Mental Health Evaluations
A mental health evaluation is the process of gathering information by the psychiatric nurse practitioner for the purpose of making a diagnosis. The assessment process is the first step of developing a treatment plan in order to provide accurate treatment.
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Medication Management
Psychiatric medication management is the process of working with a psychiatric nurse practitioner to ensure the psychiatric medication are effective and safe. This may include changing doses, switching medications or adding new medications.
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ADHD
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is a chronic condition that includes attention difficulty, hyperactivity and impulsiveness. ADHD often begins in childhood and persist into adulthood. ADHD contributes to a low self-esteem, troubled relationships, impulsive behavior and difficulty at school or work.
Grief
Grief is an emotional response to the loss of someone or some living thing that has died to which a bond or affection was formed. Grief can have physical, cognitive, behavioral, social cultural, spiritual and physical symptoms. Treatment of grief includes psychotherapy and medication management.
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Addiction
Addiction is not having control over doing, taking or using a substance to the point it can be harmful to you. Addiction is considered a neuropsychological disorder with a pervasive and intense urge to engage in maladaptive behaviors providing immediate sensory rewards, despite their harmful consequences. Addiction can involve withdrawal symptoms and can be considered to be a hereditary disorder.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Obsessive compulsive disorder or often referred to as OCD, is excessive thoughts or obsessions that lead to repetitive behaviors or compulsions. OCD is characterized by unreasonable thoughts and fears that lead to compulsive behavior. Symptoms usually begin gradually and vary throughout life. Treatment of OCD includes psychotherapy and medication management.
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Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
Borderline Personality Disorder also know as BPD is a Cluster B personality disorder that is characterized by unstable moods, behavior and relationships. BPD usually occurs in early adulthood and presents in a variety of contexts. Diagnosis of BPD is made based on symptoms that include emotional instability, feelings of worthlessness, insecurity, impulsivity and impaired social relationship. Treatment of BPD includes talk therapy and medications to support symptoms.
Anxiety
Anxiety is an intense, excessive and persistent feeling of worry and fear about everyday situations. Symptoms of anxiety can include fast heart rate, rapid breathing, sweating, nausea, diarrhea and feeling tired. Uncontrolled anxiety can lead to interference with daily living and can lead to panic attacks. Panic attack is a sudden episode of intense fear or anxiety that include physical symptoms. These symptoms occur based on a perceived threat.
Self Esteem
Self-esteem is confidence of one’s own worth, abilities or morals. Self-esteem includes beliefs about oneself as well as emotional states, such as triumph, despair, pride and shame. Your self-esteem can affect whether you like or value yourself as a person. Low self-esteem can be improved with psychotherapy. The benefits of improving self-esteem have shown to improve success with school, work, social situations, mental and physical health and less anti-social behavior.
Eating Disorder
Eating disorders are psychological conditions that cause unhealthy eating habits to develop. Eating disorders are characterized by severe and persistent disturbance in eating patterns that include distressing thoughts and emotions. Common symptoms include severe restriction of calories, food binges, purging behavior or overexercising. Eating disorders can occur in any stage of life but are increasingly common in men and gender non-conforming people. Types of eating disorders include Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia, Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder, PICA, Rumination Disorder and Avoidant/Restrictive Intake Disorder. Treatment of eating disorders include psychotherapy, medication, medical care, monitoring and nutritional counseling.
Anger Management
Anger is an emotion that result’s in a feeling of antagonism towards someone or something that the person feels has been deliberately done to them. Anger management is the ability to control your outward behavior, but also controlling your internal responses. The process of anger management is to lower your heart rate, calm yourself down and let the feelings subside. Mood management theory is a skills building tool to help the person effectively manage their difficult emotions such as anger, depression, anxiety and low self-esteem.
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Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder is a disorder associated with episodes of mood swings that range from depressive low moods to manic high moods. Depressive episodes may include symptoms such as low energy, low motivation and loss of interest in daily activities. Manic episodes may include symptoms such as high energy, reduced need for sleep, excessive anger, impulsive behavior and loss of reality. Mood episodes last days to months at a time and may be associated with suicidal thoughts. Treatment for Bipolar Disorder requires lifelong treatment plan of medications and psychotherapy.