Sample Answer for NURS 6501 PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS Included After Question
In this exercise, you will complete a 5-essay type question Knowledge Check to gauge your understanding of this module’s content.
Possible topics covered in this Knowledge Check include:
- Generalized anxiety disorder
- Depression
- Bipolar disorders
- Schizophrenia
- Delirium and dementia
- Obsessive compulsive disease
RESOURCES
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Click the weekly resources link to access the resources.
WEEKLY RESOURCES
BY DAY 7 OF WEEK 9
Complete the Knowledge Check by Day 7 of Week 9.
This quiz was locked May 3 at 10:59pm.
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A Sample Answer For the Assignment: NURS 6501 PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS
Title: NURS 6501 PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS
Scenario 1: Schizophrenia
A 22-year-old female student was brought to her college student health department by her boyfriend. He was concerned about the changes in her behavior. The boyfriend noted that she has been hearing voices, and seeing things that are not there. She also thinks that there are people that want to harm her. She told her family that she cannot finish college as the voices told her to quit because she is “dumb”. The boyfriend relates episodes of unexpected rage and crying.
PMH: noncontributory
FH: positive for a first cousin who “had mental problems”.
SH: Denies current drug abuse but states he smoked marijuana every day during junior and senior years of high school. Admits to drinking heavily on weekends at various fraternity houses.
PE: thin, anxious disheveled female who, during conversations, stops talking, tilts her head and appears to be listening to something. There is poor eye contact and conversation is disjointed.
DIAGOSIS: schizophrenia.
Questions
1. What are known characteristics of schizophrenia and relate those to this patient.
Your Answer:
Schizophrenia is one of the mental health problems that affect the health, wellbeing, and functioning of the patients and their significant others. Patients affected by schizophrenia present the hospital with a range of symptoms that characterize the disorder. One of the symptoms as stated in DSM5 is delusions. Patients with schizophrenia have false conviction about things, others, and themselves. Patients also hallucinate. They can be either be auditory, visual, or tactile hallucinations. They report hearing, feeling, or seeing things that are real to them and unreal to others. Patients also have problems with speech. They experience disorganized speech in forms such as speech incoherence or frequent derailment.
Patients also have negative symptoms that include avolition and reduced or diminished emotional expression. A patient must have two or more of these symptoms for them to be diagnosed with schizophrenia. The symptoms should be present during a one-month period. Patients with schizophrenia report that the symptoms affect their social and occupational functioning. This includes affecting their functioning in areas that include interpersonal relations, studies, work, or family roles(McCutcheon et al., 2020). The disturbance by the symptoms should also persist for at least six months with one month of the core symptoms of schizophrenia.
The patient in the case study has most of the above symptoms, which justify her diagnosis with schizophrenia. The patient has delusions and hallucinations. She has been hearing things voices and seeing things that are not there. She also thinks that there are people that want to harm her. She told her family she cannot finish college since the voice told her she is dumb. She also has negative symptoms such as episodes of unexpected crying and rage(McCutcheon et al., 2020). These symptoms align with the above criteria of diagnosing schizophrenia, hence, the diagnosis.
References
McCutcheon, R. A., Reis Marques, T., & Howes, O. D. (2020). Schizophrenia—An Overview. JAMA Psychiatry, 77(2), 201–210. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2019.3360
As posted roles(McCutcheon et al., 2020). Review this as well as others for issues in spacing.
A Sample Answer 2 For the Assignment: NURS 6501 PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS
Title: NURS 6501 PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS
Scenario 1: Schizophrenia
A 22-year-old female student was brought to her college student health department by her boyfriend. He was concerned about the changes in her behavior. The boyfriend noted that she has been hearing voices, and seeing things that are not there. She also thinks that there are people that want to harm her. She told her family that she cannot finish college as the voices told her to quit because she is “dumb”. The boyfriend relates episodes of unexpected rage and crying.
PMH: noncontributory
FH: positive for a first cousin who “had mental problems”.
SH: Denies current drug abuse but states he smoked marijuana every day during junior and senior years of high school. Admits to drinking heavily on weekends at various fraternity houses.
PE: thin, anxious disheveled female who, during conversations, stops talking, tilts her head and appears to be listening to something. There is poor eye contact and conversation is disjointed.
DIAGOSIS: schizophrenia.
Question:
1. Genetics are sometimes attached to schizophrenia explain this.
Your Answer:
Genetics has been identified to play a role in the development of schizophrenia. The existing evidence shows that the risk of a person developing schizophrenia 0.5-1%. The risk increases significantly among people that are born to families with a history of this disorder. The risk is largely attributed to factors such as heritability where schizophrenia has been shown to have a heritability rate of 0.8. Evidence from twin-studies also support the heritability pattern of schizophrenia. Most twin-studies agree that schizophrenia has up to 81% heritability rate in the population(Trifu et al., 2020). Therefore, a genetic relationship with a person with schizophrenia increases the risk of the disorder.
