NS3360: Applying Psycho-education in Nursing for Schizophrenia Case

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This essay provides a comprehensive overview of psycho-education in the context of nursing, specifically focusing on the case of John, a patient with schizophrenia. It discusses the importance of psycho-education in helping patients understand their condition, manage symptoms, and improve adherence to treatment. The essay details the application of psycho-educational approaches to explain schizophrenia, its symptoms, potential causes, and the role of environmental factors. It further explores various treatment strategies, including psychosocial interventions like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and cognitive remediation therapy, as well as medication management with antipsychotics such as haloperidol and olanzapine. The essay concludes by emphasizing the positive impact of psycho-education on patient compliance, self-esteem, and overall quality of life, highlighting its role in reducing stigma associated with mental illness and promoting healthy lifestyle behaviors. The document is contributed by a student to be published on the website Desklib, a platform providing AI-based study tools.
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Running head: NURSING
Assessment Task 2
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note
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Introduction- Psycho-education encompasses the process of delivering information
and education to people who seek or receive mental healthcare services such as, those who
have been diagnosed with mental disorders, or terminal/life-threatening diseases, and their
family members (Toohill et al., 2014). Hence, the primary purpose of psycho-education is to
provide assistance to individuals for gaining a better understanding of their mental health
condition, thus helping them become accustomed to their life. Psycho-education has been
considered an imperative approach for all kinds of therapy programs. There is mounting
evidence for the fact that people affected with mental disorders and/or their family members
often face difficulties related to their coping abilities, and fail to identify their own areas of
strength, thus impeding the recovery from the condition (Crowe & Lyness, 2014). Psycho-
education typically provides help to the individuals in order to facilitate better ways for
addressing the difficulties, thus helping them feel greater control over the condition, and
increasing their internal capacity for emotional wellbeing (Depp et al., 2015). This essay will
discuss psycho-education, in relation to the case study of John.
Description of the condition- John will be made to understand about his condition
with the use of psycho-education based approaches that will focus on explaining
schizophrenia as a severe, chronic and disabling disorder that affects nearly 1% of the global
population. He will be explained that schizophrenia is prevalent worldwide, regardless of the
socio-economic groups or cultures, and the long-lasting symptoms result in considerable
disability in the affected person. The psycho-education process will be implemented in a
manner that will make John gradually gain knowledge on his condition, through learning.
The didactic intervention of psycho-education will be employed in this case where a
consistent educational approach ore scientific method will be employed for presenting
information to John (Froböse, Bäuml, Jahn, Pohl & Pitschel-Walz, 2014). Association will be
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established between the condition and its prevailing signs and symptoms such as, confused or
unclear thinking, false beliefs, hearing unreal voices, and reduction in social engagement.
John will be educated on the fact that most people affected with schizophrenia report
experiences of hallucinations (most often voices), disorganised speech and thinking, and
delusions (that are persecutory or bizarre in nature) (Ribolsi, Daskalakis, Siracusano & Koch,
2014). This in turn will help him realise the reasons behind hearing information related to the
Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) or instructions of the Defence Force
General. According to Frith (2014) auditory hallucinations have been identified as one salient
symptom of schizophrenia, and are prevalent in more than 70% patients. John will also be
explained that the aetiology of schizophrenia encompasses a wide range of abnormalities in
the brain (Leutwyler, Hubbard, Jeste, Miller & Vinogradov, 2014). Several research
evidences have suggested that there is almost 80% heritability of schizophrenia and presence
of a first-degree relative with the condition is a major risk factor (Meehl, 2017). Additionally,
the psycho-education approach will also focus on explaining about the different
environmental factors such as, prenatal stressors, drug use and the environment in which the
patient lives (Chien & Thompson, 2014).
Furthermore, John will also be explained about the factors that triggered the onset of
schizophrenia. Presence of an itinerant lifestyle will be cited as the primary reason for the
mental disorder. This kind of lifestyle typically involves a life of travelling around and is
predominant amid people who are homeless and poor (Seeman, 2016). Time and again
schizophrenia has been positively correlated with unhealthy lifestyle and being raised in
poverty (Topor et al., 2014). Hence, it can be suggested that the environmental condition and
socio-economic background of John was largely responsible for the onset of the mental
disorder. The chronic mental disorder is also associated with several stigma that act in the
form of obstacle in the recovery process (Mestdagh & Hansen, 2014). In the past, individuals
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affected with schizophrenia were most often put in institutions, owing to the perception that
they were dangerous. Hence, psycho-education would also emphasise on making John aware
of the fact that he can live a meaningful and purposeful life.
Treatment- The psycho-education approach will focus on helping John gain an
awareness of the potential treatment strategies that will help in effective management of his
symptoms. John will also be educated on the different psychosocial interventions that might
prove beneficial in his treatment such as, community treatment, family therapy, skills
training, and cognitive remediation (FallahiKhoshknab, Sheikhona, Rahgouy, Rahgozar &
Sodagari, 2014). There is mounting evidence for the advantages exerted by Cognitive
Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for reducing specific schizophrenia symptoms (Haddock et al.,
2014). This psychosocial intervention has proved effective in enhancing self-esteem and
social functioning amid the patients. According to Haddad, Brain and Scott (2014)
application of the therapy has also been allied with a reduction in the intensity of distress
faced by the patients, besides enhancing emotion and behaviour. John will also be explained
the fact that cognitive remediation therapy is another technique that has the probability of
effectively managing the mental disorder.
