MEH505 Mental Health Assessment 3 Case Study Answer

Introduction

Case study 1 is selected, the case study is about Bilal, who is a 24-year-old single man. The patient has come to see a counselor as he is feeling stressed and exhausted all the time. The patient is experiencing frequent headaches, he is feeling stressed and exhausted all the time, and worries about work. Over the past 6 months, the patient is unable to perform at the workplace and this worries him. He is unable to concentrate on work due to which he is feeling anxious, due to this he has taken off for several days. In the report, several issues need to be addressed and these are the role of counselors and how they will conduct counseling. The circumstances of the client will be understood and presenting issues will be discussed with the psychiatrist. The counseling method which is to be followed also needs to be discussed. When the counseling session begins several issues might present themselves, and all these issues should be understood and acted on. The psychological and social factors which affect and contribute to the client presentation are discussed.

The Approach Adopted by the Counselor Toward the Client

The counselor works very closely with the patient and it helps in the tailored treatment plans which address the unique needs and concerns. With the help of psychotherapy, the patient learns different ways so they can cope in a better way with stress and also manage their symptoms. All the strategies which are adopted lead to the recovery of every patient and it will also enable them to function at their best. The mental health counselor aids the individual and the family to deal with difficult emotions, some trauma, and mental health disorders (Gautam et al., 2020). The major role of the counselor is to provide coaching and therapy to the patient so they can manage their stress and emotions and a goal needs to be set for them. Since the patient is feeling anxious about work, hence, it is necessary that a calming approach needs to be adopted, so mental health can be maintained and a calming effect is present.

Several therapies are present, however, the most effective therapy which is adopted is Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT). CBT is highly effective because it allows the patient to ask questions and all the changes are made within. CBT helps to modify the pattern which changes behavior and mood. CBT is a highly effective way to treat different mental health conditions. Along with depression and anxiety, CBT also helps people with borderline personality disorder and bipolar disorder (Health Quality Ontario, 2017).

Another Circumstance Client is Referred for Psychiatric Help

There are several other circumstances under which the client is referred for psychiatric help. In the case study, it has been mentioned that the client is going through several problems and these problems are usually treated with the therapies which are present, all the therapies which are present are highly effective and take care of several parameters which are present and these need to be taken into consideration. There are several other reasons which have led to Onward Referrals, such as if the psychiatrist is unable to meet the client's needs like the housing problem, some law-related matters, and financial difficulties. Even after receiving the current treatment, the patient is feeling depressed for the majority of the time, then this implies that current treatment is not working (Dominiak et al., 2021). It also implies that depression is affecting the person and they are in immediate need to visit a psychiatrist. The new psychiatrist to which they are assigned might be able to understand their needs more effectively, hence, it would be highly useful. Another major reason or instance which might develop while referring to some other professional is if the counseling relationship is affected and this directly affects the ability to provide adequate therapy. In some cases the therapist might be involved in some unethical relationship with the patient, in such cases also the client is referred for psychiatric help (Park & Zarate, 2019).

Anxiety or panic attacks are also major reasons for a psychiatric referral, if the patient is feeling persistent failure or sadness, or if they are showing symptoms of withdrawal then referral to another psychiatrist is suggested (Gautam et al., 2022).

Counseling Method is Shown to Be Effective With People Who Have a Problem, How It is Used in the Case Study

The counseling method which is used to treat people with anxiety and depression is CBT. CBT is highly effective when it comes to the treatment of depression or anxiety, it is a form of psychotherapy and it modifies the thought patterns. In addition to it, it also works towards changing behavior and mood. As the thought process or pattern is changed, more control towards thought is present and hence it is highly effective. CBT treatment is a major blend of behavioral and cognitive therapy. This therapy option majorly focuses on mood and thoughts. Behavioral therapy majorly targets the behavior and the action. A therapist who is practicing should combine different approaches of CBT as this would help in the effective treatment options (Vasile et al., 2020). This treatment option majorly involves developing a more balanced and constructive way to respond to different stress which is present. In ideal situations, there are several new responses which are present and all of these responses help to cope or recover from any challenging situation or mental health condition. It is a short-term approach while on the other hand, other therapies might take several years of treatment and discovery. When CBT is considered, it requires almost 20 sessions, however, a person might take more sessions if required. In the CBT session opportunity is provided to identify the current life situation which might be causing or contributing to the mental health condition. In CBT therapists are also provided the opportunity to identify the thinking pattern or any distorted perception which is affecting the person (Ling et al., 2020).

