401013: Mental Health Case Study Analysis and Intervention

This assignment analyzes a mental health case study, focusing on a patient exhibiting suicidal thoughts and symptoms of depression. The analysis addresses the urgency of the situation, particularly the patient's passive suicidal ideation, and emphasizes the need for immediate intervention. The document outlines the use of screening, specifically the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), to assess the patient's risk. It identifies depression as the primary health issue, detailing the patient's behavioral changes. The intervention strategy proposed is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to address negative thoughts and promote healthier thinking patterns. Ethical considerations, including confidentiality and informed consent, are highlighted as crucial aspects of patient care, particularly concerning referrals and data sharing. The analysis references several scholarly articles to support the interventions and ethical practices discussed.

Running head: MENTAL HEALTH 1 1
Mental Health 1
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation

MENTAL HEALTH 1 2
Question 1
a)
The risk area that needs to be addressed urgently is Munny’s thoughts which are suicidal.
From the scenario, Munny has passive suicidal thoughts because when the practitioner asks
Munny if he has ever imagined if life was worth living, he shook his head. Also, when asked
how his family would feel if anything befell him he shrugged his shoulders. This indicates that
Munny does not see the reason to live hence the nurse should handle the issue immediately (Betz
et al., 2016).
b)
The intervention is screening. The rationale is to help in recognizing the people with
undiagnosed depression and help shorten the normal 4-year lag amidst the onset of depression
and initiation of therapy which could avoid substantial suffering (Williams, Nieuwsma, Elmore,
Roy-Byrne & Melin, 2018). The psychiatrist performs a Patient Health Questionnaire at the
initial visit by asking the patient questions about his feelings and mood. The nine-item Patient
Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) asks the patient how often during the previous two weeks has he
ever been disturbed by thoughts that he would be better off dead. The response options are
‘several days’, ‘nearly every day’, ‘not at all’ and ‘more than half the days’ and the psychiatrist
will know whether the client is at peril of committing suicide depending on the response (Na et
al., 2018).
Question 2
a)
The health issue is depression. The case study indicates that since Munny was
interviewed by his employer, he has become less talkative at home and takes no attention of his

MENTAL HEALTH 1 3
kids who were formerly the center of his attention. Moreover, he shows no interest in food and
does nothing around the house and when talked to, he answers with one word and says to be left
alone. At the center, Munny is slumping in his chair starring at the floor and when the
practitioner greets him he does not look him in the eye and responds with a brief answer.
b)
The intervention is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. It identifies negative thoughts and
replaces them with healthier and more realistic thoughts (Sztein, Koransky, Fegan & Himelhoch,
2018). The intervention would be carried out by a therapist once a week or once per two weeks
and it takes as little as six sessions or up to twenty sessions. During the sessions, the problem is
broken down into thoughts, physical feelings, and actions. The areas are analyzed to work out if
they are unhelpful and determine the impact they have on each other and the patient. Then, the
therapist helps in working out how to change unhelpful thoughts and ask s the patient to practice
them (Dobson & Dobson, 2018).
Question 3
When working with this patient, the nurse should consider confidentiality as well as
informed consent. If the patient is examined and the positive results have to be referred to
clinical professionals, the patient has to be knowledgeable of the referral and agree to the process
as per the ethical principles. The data leaflet of the patient as well as the consent form should
highlight the information. The examination outcomes should be kept confidential and the patient
needs to be notified that the outcomes would be revealed to their clinical staff in case of a
positive screen (Goldsmith & Kurpius, 2015).

MENTAL HEALTH 1 4
References
Betz, M. E., Arias, S. A., Segal, D. L., Miller, I., Camargo Jr, C. A., & Boudreaux, E. D. (2016).
Screening for suicidal thoughts and behaviors in older adults in the emergency
department. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 64(10), e72-e77.
Dobson, D., & Dobson, K. S. (2018). Evidence-based practice of cognitive-behavioral therapy.
Guilford Publications.
Goldsmith, J., & Kurpius, S. (2015). Older adults and integrated health settings: opportunities
and challenges for mental health counselors. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 37(2),
124-137.
Na, P. J., Yaramala, S. R., Kim, J. A., Kim, H., Goes, F. S., Zandi, P. P., ... & Bobo, W. V.
(2018). The PHQ-9 Item 9 based screening for suicide risk: a validation study of the
Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) − 9 Item 9 with the Columbia Suicide Severity
Rating Scale (C-SSRS). Journal of affective disorders, 232, 34-40.
Sztein, D. M., Koransky, C. E., Fegan, L., & Himelhoch, S. (2018). Efficacy of cognitive-
behavioral therapy delivered over the Internet for depressive symptoms: A systematic
review and meta-analysis. Journal of telemedicine and telecare, 24(8), 527-539.
Williams, J., Nieuwsma, J., Elmore, J. G., Roy-Byrne, P. P., & Melin, J. A. (2018). Screening for
depression in adults. Up-to-date (pristupljeno 20.4. 2017.) dostupno na: http://www. Up-
to-date. Com.