A 14-year-old girl arrives at an admission interview with a therapist with the primary complaint of being recently sad, restless, and aggressive. She was raped a year ago by an unidentified attacker. Her sleep is turbulent, she has rape nightmares, her mood is depressed, and her affect is congruent and constrained. The mental status examination informs that her general appearance is average, and her emotions reveal sadness. Her mental process is rational and linear, and her mental faculties are largely intact. Her judgment and emotional regulation remain unaffected.
The differential diagnoses for the patient include major depressive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. Laboratory testing would include blood tests to screen for medical conditions that may induce depression indications and causes, such as thyroid or maybe other hormones, and occasionally calcium and vitamin D levels. A screening test can be done, which is a two-part inquiry about the client’s onset of depression and current feelings. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 is possible as a diagnostic test, which is a self-assessment and severity measure based on the present major depression clinical guidelines. The treatment plan for the girl should prescribe Prozac since it is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. This medicine is used at the start of the course and has minimum impact on the organism while dealing with sleeping and concentration issues (Mayo Clinic, 2018). The patient will communicate with a therapist to identify and eliminate disturbing ideas and judgments that lead to sadness, anger, and irritation because it will help her express suppressed thoughts and relieve her stress.
Preventing future mental health disorders is most effective from infancy and early childhood. According to research, the first indicators of mental health problems might appear in infancy, who, as well as toddlers, can be vulnerable to mental health illnesses that require therapy (Izett et al., 2021). It encompasses an infant’s capacity to enjoy, control, and express feelings, to form deep and secure social interactions, and to develop and discover about their surroundings.
References
Izett, E., Rooney, R., Prescott, S. L., de Palma, M., & McDevitt, M. (2021). Prevention of mental health difficulties for children aged 0–3 years: A review.Frontiers in Psychology, 11. Web.
Mayo Clinic. (2018). Depression (major depressive disorder). Web.