Imagine that you have been seeing a client for a year. Initially, treatment was tailored to address a diagnosis of major depressive disorder. Over the course of your counseling sessions, your client has begun to develop psychotic symptoms. She becomes mildly psychotic during a session and explains that the voices are telling her that she is wasting her time and she will never be well. Your client is surprised to have heard these voices, but is cognizant of the fact that they are coming from within her, rather than some external, supranatural source. She understands that they are psychotic symptoms.
Often, counselors encounter ethical and clinical dilemmas in deciding the best course of treatment for their clients. Considering the possibility that a client might wish to avoid going on antipsychotic medication, could you support this choice? Does the client’s awareness and understanding of the voices mean no further action is required on the part of the counselor? Since there appears to be no immediate danger to herself or others, could the counselor disregard the symptoms?
The Application Assignment contains a creative component, in which you integrate DSM-5 sourced and other scholarly material to create a case presentation. As hallucinations and delusions can vary from those that were seemingly borne of logic to the truly bizarre, this is an opportunity to fully engage your most imaginative thoughts.
For this Assignment, review the Learning Resources. Reflect on the development of drugs to treat psychosis over time. Consider the side effects of antipsychotics and their interactions with neurotransmitter function. Explore the ethical concerns and challenges of treating psychotic disorders. Develop a presentation of a client who would benefit from antipsychotic medications.
By Day 7
In a 3-page, APA-formatted paper, include the following based on the concepts in the treatment of psychotic disorders:
- An overview of the major developments in the treatment of psychosis including major drug classes
- An explanation of three severe side effects of antipsychotic medications and potential alternative treatments
- An explanation of the neurotransmitters involved with and affected by these medications
- An explanation of the ethical concerns related to the treatment of psychotic disorders and how you would address them
- An explanation of the challenges mental health professionals face in treating psychotic disorders and how you would address them
Then, based on what you know about the treatment of psychotic disorders provide an original and hypothetical case study illustrating a client that would benefit from antipsychotic medications and a brief explanation of an appropriate treatment plan.
Lichtblau, L. (2011). Psychopharmacology demystified. Clifton Park, NY: Delmar, Cengage Learning.
Chapter 4, “Antipsychotic Pharmacotherapy” (pp. 51–62)
Preston, J. D., O’Neal, J. H., & Talaga, M. C. (2017). Handbook of clinical psychopharmacology for therapists (8th ed.). Oakland, CA: New Harbinger.
Chapter 11, “Psychotic Disorders” (pp. 129-138)
Chapter 19, “Antipsychotic Medications” (pp. 227-238)
Gaebel, W., & Zielasek, J. (2015). Schizophrenia in 2020: Trends in diagnosis and therapy. Psychiatry And Clinical Neurosciences, 69(11), 661-673.