The role of genetics in schizophrenia is also evident in linkage studies. Linkage studies have shown that genetic traits that are closely associated tend to have a high risk of being inherited together as compared to distantly related traits. The relationship is attributable to gene translocation, which contributes to psychopathology in mental health. Studies have also identified individual genes that are implicated in the development of schizophrenia. A high association rate between schizophrenia and chromosome 13q32-34, 22q11, and homozygous deletion of 22q11 locus has been identified in some studies. In addition, genes involved in glutamatergic transmission and polymorphism of the PRODH genes have been linked with the development of schizophrenia. Mutations involving PRODH genes affect the regulation of dopamine and functioning of the glutamatergic synapses in the frontal cortex. These changes increase the risk of schizophrenia. The additional genes that contribute to schizophrenia include ZDHHC8, rs175174, COMT, and Neurolregulin 1 genes(Trifu et al., 2020). These genes have a high rate of inheritability, hence, the risk in relatives.
References
Trifu, S. C., Kohn, B., Vlasie, A., &Patrichi, B.-E. (2020). Genetics of schizophrenia (Review). Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine, 20(4), 3462–3468. https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2020.8973
A Sample Answer 3 For the Assignment: NURS 6501 PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS
Title: NURS 6501 PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS
Scenario 1: Schizophrenia
A 22-year-old female student was brought to her college student health department by her boyfriend. He was concerned about the changes in her behavior. The boyfriend noted that she has been hearing voices, and seeing things that are not there. She also thinks that there are people that want to harm her. She told her family that she cannot finish college as the voices told her to quit because she is “dumb”. The boyfriend relates episodes of unexpected rage and crying.
PMH: noncontributory
FH: positive for a first cousin who “had mental problems”.
SH: Denies current drug abuse but states he smoked marijuana every day during junior and senior years of high school. Admits to drinking heavily on weekends at various fraternity houses.
PE: thin, anxious disheveled female who, during conversations, stops talking, tilts her head and appears to be listening to something. There is poor eye contact and conversation is disjointed.
DIAGOSIS: schizophrenia.
Question:
What roles do neurotransmitters play in the development of schizophrenia?
Your Answer:
Neurotransmitters play a crucial role in the development of schizophrenia. Several neurotransmitters have been shown to influence the development of schizophrenia. One of them is dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter responsible for a range of functions that include the regulation of emotions, movement, learning, and movement. Dopamine also regulates the way people act, feel, or think. Abnormal levels of dopamine in the brain contribute to schizophrenia symptoms. For example, high dopamine levels contribute to hyperactivity, which affects the mood and behavior of the patients. Similarly, low dopamine levels result in low mood, affect and negative symptoms that are seen in patients suffering from schizophrenia (Bansal & Chatterjee, 2021).
The other neurotransmitter that plays a role in the development of schizophrenia is glutamate. Glutamate is an excitatory neurotransmitter which activates brain cells and neurons in the brain. Glutamate also regulates GABA synthesis, which is involved in the regulation of the central nervous system function. Glutamate deficient results in deficiency of memory and forming new skills in patients with schizophrenia. Elevated glutamate levels increase the activity of some brain parts, leading to hyperactivity symptoms in schizophrenia(Bansal & Chatterjee, 2021). Glutamate also contributes to the development of the negative symptoms in schizophrenia while dopamine causes the negative symptoms when an imbalance in the two arise.
Serotonin is another neurotransmitter that contributes to schizophrenia. Serotonin regulates feelings of happiness and wellbeing. In imbalance in the levels of serotonin results in symptoms that include changes in mental status, tremors, and restlessness that patients with schizophrenia develop. Serotonin imbalances in the brain also contribute to negative symptoms in schizophrenia(Bansal & Chatterjee, 2021). Overall, serotonin, glutamate, and dopamine interact to influence the symptoms that patients with schizophrenia experience.
References
Bansal, V., & Chatterjee, I. (2021). Role of neurotransmitters in schizophrenia: A comprehensive study. Kuwait Journal of Science, 48(2), Article 2. https://doi.org/10.48129/kjs.v48i2.9264
A Sample Answer 4 For the Assignment: NURS 6501 PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS
Title: NURS 6501 PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS
Scenario 1: Schizophrenia
A 22-year-old female student was brought to her college student health department by her boyfriend. He was concerned about the changes in her behavior. The boyfriend noted that she has been hearing voices, and seeing things that are not there. She also thinks that there are people that want to harm her. She told her family that she cannot finish college as the voices told her to quit because she is “dumb”. The boyfriend relates episodes of unexpected rage and crying.
PMH: noncontributory
FH: positive for a first cousin who “had mental problems”.
SH: Denies current drug abuse but states he smoked marijuana every day during junior and senior years of high school. Admits to drinking heavily on weekends at various fraternity houses.
PE: thin, anxious disheveled female who, during conversations, stops talking, tilts her head and appears to be listening to something. There is poor eye contact and conversation is disjointed.
