Tyler, a 9-year-old third grader, had always been an energetic child with a short attention span. For years, his mother attributed his behaviors to him being “all boy” and assumed it would improve as he grew older. Instead, daily tasks like chores and homework became increasingly overwhelming for Tyler, resulting in disruptive behaviors at home and school. After being evaluated by his healthcare provider, Tyler was diagnosed with and treated for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
ADHD is a prevalent disorder for clients across the lifespan, as more than 6 million children (CDC, 2016) and 8 million adults (ADAA, 2016) have been diagnosed with the disorder. Like Tyler, individuals of all ages find that symptoms of ADHD can make life challenging. However, when properly diagnosed and treated, clients often respond well to therapies and have positive health outcomes.
This week, as you study ADHD therapies, you examine the assessment and treatment of clients with ADHD. You also explore ethical and legal implications of these therapies.
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Discussion: Presentations of ADHD
Although ADHD is often associated with children, this disorder is diagnosed in clients across the lifespan. While many individuals are properly diagnosed and treated during childhood, some individuals who have ADHD only present with subsyndromal evidence of the disorder. These individuals are often undiagnosed until they reach adulthood and struggle to cope with competing demands of running a household, caring for children, and maintaining employment. For this Discussion, you consider how you might assess and treat individuals presenting with ADHD.
Learning Objectives
Students will:
· Assess client factors and history to develop personalized therapy plans for clients with ADHD
· Analyze factors that influence pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic processes in clients requiring therapy for ADHD
· Evaluate efficacy of treatment plans
· Apply knowledge of providing care to adult and geriatric clients presenting for antidepressant therapy
To prepare for this Discussion:
Case 1: Volume 1, Case #13: The 8-year-old girl who was naughty
· Review this week’s Learning Resources and reflect on the insights they provide.
· Take the pretest for the case study.
· Review the patient intake documentation, psychiatric history, patient file, medication history, etc. As you progress through each section, formulate a list of questions that you might ask the patient if he or she were in your office.
· Based on the patient’s case history, consider other people in his or her life that you would need to speak to or get feedback from (i.e., family members, teachers, nursing home aides, etc.).
· Consider whether any additional physical exams or diagnostic testing may be necessary for the patient.
· Develop a differential diagnoses for the patient. Refer to the DSM-5 in this week’s Learning Resources for guidance.
· Review the patient’s past and current medications. Refer to Stahl’s Prescriber’s Guide and consider medications you might select for this patient.
· Review the posttest for the case study.
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