Assessing and Treating Pediatric Clients With Mood Disorders

Assessing and Treating Pediatric Clients with Mood Disorders
Name of Student
Institution Affiliation
Assessing and Treating Pediatric Clients with Mood Disorders
1.0. Introduction
Depression is universally recognized as one of the oldest and most common health violations to identify. According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), it has been revealed that every tenth individual in one way or another has experienced a depressed state in his or her life. In general, depression is understood as a mental disorder that affects the physical, physiological, and social functions of an individual. Almost all adults, elderly, and children have fears and anxieties, periods of sadness and the time when they behave badly, spin and cannot concentrate on their activities.
The rationale of this assignment is to discuss the treatment related aspects of a child who has been suffering from depression under the care of a “Psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner” (PMHNP). The assessment and treatment of a child with depressive disorder is a critical task, particularly when he belongs to a distinct minority as during the assessment and treatment, difficulties may arise.
2.0. Purpose Statement
Depression in children under 12 is probably a heterogeneous disease. That is, it may be the beginning of an adult recurrent depression due to hereditary and ethnic factors (Siu, 2016). As for PMHNP, their role in the treatment of pediatric depression has recently increased. In the recent decades, the depression is not only limited to the adult population; rather a great proportion of children is also under the influence of depressive and anxious psychological states.
Correspondingly, this case study involves the case of a child who belongs to an ethnic minority and has been facing depression and anxiety due to his background. It is very important to understand that some types of depression cannot go away on their own; in such cases, specific treatment from the PMHNP is necessary. They also prescribe the appropriate drug treatment using a number of antidepressants that can be used in pediatric practice.
3.0. Scenario
The case relates to an eight years old male child who is ethnically an African American. He has been brought to the emergency department with his mother with evident depressive symptoms. He feels sad and remains isolated in the school. Further symptoms included occasional periods of irritation and decreased appetite. He showed a rating of 30 at the “Children's Depression Rating Scale” that indicates potential depressive state. As a PMHNP, I am required to take three important decisions regarding the child’s depressive condition.
4.0. Decision # 1
As a PMHNP, I would first examine the child whether or not he responds vigilantly to the treatment measures. The child’s mental state should be treated with increased sensitivity, frankly but calmly talking to him about what is bothering him (Ghandour et al., 2019). As per rule, specialists of a pediatric, neurological and psychiatric profile are involved in the treatment process.
The first decision should be the prescription of the most adequate anti depressant drug, such as Zoloft 25 mg orally daily. It is the initial therapeutic dosage of this drug which may be increased if the patient does not respond to the specified regimen (Forman-Hoffman et al., 2016). This drug is particularly effective in different psychological disorders, for example, generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, and depressive disorder.
The process of treatment with conventional antidepressants in children is less effective than in adults (Ford, 2017). Nonetheless, in more than half of the cases, antidepressant treatment helps (Bansa et al., 2018). Therefore, and also because of the possible side effects, they are not the first priority treatment, as in children. Now only one antidepressant, i.e. fluoxetine is recommended for children under 12 years of age. After 12 years, Escitalopram can also be used.
Antidepressants are prescribed to calm and smooth panic attacks. In parallel, the child is undergoing cognitive-behavioral therapy (Gordon-Hollingsworth et al., 2015). The specialist teaches the patient to express emotions, relax, and also experience negative feelings. Parents can also participate in the drug associated treatment as well as psychotherapy of the depressive child.
The combination of the therapy helps to find a common language and restore harmony in family relationships. As a rule, the child is treated at home, but in case of severe course and suicidal tendencies, it is possible to place the child in the hospital.
In addition to this, the antidepressant drugs are used to treat and prevent various forms of depression and mental disorders (Ghandour et al., 2019). One of the factors that ensure human mental health is the normal course of biochemical processes in the brain with the participation of more than 20 types of neurotransmitters which are treated with the anti-depressant drugs.
I hope that this drug will improve the child’s condition and his depressive mood, as it is a very potential drug for both adults and children in order to treat depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders.
After the completion of the regime, it was noticed that the child did not sufficiently respond to the treatment and his rating on the depression scale was also high. On the other hand, the discontinuation of Zoloft may lead to adverse reactions.So, the dose should be reduced gradually and then the course would be stopped. Thus, it was decided to prescribe an alternate drug to manage the depressive disorder and mental condition of the African American child.
5.0. Decision # 2
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