NSG 4076 Week 6 Project – Developing a Care Plan – Continued

For this project, the aggregate is the outpatient clients that attend the psychosocial rehab program, better known as PSR, at Archways Behavioral. There are about 60 clients who are served in the PSR program. Archway Behavioral Health offers this program to patients who suffer from mental health in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Archway Behavioral Health also offers many other services, including residential services, which these two clients happen to be a part of as well. The clients that attend programs at Archways Behavioral Health are disabled by schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depressive disorder.

The health risk factors that individuals with mental illness face are the same as the general public, and they are modifiable. However, these individuals have a higher rate of modifiable risk due to their vulnerability. There were many major risk factors identified during the previous risk assessment for clients who attend a program at Archways. One of these risk factors was the use of illicit drugs and alcohol. Many individuals who suffer from mental illness tend to self-medicate with illicit drugs and/or alcohol. However, self-medicating with these substances does not help their situation. Illicit drugs and/or alcohol tend to exacerbate symptoms of mental illness, and the individual will then end up creating an addiction to these substances. Now, the individual not only has a mental illness but also substance abuse.

A nursing diagnosis that would be given to these patients would be denial related to not seeking help for illness, as evidenced by self-medicating with illicit drugs and alcohol. These individuals do not accept that they have a mental illness and need assistance from healthcare professionals. Many believe that the health care professionals are trying to hurt them or poison them with medication. The proper intervention for these individuals is to provide them with information regarding how illicit substance and alcohol affect their moods and behavior. By providing the individual with this information, they may be able to recognize that their use of illicit drugs and alcohol is having a negative effect on their lifestyle. Another nursing diagnosis would be ineffective coping related to the use of illicit substances and/or alcohol, as evidenced by the decreased ability to handle stressors. Being diagnosed with an illness can be overwhelming and can be a great stressor. Individuals who suffer from mental illness may not have the same ability to handle stress as individuals who are not diagnosed with mental illness. Providing mental health patients with positive coping skills can decrease the use of negative coping skills. These positive coping skills can be different for every individual. It is important to speak with the patient and together form a plan. A positive coping skill can be as simple as attending an NA OR AA meeting. Positive coping skills usually are things that can help calm the patient, such as reading, a patient, a pet, or even a family member or friend.

The second risk factor that clients at Archways face is smoking. Many individuals who suffer from mental illness smoke. Smoking can lead to many other diseases and can also cause psychotropic medications to not function to their full potential. Certain medications have to be given at higher doses due to the nicotine in cigarettes decreasing their effect, and the client still experiences symptoms. A nursing diagnosis for this individual would be ineffective health maintenance related to the presence of adverse personal habits, as evidenced by smoking multiple packages of cigarettes daily. For these individuals, an important intervention would be to educate them on the negative effects that smoking has on their health. Also, advising the client on the negative effects that nicotine has on their medication. Many individuals lack the knowledge of the negative effects smoking has on overall health.