In the case study, the patient is feeling confused about the situation hence, this therapy option will help to provide some clarity. It will also help the patient to align their thought process. With CBT all the negative feelings the client is experiencing will go away and it would be highly useful (Li et al., 2018).

Ways to Determine to Counsel Was Effective

Although CBT is known to be a highly effective treatment option, however, several ways can be adopted to evaluate the effectiveness of CBT. The most effective way which is adopted is to study the response rate. A person fills the response rate, if the symptoms have improved or also if it is the end of therapy. There are several studies which are conducted and these need to be studied effectively. After receiving the treatment, it has been observed that the quality of life is improved. The person will be displaying positive symptoms hence, it is highly effective. Several parameters are used as screening tools although each of these tools has its weakness and strengths (Vasile, 2020). Some of these assessment tools are Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE), Mini-Cog, Saint Louis University Mental Status Exam (SLUMS), and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). The major strength of CBT while curing depression is to assist the individual to overcome the symptoms of the issue which are at the present moment helps to overcome the symptoms. New skills need to be learned and strategies need to be discovered which will help to overcome any difficulties which are present.

Several studies depict that cognitive therapy is efficacious and several antidepressant medications are used in the treatment of depression. The five components of CBT, these components are situations,  thoughts, emotions, physical feelings, and actions (Ling et al., 2020).

The Main Issue to Consider When Counseling Clients Who Are Out of Control

There are several issues that a counselor might encounter when the client becomes out of control, these are mentioned and discussed below. The first problem which is encountered is professional and personal conduct, this needs to be followed adequately.  There are several professional and educational setbacks, these need to be taken care of. Even in today's time, the mental healthcare industry is in the process of gaining global value. The industry is growing at a rapid rate and it is necessary to maintain equilibrium. The boundaries need to be maintained and established (Cuijpers et al., 2019). In several cases, boundaries need to be maintained, and different situations need to be reacted in certain ways.  The role of the counselor is to facilitate effective thinking and help them make their own decisions and come up with several ideas. When the patient is out of control then displaying empathetic behavior is highly important. If a counselor can efficiently empathize with the person, they will be able to provide effective treatment.

In several cases the counselor might be facing burnout, hence, effective steps need to be adopted to overcome the burnout (David et al., 2018).

The Social and Psychological Factors Which Contribute to Client Presentation

In the case study, it has been mentioned that the patient has been isolated and also living a single life. This has a huge impact on mental health. If the patient is in contact with few friends and supportive relationships it impacts mental health. The feeling of exclusion or loneliness can lead to episodes in people with mood disorders. If there is any stressful event that has occurred recently, it will also affect mental health. Several people do not acknowledge the stressful events that will deteriorate their mental health in the future. If the family history of the person is presented with depression and anxiety, the chances of the other family members being diagnosed with this condition are high (Zineldin, 2021).

Several physical factors affect mental health like depression and anxiety,  these are described in the below segment. Certain conditions are affecting the nervous and the brain system. There are several hormonal problems and mainly parathyroid and thyroid problems. The change in the hormone is directly related to menstrual cycle or menopause. If the patient has already been diagnosed with heart disease or diabetes, the risk of depression increases. However, in the case study, no such thing or condition is mentioned (Alegría et al., 2018).

