NURS 4430 Week 11 Therapy for Patients With Dementia Alzheimers and Comorbid States

As a psychiatric nurse practitioner, you will frequently work with patients across the life span who may also have comorbid conditions. For instance, you may treat a 16-year-old female with Down syndrome and increasing violent behaviors; a middle-aged male with schizophrenia, diabetes, and poor lung function; or an older adult with a mental disorder, Stage 1 Alzheimer’s disease, and chronic heart disease (CHD). 

In cases like these, you must draw from foundational knowledge of pathophysiology and collaborate with other healthcare providers to ensure optimal safety and efficacy of psychopharmacologic therapies for patients.

This week, as you examine therapy for patients with dementia/Alzheimer’s and comorbid states, you review psychopharmacologic approaches to treatment for these patients across the life span. You will also complete your Final Exam.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

  • Assess psychopharmacologic approaches to treatment for patients across the life span

Learning Resources

  • Gatchel, J. R., Wright, C. L., Falk, W. E., & Trinh, N. (2016). Dementia. In T. A. Stern, M. Favo, T. E. Wilens, & J. F. Rosenbaum. (Eds.), Massachusetts General Hospital psychopharmacology and neurotherapeutics (pp. 149–162). Elsevier.
  • Angermeyer, M. C., Matschinger, H., & Schomerus, G. (2013). Attitudes towards psychiatric treatment and people with mental illness: Changes over two decades. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 203(2), 146–151. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.112.122978
  • Bui, Q. (2012). Antidepressants for agitation and psychosis in patients with dementia. American Family Physician, 85(1), 20–22Crocker, A. G., Prokić, A., Morin, D., & Reyes, A. (2014). Intellectual disability and co-occurring mental health and physical disorders in aggressive behaviour. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 58(11), 1032–1044. https://doi.org/10.1111/jir.12080
  • Dingfelder, S. F. (2009). Stigma: Alive and well. Monitor on Psychology, 40(6), 56-59. https://doi.org/10.1037/e542802009-028
  • Erickson, S. C., Le, L., Zakharyan, A., Stockl, K. M., Harada, A. M., Borson, S., Ramsey, S. D., & Curtis, B. (2012). New-onset treatment-dependent diabetes mellitus and hyperlipidemia associated with atypical antipsychotic use in older adults without schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 60(3), 474–479. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-5415.2011.03842.x
  • Jenkins, J. H. (2012). The anthropology of psychopharmacology: Commentary on contributions to the analysis of pharmaceutical self and imaginary. Culture, Medicine and Psychiatry, 36(1), 78–79. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11013-012-9248-0
  • Malhotra, A. K., Zhang, J., & Lencz, T. (2012). Pharmacogenetics in psychiatry: Translating research into clinical practice. Molecular Psychiatry, 17(8), 760–769. https://doi.org/10.1038/mp.2011.146 Medication Resources

Note: To access the following medications, use the IBM Micromedex resource. Type the name of each medication in the keyword search bar. Be sure to read all sections on the left navigation bar related to each medication’s result page, as this information will be helpful for your review in preparation for your Assignments.

  • donepezil
  • galantamine
  • memantine
  • rivastigmine

Optional Resources

Final Exam

This exam will cover the following topics, which relate to psychopharmacologic approaches to treatment for patients across the life span:

  • Therapy for Patients With Substance Dependence
  • Therapy for Patients With Impulsivity, Compulsivity, and Substance Use Disorder
  • Therapy for Patients With ADHD
  • Therapy for Patients With Dementia/Alzheimer’s
  • Therapy for Patients With Pathophysiology and Psychiatric Comorbidities

Prior to starting the exam, you should review all of your materials. There is a 2.5-hour time limit to complete this 50-question exam. You may only attempt this exam once.

This exam is a test of your knowledge in preparation for your certification exam. No outside resources including books, notes, websites, or any other type of resource are to be used to complete this exam. You are expected to comply with Walden University’s Code of Conduct.

Submit your Final Exam by Day 7.