DIAGOSIS: schizophrenia.
Questions:
Explain what structural abnormalities are seen in people with schizophrenia.
Your Answer:
Schizophrenia is associated with structural abnormalities of the brain. One of the observed abnormalities in the brain is the differences in intracranial volumes of the different brain parts. Some patients with schizophrenia have been found to have reduced third ventricle volumes as compared to their normal, healthy counterparts. The third ventricle volumes are also higher in schizophrenia patients as compared to the healthy people. The cerebral volumes in these patients have also been identified to be reduced. The reduction in cerebral volume affects behavior in schizophrenia patients. Patients with schizophrenia also have reductions in frontal lobe volumes. The reduction affects higher order functions such as decision-making, speech, and critical thinking(Madre et al., 2020). Similarly, studies have demonstrated the reduction in the gray matter volume in these patients and increase in the volumes of the lateral ventricles and caudate nuclei.
Patients diagnosed with schizophrenia have also been found to have reduced volume of the gray matter. The reduction has been shown to be highly elevated before the development of the symptoms of schizophrenia. Imaging studies have also revealed that the gray matter in brain regions that include left orbital frontal cortex, occipital lobe, right temporal gyrus, lateral superior parietal lobe, and medial superior frontal gyrus. The additional structural changes that are evident in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia include increased amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations, cortical tissue loss, and lateral ventricular enlargement. Patients also have regional structural abnormalities when compared to their healthy counterparts. The regional abnormalities include small thalamus, small temporal lobes, enlarged caudate nucleus, and reversed cerebral asymmetries(Madre et al., 2020). Cumulatively, these structural abnormalities have been hypothesized to contribute to the development of symptoms of schizophrenia.
References
Madre, M., Canales-Rodríguez, E. J., Fuentes-Claramonte, P., Alonso-Lana, S., Salgado-Pineda, P., Guerrero-Pedraza, A., Moro, N., Bosque, C., Gomar, J. J., Ortíz-Gil, J., Goikolea, J. M., Bonnin, C. M., Vieta, E., Sarró, S., Maristany, T., McKenna, P. J., Salvador, R., &Pomarol-Clotet, E. (2020). Structural abnormality in schizophrenia versus bipolar disorder: A whole brain cortical thickness, surface area, volume and gyrification analyses. NeuroImage: Clinical, 25, 102131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nicl.2019.102131
A Sample Answer 5 For the Assignment: NURS 6501 PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS
Title: NURS 6501 PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS
Scenario 2: Bipolar Disorder
A 44-year-old female came to the clinic today brought in by her husband. He notes that she has been with various states of depression and irritability over the past 3 months with extreme fatigue, has lost 20 pounds and has insomnia. He has come home from work to find his wife sitting in front of the TV and not moving for hours. In the past few days, she suddenly has become very hyperactive, has been talking incessantly, has been easily distracted and seems to “flit from one thing to another.”. She hasn’t slept in 3 days. The wife went on an excessive shopping spree for new clothes that resulted in their credit card being denied for exceeding the line of credit. The wife is unable to sit in the exam room and is currently pacing the hallway muttering to herself and is reluctant to talk with or be examined the ARNP. Physical observation shows agitated movements, rapid fire speech, and hyperactivity.
DIAGNOSIS: bipolar type 2 disorder.
Question
1. How does genetics play in the development of bipolar 2 disorders?
Your Answer:
Genetics play a role in the development of bipolar disorder. The influence of genetics can be seen from the increased risk of schizophrenia in individuals born to families with a history of bipolar disorder. Family studies have consistently shown that first degree relatives of bipolar disorder probands have an increased risk of developing the disorder. In addition, evidence shows that about two-thirds to three-quarter of bipolar disorder cases are hereditary with most of them likely to develop major depressive episodes. Twin studies also show a similar trend in heritability of bipolar disorder(Gordovez& McMahon, 2020). The risk is high among monozygotic twins as compared to dizygotic twins.
Chromosome studies have also shed light on the role of genetics in the development of bipolar disorder. Evidence shows that individuals with trisomy 21 tend to be less susceptible to mania in bipolar disorder when compared to the general population. There is also the fact that bipolar susceptibility gene exists on chromosome 21, which offers some protection against bipolar disorder. Linkage studies also support the role of genetics in the development of bipolar disorder. Linkage markers on chromosomes such as chromosome 11p, which is inherited has been linked to bipolar disorder. Chromosomes 12q23-q24 and 21q22 reduce the individual’s susceptibility to the disorder. Other chromosomal regions that contribute to the development of bipolar disorder include 16p13, Xq24-q26 as well as 15q11-q13(Gordovez& McMahon, 2020). Therefore, based on this evidence, a strong correlation exists between genetics and bipolar disorder.
References
Gordovez, F. J. A., & McMahon, F. J. (2020). The genetics of bipolar disorder. Molecular Psychiatry, 25(3), Article 3. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-019-0634-7