Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is a mental health disorder characterized by persistent and excessive worry about a variety of topics, such as personal health, work, social interactions, and everyday routine life circumstances. People with GAD may find it difficult to control their worry, even though they recognize that it is excessive. This constant worry can interfere with daily functioning and can be debilitating.
Symptoms of GAD may include:
Difficulty controlling worry
Restlessness or feeling on edge
Difficulty concentrating
Irritability
Muscle tension
Sleep disturbance
Exaggerated startle response
GAD is typically treated with a combination of therapy, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), and medication, such as antidepressants. It is important to speak with a mental health professional to determine the best treatment plan for you.
Sample Assignment:
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Examine Case Study:
The client is a 46-year-old white male who works as a welder at a local steel fabrication factory. He presents today after being referred by his PCP after a trip to the emergency room in which he felt he was having a heart attack. He stated that he felt chest tightness, shortness of breath, and feeling of impending doom. He does have some mild hypertension (which is treated with low sodium diet) and is about 15 lbs. overweight. He had his tonsils removed when he was 8 years old, but his medical history since that time has been unremarkable. Myocardial infarction was ruled out in the ER and his EKG was normal. The remainder of the physical exam was WNL.
He admits that he still has problems with tightness in the chest and episodes of shortness of breath- he now terms these “anxiety attacks.” He will also report occasional feelings of impending doom, and the need to “run” or “escape” from wherever he is at.
In your office, he confesses to occasional use of ETOH to combat worries about work. He admits to consuming about 3-4 beers/night. Although he is single, he is attempting to care for aging parents in his home. He reports that the management at his place of employment is harsh, and he fears for his job. You administer the HAM-A, which yields a score of 26.
The client has never been on any type of psychotropic medication. Diagnosis is Generalized anxiety disorder.
Make three decisions concerning the medication to prescribe to this patient. Be sure to consider factors that might impact the patient’s pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic processes. Please see the decisions I made below:
Decision Point One begin buspirone 10mg orally twice a day Buspirone 10 mg orally BID
RESULTS OF DECISION POINT ONE
• Client returns to clinic in four weeks
• Client reports slight decrease in symptoms
• Client states that he still feels very anxious
• HAM-A score decreased from 26 to 23
Decision Point Two
Discontinue buspirone and begin Lexapro 10 mg orally daily
RESULTS OF DECISION POINT TWO
• Client returns to clinic in four weeks
• Client reports that he feels “great”
• Client states that his anxiety is getting “better”
• HAM-A score has decreased from 23 to 13
• Client does report that he sometimes feels sleepy for a few hours after taking the medication, but “perks up” by early to midafternoon
Decision Point Three
Continue same dose of Lexapro but change administration time to bedtime
Guidance and feedback to Student
At this point, the client reports that he is feeling “great” with a decrease in symptoms from an initial HAM-A score of 26 down to 13. This represents a 50% decrease in symptoms in just 4 weeks. Recall that an adequate trial can be as long as 12 weeks, we may not need to increase the drug any more at this point as we do not know how much more the current dose will improve the client’s symptoms. You could increase the dose, but this could increase the risk of side effects- especially the sleepiness that the client is complaining about in the morning after taking the medication. It is plausible that an increase in the dose would increase morning sedation.
The most prudent course of action would be to continue the same dose of medication but change the administration time to bedtime. This way, the client will not be troubled by the sedating effects of the medication, and sleep may be enhanced which could also improve overall anxiety.
Based on the information above, please answer questions below. 5 pages required.
Introduction to the case (1 page)
• Briefly explain and summarize the case for this Assignment. Be sure to include the specific patient factors that may impact your decision making when prescribing medication for this patient.
Decision #1 (1 page)
• Which decision did you select?
• Why did you make this decision? Be specific and support your response with clinically relevant and patient-specific resources, including the primary literature.
• Why did you not select the other two options (which are paxil 10mg orally daily and imipramine 25mg orally twice a day) provided in the exercise? Be specific and support your response with clinically relevant and patient-specific resources, including the primary literature.
• What were you hoping to achieve by making this decision? Support your response with evidence and references to the Learning Resources (including the primary literature).
• Explain how ethical considerations may impact your treatment plan and communication with patients. Be specific and provide examples.
Decision #2 (1 page)
• Why did you select this decision? Be specific and support your response with clinically relevant and patient-specific resources, including the primary literature.
• Why did you not select the other two options (which are increase busiprone to 10mg twice a day or 10mg three times a day) provided in the exercise? Be specific and support your response with clinically relevant and patient-specific resources, including the primary literature.
• What were you hoping to achieve by making this decision? Support your response with evidence and references to the Learning Resources (including the primary literature).
• Explain how ethical considerations may impact your treatment plan and communication with patients. Be specific and provide examples.
Decision #3 (1 page)
• Why did you select this decision? Be specific and support your response with clinically relevant and patient-specific resources, including the primary literature.
• Why did you not select the other two options (which are increase Lexapro to 15mg by mouth daily in the morning and restart Buspar to 10mg by mouth three times a day) provided in the exercise? Be specific and support your response with clinically relevant and patient-specific resources, including the primary literature.
• What were you hoping to achieve by making this decision? Support your response with evidence and references to the Learning Resources (including the primary literature).
• Explain how ethical considerations may impact your treatment plan and communication with patients. Be specific and provide examples.
Conclusion (1 page)
• Summarize your recommendations on the treatment options you selected for this patient. Be sure to justify your recommendations and support your response with clinically relevant and patient-specific resources, including the primary literature.