Conclusion

This report is about a patient named Bilal, who is a 24-year-old single man. The patient has come to see a counselor as he is feeling stressed and exhausted all the time. Several approaches need to be adopted while working with the patient. Psychotherapy needs to be adapted and it helps the patient learn different ways so they can cope in a better way with stress and also manage their symptoms. The therapy which is present is the most effective therapy which is adopted is Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT). When the current treatment is not working the patient might feel depressed for the majority of the time, then this implies that current treatment is not working. The counseling method which is adopted is CBT. In this method, therapists are also provided the opportunity to identify the thinking pattern or any distorted perception which is affecting the person. If the therapist is feeling some situation that is out of control several effective steps need to be adopted. Several social factors affect the patient and these are: any stressful event which has occurred recently has been isolated and also living a single life. Other than this several physical factors affects mental health these are: the surrounding environment or some hormonal problem. 

References

Alegría, M., NeMoyer, A., Falgàs Bagué, I., Wang, Y., & Alvarez, K. (2018). Social determinants of mental health: Where we are and where we need to go. Current Psychiatry Reports, 20(11), 95. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-018-0969-9

Cuijpers, P., Noma, H., Karyotaki, E., Cipriani, A., & Furukawa, T.A. (2019). Effectiveness and acceptability of cognitive behavior therapy delivery formats in adults with depression: A Network Meta-analysis. JAMA Psychiatry, 76(7), 700–707. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2019.0268

David, D., Cristea, I., & Hofmann, S.G. (2018). why cognitive behavioral therapy is the current gold standard of psychotherapy. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 9, 4. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00004

Dominiak, M., Antosik-Wójcińska, A.Z., Baron, M., & Mierzejewski, P. (2021). Screening and treatment of depression - Recommendations for Polish health professionals. Przeglad Menopauzalny = Menopause Review, 20(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.5114/pm.2021.104207

Gautam, M., Tripathi, A., Deshmukh, D., & Gaur, M. (2020). Cognitive behavioral therapy for depression. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 62(2), S223–S229. https://doi.org/10.4103/psychiatry.IndianJPsychiatry_772_19

Gautam, M., Tripathi, A., Deshmukh, D., & Gaur, M. (2020). Cognitive behavioral therapy for depression. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 62(2), S223–S229. https://doi.org/10.4103/psychiatry.IndianJPsychiatry_772_19

 Health Quality Ontario (2017). Psychotherapy for major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder: A health technology assessment. Ontario Health Technology Assessment Series, 17(15), 1–167.

Li, J.M., Zhang, Y., Su, W.J., Liu, L.L., Gong, H., Peng, W., & Jiang, C.L. (2018). Cognitive behavioral therapy for treatment-resistant depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychiatry Research, 268, 243–250. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2018.07.020

Ling, C., Evans, D., Zhang, Y., Luo, J., Hu, Y., Ouyang, Y., Tang, J., & Kuang, Z. (2020). The effects of cognitive behavioural therapy on depression and quality of life in patients with maintenance haemodialysis: A systematic review. BMC Psychiatry, 20(1), 369. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-020-02754-2

Ling, C., Evans, D., Zhang, Y., Luo, J., Hu, Y., Ouyang, Y., Tang, J., & Kuang, Z. (2020). The effects of cognitive behavioural therapy on depression and quality of life in patients with maintenance haemodialysis: A systematic review. BMC Psychiatry, 20(1), 369. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-020-02754-2

Park, L.T., & Zarate, C. A., Jr (2019). Depression in the primary care setting. The New England Journal of Medicine, 380(6), 559–568. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMcp1712493

Vasile C. (2020). CBT and medication in depression (Review). Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine, 20(4), 3513–3516. https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2020.9014

Vasile C. (2020). CBT and medication in depression (Review). Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine, 20(4), 3513–3516. https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2020.9014

Zineldin M. (2021). Neurological and psychological determinants of depression, anxiety, and life quality. International Journal of Preventive Medicine, 12, 95. https://doi.org/10.4103/ijpvm.IJPVM_237_19

You Might Also Like

Nursing Assignment Help

NRS83002 Mental Health Across The Lifespan Assessment Answer

Medical Sciences: Health and social care

Looking For Complete Assignment Sample Get It On WhatsApp