Case Summary
The patient in question, Mike, is actively involved in the military and has recently come back from 8 months of deployment in Afghanistan. He is a father to two children and has been married to Joan for eight years. He is finding it difficult currently to adjust to civil life after coming back, often having angry outbursts that affect his family and colleagues. It is essential to realize that the patient is not innately aggressive but has become more impulsive because of being deployed three times. The health problems are an issue for the patient because of his relationship with the family since he would not want his children or wife fearing him. Furthermore, it is essential because of his general standing in society since his boss is concerned about keeping Mike his job.
Case Health Problems
As per the Neuman system, the nursing personnel must look at the patient as a whole, at all five parts, to achieve a sufficiently complete diagnosis. When a person becomes defensive, whether physically, mentally, or both, their lines of resistance have been breached, then the patient is trying to rid of the stressors that affect him and therefore deal with trauma. How this might manifest can be both physical and mental and therefore needs to be treated with that considered.
Health Problems: Physiological
It is evident from the case study that Mike is having trouble sleeping, often having nightmares. According to Riemann et al., different types of insomnia should be considered when diagnosing this patient (2017). In this case, insomnia results from the stress that the patient has incurred when deployed in Afghanistan. This kind of insomnia is both physiological and psychological, and the psychological part will be discussed more extendedly in the next section. Riemann et al. refer to this as pathophysiology, which refers to the disturbing nature of physiological systems due to some injury (2017). Although it is unclear from the case study whether Mike has any physical injuries that he got when deployed, it is evident that he has been affected otherwise.
Health Problems: Psychological
As mentioned above, Mike has suffered a great deal of distress and is likely suffering from PTSD. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, according to Kessler et al., is a disorder only a tiny part of the population is affected by (2017). Although a lot of people encounter stressors and traumatizing situations, only a minority develop PTSD. Nevertheless, within the formerly deployed military, PTSD is relatively common as they are typically at a higher risk of developing it (Kessler et al., 2017). Some of the symptoms of PTSD persist for years, which is why it is imperative to diagnose it promptly and begin to treat it. In Mike’s case, some of the symptoms that might point to PTSD include, but are not limited to, nightmares, flashbacks, and physiological/psychological reactivity (Fried et al., 2018). Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that the patient might have PTSD.
Health Problems: Socio-Cultural
As mentioned previously, the patient is having trouble adjusting to civil life. This poor adjustment is evident from his inability to perform well as a father and husband as he keeps exploding at his family for minor reasons. Furthermore, he is a concerning employee, and his boss is worried about the safety of Mike’s colleagues. Therefore, for Mike’s success in civil society, he needs to talk through his issues and work around his impulsivity that is a result of deployment. It is difficult to exist in a society without adhering to the often unspoken rules in today’s world. It can be difficult for someone coming from a war environment to adjust to them. Nevertheless, it is not impossible, with some effort, to help the individual – in this case, Mike – to become a functioning member of society again.
Health Problems: Developmental
As a strong parental figure, Mike has to serve as an excellent example to his children. However, his mental problems, such as the inability to process emotions and feelings healthily, detriment the development of his children. Therefore, it is crucial for the nursing staff to address this issue and to explain to Mike the consequences of his health problems. While Mike is a grown man that is not likely to have any developmental issues himself, he affects his family and should remain cautious in the ways he presents himself in front of his children. It is vital to inform the patient of his condition and to allow him to be treated accordingly. It is not impossible to affect someone’s situation by keeping them aware of how they are affected by the situations they have been a part of and helping them process the past.
Health Problems: Spiritual
Spiritually, it can be difficult for the formerly deployed military to remain calm and happy in daily life. Being regularly surrounded by death and destruction, the military adapts to the environment by acquiring a nihilistic approach to life. However, coming back to society requires the personnel to reemploy the values and beliefs that allow them to be functioning members of their community. Some examples of these might be manners, the judgment of right and wrong, or politeness towards others. In the case of Mike, he is seen to be quite rude to the people around him, which is regarded as anti-social behavior. Therefore, it is evident that he is having spiritual problems. Nevertheless, he attempts to get help for them, which is a good sign as it facilitates his eventual recovery.
References
Fried, E. I., Eidhof, M. B., Palic, S., Constantini, G., Huisman-van Dijk, H. M., Bockting, C. L. H., Engelhard, I., Armour, C., Nielsen, A. B. S., Karstoft, K.-I. (2018). Replicability and generalizability of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) networks: A cross-cultural multisite study of PTSD symptoms in four trauma patient samples.Clinical Psychological Science. Web.
Kessler, R. C, Aguilar-Gaxiola, S., Alonso, J., Benjet, C., Bromet, E. J., Cardoso, G., Degenhardt, L., de Girolamo, G., Dinolova, R. V., Ferry, F., Florescu, S., Gureje, O., Haro, J. M., Huang, Y., Karam, E. G., Kawakami, N., Lee, S., Lepine, J. P., Levinson, D., … Koenen, K. C. (2017). Trauma and PTSD in the WHO world mental health surveys.European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 8. Web.
Riemann, D., Baglioni, C., Bassetti, C., Bjorvatn, B., Groselj, L.D., Ellis, J. G., Espie, C. A., Garcia-Borreguero, D., Gjerstad, M., Gonçalves, M., Hertenstein, E., Jansson-Fröjmark, M., Jennum, P.J., Leger, D., Nissen, C., Parrino, L., Paunio, T., Pevernagie, D., Verbraecken, J., …Spiegelhalder, K. (2017). European guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of insomnia.Journal of Sleep Research. Web.