Case Background
The case involved a male patient aged 76 years who was brought to the hospital with reported strange behavior. The patient’s family stated that the patient had been behaving strangely in the past two years. The condition worsened with time as aspects like personality changes in attitudes towards religion made most of the family concerned with how he was behaving. In addition, the family reported that the patient had forgotten things, and he would find it challenging to find the right words during conversations. An examination of the mental examination showed signs of dementia. Other symptoms experienced during the mental status exam showed that the patient was experiencing poor eye contact and had a euthymic mood, mainly linked to bipolar disorder. In addition, he experienced disorientation with impaired judgment, impulse, and insight.
Decisions Made for the Patient
Based on the condition of the patient, the best decision to manage the condition is through the use of cognitive behavioral strategies. Since the patient shows signs of various neurological disorders, using cholinesterase inhibitors would be the best method to manage the condition (Joe & Ringman, 2019). The choice of medication is based on the fact that it plays a critical role in managing various neurological disorders. Mood swings were considered during the decision to manage the condition. The medication is effective for the ailment since it will be effective for controlling Alzheimer’s disease, which the patient is diagnosed with, and the other signs of the major neurological disorder (Agrawal et al., 2020). Such medications, together with the use of cognitive behavioral strategies, enable the patient to manage thinking patterns.
Why are the Decisions Different and Effective?
The decisions are different and effective since they are evidence-based. Such medications are recommended based on the signs of the patient and his medical history record. Cognitive behavioral strategies enable patients to manage their thinking patterns (Agrawal et al., 2020). Such aspects are in line with the information provided by his son about his acting strangely and personality changes. His change in attitude and mental disorientation call for cognitive behavioral strategies to enable the patient to recover from the condition. Such procedures would effectively ensure that the patient remains stable and gets compassion and support from close friends and family.
Medication use will enhance the strategy’s effectiveness to enable the patient to maintain mental stability. The combination of drugs and a behavioral approach will allow the patient to manage different conditions like dementia and Alzheimer’s syndrome (Vecchio, 2022). The medication treats cognition effectively and inhibits the enzyme, leading to mental disorientation. In addition, considering mood medications was an effective decision since the patient portrayed signs of bipolar disorder.
Proposed Drugs
Cholinesterase inhibitors are among the main medications to treat the patient’s condition. The main benefit of the medication is that it is effective for Alzheimer’s syndrome and the management of mild dementia. Donepezil is among the proposed drugs due to its role in managing the two conditions (Agrawal et al., 2020). The patient can address both conditions’ various signs and symptoms with such medications. The client can also be given mood stabilizers that would be used to control the manic and hypomanic episodes. The specific medicines proposed for the disease will be Lithobid or Depakene. The patient should continue taking Aricept 10 mg orally at bedtime.
References
Agrawal, N., Faruqui, R., & Bodani, M. (2020). Oxford textbook of neuropsychiatry. Oxford University Press.
Joe, E., & Ringman, J. M. (2019). Cognitive symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease: Clinical management and prevention. Bmj, 367 (1). Web.
Vecchio, I., Sorrentino, L., Paoletti, A., Marra, R., & Arbitrio, M. (2021). The state of the art on acetylcholinesterase inhibitors in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Journal of Central Nervous System Disease, 13 (2), Web.