you prescribe according to the clinical guidelines? Include the rationale for this treatment.
Which non-pharmacological treatment would you prescribe according to the clinical guidelines? Include the rationale for this treatment excluding a psychotherapeutic modality.
Include an assessment of the treatment’s appropriateness, cost, effectiveness, safety, and potential for patient adherence to the chosen medication. Use a local pharmacy to research the cost of the medication and provide the most cost-effective choice for the patient. Use great detail when answering questions 3-5.
Submission Instructions:
Your initial post should be at least 500 words, formatted and cited in current APA style with support from at least 2 academic sources. Your initial post is worth 8 points.
You should respond to at least two of your peers by extending, refuting/correcting, or adding additional nuance to their posts. Your reply posts are worth 2 points (1 point per response.)
All replies must be constructive and use literature where possible.
Please post your initial response by 11:59 PM ET Thursday, and comment on the posts of two classmates by 11:59 PM ET Sunday.
Late work policies, expectations regarding proper citations, acceptable means of responding to peer feedback, and other expectations are at the discretion of the instructor.
You can expect feedback from the instructor within 48 to 72 hours from the Sunday due date.
Module 6 Discussion
Psychotic & Cognitive Disorders
Answer the questions below based on the following case study.
TM is a 79-year-old man who was diagnosed with dementia 6 years previously. He lives with his 72-year-old wife. He was a chain smoker for 45 years. She describes a gradual deterioration in his condition such that in recent months she has found it increasingly difficult to manage him. He has become increasingly hostile and aggressive, though he has not actually assaulted her. He has begun to complain about seeing people wandering around the house, and that frightens him. On two occasions he has left the house and been found wandering along the road. She has noticed that his condition fluctuates – sometimes he is very aggressive and confused, while at other times he is more calm and lucid.
Summarize the clinical case.
What is the DSM 5-TR diagnosis based on the information provided in the case?
Which pharmacological treatment would you prescribe according to the clinical guidelines? Include the rationale for this treatment.
Which non-pharmacological treatment would you prescribe according to the clinical guidelines? Include the rationale for this treatment excluding a psychotherapeutic modality.
Include an assessment of the treatment’s appropriateness, cost, effectiveness, safety, and potential for patient adherence to the chosen medication. Use a local pharmacy to research the cost of the medication and provide the most cost-effective choice for the patient. Use great detail when answering questions 3-5.
Submission Instructions:
Your initial post should be at least 500 words, formatted and cited in the current APA style with support from at least 2 academic sources. Your initial post is worth 8 points.
You should respond to at least two of your peers by extending, refuting/correcting, or adding additional nuance to their posts. Your reply posts are worth 2 points (1 point per response.)
All replies must be constructive and use literature where possible.
Please post your initial response by 11:59 PM ET Thursday, and comment on the posts of two classmates by 11:59 PM ET Sunday.
Late work policies, expectations regarding proper citations, acceptable means of responding to peer feedback, and other expectations are at the discretion of the instructor.
You can expect feedback from the instructor within 48 to 72 hours from the Sunday due date.
Module 7 Discussion
Attention & Substance Related Disorders
Answer the questions below based on the following case study.
An 8-year-old boy is repeatedly in trouble at school. He has been threatened with suspension after he was verbally and physically aggressive to his teacher. The school has suggested that he has a problem with his concentration and advised his parents to seek help. The school also referred him to the school child psychologist. He keeps wriggling in his seat. His mother says his concentration is fine when he is playing on his computer. What worries her is that he does not seem to think before he does things and will run out across the road without looking.
Summarize the clinical case.
What is the DSM 5-TR diagnosis based on the information provided in the case?
Which pharmacological treatment would you prescribe according to the clinical guidelines? Include the rationale for this treatment.
Which non-pharmacological treatment would you prescribe according to the clinical guidelines? Include the rationale for this treatment excluding a psychotherapeutic modality.
Include an assessment of the treatment’s appropriateness, cost, effectiveness, safety, and potential for patient adherence to the chosen medication. Use a local pharmacy to research the cost of the medication and provide the most cost-effective choice for the patient. Use great detail when answering questions 3-5.
Submission Instructions:
Your initial post should be at least 500 words, formatted and cited in current APA style with support from at least 2 academic sources. Your initial post is worth 8 points.
You should respond to at least two of your peers by extending, refuting/correcting, or adding additional nuance to their posts. Your reply posts are worth 2 points (1 point per response.)
All replies must be constructive and use literature where possible.
Please post your initial response by 11:59 PM ET Thursday, and comment on the posts of two classmates by 11:59 PM ET Sunday.
Late work policies, expectations regarding proper citations, acceptable means of responding to peer feedback, and other expectations are at the discretion of the instructor.