Mental Health Nursing: Case Study, Diagnosis, and Treatment

Running head: MENTAL HEALTH NURSING
MENTAL HEALTH NURSING
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

1MENTAL HEALTH NURSING
Introduction:
According to Lawrence et al. (2015), mental health covers the emotional, psychological,
emotional as well as social wellbeing of an individual. The characteristics of mental health
typically determine the manner in which an individual would supposedly respond to a particular
situation or a life event (Tiller, 2013). As stated by Rickwood et al. (2015) the diagnosis of
mental health is extremely complicated on account of the absence of external symptoms which is
common for any physical illness. Statistical figures reveal that 1 in 7 Australians suffer from a
mental health condition (Abs.gov.au, 2019). Also, deaths due to suicide is the highest in
Australia. This paper deals with the case study of a client who was presented to the inpatient
facility by a family member for an unusual behavioral pattern. The paper would critically discuss
the medical history of the patient and access the problems experienced by the patient. In addition
to this, the diagnosis and the treatment strategies along with supporting rationale would be
mentioned in order to promote recovery of the client.
Discussion:
Victor, male, aged 18 years old, was presented to the acute inpatient facility by his
mother Carla. On presentment, Carla mentioned that Victor has been behaving ‘absolutely
strange’ for over a month. She mentioned that he would be out saying he has extra classes for
long hours and would come back home late at night and had a typical redness in his eyes. Carla
further informs that he would refuse to take any meals and would sleep for long hours. He did
not interact with his family members like he did before and would stay aloof locked in his room.
She is extremely worried about her son and informs that she had a hard time convincing him to
come to the hospital.

2MENTAL HEALTH NURSING
Victor looks extremely pale and thin. He seems to be underweight compared to his age.
His mother stated that he has a history of asthma. His reports reveal nil allergies. Victor had been
taken to the counselor who had performed a mental state evaluation assessment to analyze the
status of his mental health. The mental state assessment yielded the following insight:
Appearance:
 The client appeared disheveled with untidy hair and shabby clothes
 The client appeared alert and oriented to the surrounding
 The client was uncooperative with the counselor
Behavior:
 The client avoided direct eye-contact
 The client seemed agitated and was seen to fidget during the interview
Speech:
 The speech was reported to be monosyllabic
 The rhythm was reported to be monotonous
 The volume was reported to be soft
 The content was reported to be fluent
Mood:
 The client reported to feel ‘sad’ all the time but once he could use his ‘soul food’ he
reported to feel ‘on top of the world’
Affect: