Your patient in the outpatient behavioral health center has…

Your patient in the outpatient behavioral health center has come in for his appointment today.  You are running behind and front desk staff notifies the patient that there will be about a 10-minute delay.  The patient begins shouting at the front desk staff that this isn’t fair and kicks over the trash can in the lobby.  He then paces throughout the lobby and loudly declares his indignation.  What are some appropriate management strategies?

A 16-year-old boy with a history of substance use disorder r…

A 16-year-old boy with a history of substance use disorder reports fatigue, apathy, and anhedonia almost every day and his mother reports increasing irritability and raging behavior.  The boy says he smokes marijuana daily just to feel good and is unwilling to give it up.  The mother wants some sort of medication to help him feel better so that he stops smoking marijuana.  The PMHNP agrees to prescribe fluoxetine 20 mg daily.  What is the most common side effect associated with this medication?

A 42-year-old man presents with recurrent episodes of major…

A 42-year-old man presents with recurrent episodes of major depressive disorder. He generally experiences remissions at therapeutic doses of serotonin reuptake inhibitors but has subsequently required dosage escalations to control symptoms. He was eventually changed to a new medication due to resistance to adequate trials at maximum dosages. His only current medication is sertraline 200 mg per day. His adult children brought him to the emergency department due to concerns that he is behaving differently than during past episodes of depression. They report he has withdrawn from them and refuses to speak to anyone. He sits in his recliner all day and stares straight ahead. They have been unable to get him to eat for two days. They even tried to put a glass of juice in his hand and lift it to his mouth, at which time he kept his hand up by his mouth but did not take a drink. They ended up removing the glass from his hand so that he did not accidentally break it. His mental status exam is significant for lack of speech and lack of movement except for purposelessly keeping his right arm up in the air. When the examiner attempts to lower the patient’s arm, he demonstrates slight, even resistance. Which of the following is the best initial step?

A 24-year-old woman is being seen by her primary care practi…

A 24-year-old woman is being seen by her primary care practitioner for a routine check-up. Although her body mass index is normal, she indicates on a screening form that she is unhappy about her weight. Upon further exploration during intake with the nurse, she reports feeling that she has lost control over episodes of excessive eating that occur over a period of about an hour happening several times a week. As a result, she engages in rigorous exercise for up to several hours at a time daily. This has resulted in being too tired for work the next day, as well as minor muscular injuries. She denies the following compensatory behaviors: self-induced vomiting; misuse of laxatives, diuretics or other medications; and fasting. Which one of the following is the most likely diagnosis?

A 30-year-old female presents for follow-up and is currently…

A 30-year-old female presents for follow-up and is currently experiencing mania symptoms for the past week.  She has been diagnosed with Bipolar I Disorder and decided to stop taking medication 6 months ago.  The PMHNP knows to avoid this medication for the treatment of bipolar disorder with this patient:

A PMHNP is seeing a patient diagnosed with schizophrenia in…

A PMHNP is seeing a patient diagnosed with schizophrenia in the outpatient clinic. The patient is experiencing an inadequate response to the first prescribed antipsychotic medication or dopamine reuptake blocking agent (DRBA). Which of the following interventions is not an appropriate next step in this patient’s treatment plan?

A 10-year-old female presents with history of major depressi…

A 10-year-old female presents with history of major depressive disorder, single episode that was diagnosed approximately 2 year ago. She originally presented with feeling sad and down most days of the week, some irritability, withdrawing to her room often, low self-esteem, and a decrease in interest for activities she typically enjoyed last year. Patient reports she still has some depressed periods but overall her depression has improved over the last year with her current medication regimen. However mother is concerned that within the last 12 months the patient has become increasingly irritable. The patient reports feeling annoyed or irritated almost daily and for most of the day. She has more frequent outbursts of anger in the last couple months and her anger seems to be triggered by minor incidents or being denied something she has requested. Mother also reports when she has her anger outbursts she will destroy property, scream, and slam doors. Majority of outbursts occur at home, but teachers have noted the change in mood and increase in “snapping” or getting angry with peers at school. Would you consider revising her diagnosis? If so, what would you update her working diagnosis list to?