Assessing and Treating Clients

Week 8: Therapy for Clients With Impulsivity, Compulsivity, and Addiction

Impulsivity and compulsivity have a wide range of clinical presentations and often overlap with many other psychiatric disorders. Some individuals act without forethought and have difficulty saying “no” to certain things such as using illicit drugs or spending money, whereas other individuals engage in compulsive behaviors with undesirable consequences. In some cases, these impulsive and compulsive behaviors also fuel issues with addiction. To effectively assess and treat clients, you must understand how these disorders differ, as well as how their symptoms impact clients and their families.

This week, as you examine therapies for individuals with impulsivity, compulsivity, and addiction, you explore the assessment and treatment of clients with these disorders. You also consider ethical and legal implications of these therapies.

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Assignment: Assessing and Treating Clients With Impulsivity, Compulsivity, and Addiction

Impulsivity, compulsivity, and addiction are challenging disorders for clients across the lifespan. These disorders often manifest as negative behaviors, resulting in adverse outcomes for clients. In your role as the psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, you have the opportunity to help clients address underlying causes of the disorders and overcome these behaviors. For this Assignment, as you examine the client case study in this week’s Learning Resources, consider how you might assess and treat clients presenting with impulsivity, compulsivity, and addiction.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

· Assess client factors and history to develop personalized therapy plans for clients with impulsivity, compulsivity, and addiction

· Analyze factors that influence pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic processes in clients requiring therapy for impulsivity, compulsivity, and addiction

· Evaluate efficacy of treatment plans

· Analyze ethical and legal implications related to prescribing therapy for clients with impulsivity, compulsivity, and addiction

Learning Resources

Note:  To access this week’s required library resources, please click on the link to the Course Readings List, found in the  Course Materials  section of your Syllabus.

Required Readings

Note: All Stahl resources can be accessed through the Walden Library using this link. This link will take you to a log-in page for the Walden Library. Once you log into the library, the Stahl website will appear.

Stahl, S. M. (2013). Stahl’s essential psychopharmacology: Neuroscientific basis and practical applications (4th ed.). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.