Although currently there exist lack of any cure for schizophrenia, John will be
explained that the mental disorder can be successfully managed. He will also be educated on
the potential advantages of metacognitive training approaches that help in addressing the
disordered thinking in the affected patients. Further approaches would encompass explaining
the benefits of family therapy that address the entire family of the person suffering from
schizophrenia, besides targeting its impacts and reducing the burden on the caregivers
(Walrond-Skinner, 2014). Owing to the fact that psycho-education approaches are adapted
with the aim of increasing knowledge of the patients and providing them an insight regarding
the disease they suffer from, the primary goal of this approach would be to bring about a
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change in John’s behaviour (Ran, Chan, Ng, Guo & Xiang, 2015). This in turn would
facilitate manifestation of better adherence to all kinds of treatment. Thus, the education will
be delivered in combination with counselling services that will facilitate John’s recovery
from his illness, by increasing his ability to cope with the condition.
Medication management- Psycho-education will typically focus on explaining the
effectiveness of medications, usually antipsychotic medications that are considered the
mainstay of schizophrenia treatment. Research evidences have elaborated on the advantages
of antipsychotic medications in reducing the severity and preventing the relapse of psychotic
episodes, thus improving functioning (Bäuml et al., 2016). The primary reason for use of
antipsychotics is a reduction in the positive symptoms reported by schizophrenia patients
such as, hallucinations and delusions. In the words of Urs, Peterson and Caron (2017) drugs
like chlorpromazine and haloperidol, the latter which is currently being administered to John
block the D2 dopamine receptors located in the brain pathways. John will be educated on the
mechanism of action of these medications that bring about a reduction in the psychotic
episodes. A reduction in the levels of released dopamine in the prefrontal cortex, concomitant
with a sudden increase in dopamine release in different neural pathways, are largely
responsible for the onset of psychotic episodes in schizophrenia patients. Furthermore, these
atypical antipsychotics are also responsible for antagonising the 5-HT2A receptors (Tardy et
al., 2014). Owing to the fact that John is currently being administered haloperidol for
reducing his psychotic symptoms, he will be counselled on the fact that there are various
alleles or gene forms of the aforementioned receptors that are related with the onset of
schizophrenia. He will be explained that the first antipsychotic chlorpromazine was
developed in the form of a surgical anaesthetic, which was later on associated with
pharmacological lobotomy (Adams, Awad, Rathbone, Thornley & Soares‐Weiser, 2014).
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Efforts will also be taken to provide him detailed information on the illness and
ongoing management strategies. He will also be educated on the benefits of olanzapine
medication, a Second Generation Antipsychotic (SGA) that effectively manages
schizophrenia condition by rebalancing the levels of dopamine and serotonin, with the aim of
improving mood, thinking, and behaviour among the patients (Chan et al., 2014). He will also
be questioned regarding thoughts of self-harm of suicidal ideations. The psycho-education
sessions will also focus on initiating discussions about previous history of shaking, muscle
stiffness, neuroleptic malignant syndrome or gain in weight (Dold, Samara, Li, Tardy &
Leucht, 2015). The counselling sessions conducted in combination with psycho-education
sessions will also comprise of helping John identify the probable side effects of his
medications. He will be made aware of the fact that there might be possible incidence of
upset stomach, dry mouth, constipation and low blood pressure. Similar mechanism of action
of haloperidol will also be explained with a due focus on its role in reducing the excitement
in brain. According to Boettger, Jenewein and Breitbart (2015) the benefits of the drugs are
primarily associated with controlling the psychotic symptoms, with limited side effects such
as, irregular heartbeat, renal failure, changes in mental health status, and tardeive dyskinesia.
John will also be stated that under circumstances where he wants a change in the medications,
he might be administered chlorpromazine, perphenazine, or thiothixene (Hartung, Sampson
& Leucht, 2015).
Conclusion- Thus, it can be concluded that psycho-education sessions would involve
providing explanations to John on the different ways by which his mental health condition,
schizophrenia creates an impact on his life and daily functioning. The psycho-education will
also be delivered with the aim of describing to John how the medications prescribed to him
namely, olanzapine and haloperidol will create counteract the symptoms of schizophrenia,
from which John is currently suffering. This in turn will help him demonstrate compliance
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with all prescribed treatment regimen and will increase John’s likelihood of considering his
mental illness as a treatable health disorder, in place of a shameful diagnosis. Psycho-
education will also ensure that while experiencing the psychotic episodes of schizophrenia,
adequate support will be provided to the patient, in order to facilitate the recovery process. To
conclude, it can be suggested that providing psycho-education will facilitate elimination of
stigma associated with mental illness. It will provide help John adopt healthy lifestyle
behaviour that will assist in easy management of the condition. Besides increasing the
understanding of mental illness, psycho-education will also upsurge his self-esteem, self-
image and confidence, thus enhancing the wellbeing and health related quality of life.
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