WORKING THERAPEUTICALLY WITH A PATIENT

Working Therapeutically With A Patient

Working Therapeutically With A Patient

INTRODUCTION

This assignment will discuss an individual patient encountered whilst on placement in an acute ward setting for the last 20 years at a hospital in the UK. For the purpose of this assignment, all location names and the names of patients and staff have been changed in order to maintain confidentiality in accordance with Code of Professional Conduct. For the purpose of this assignment the patient will be called 'Elizabeth'.  Elizabeth is a 55 year old well educated woman of healthy physique, standing tall with blonde hair and striking features,  with a medical history of depression dating back over the last 25 years.  Elizabeth had previously spent time on the depression ward during reoccurring bouts of depression and anxiety.  The service provision of the ward is the assessment and treatment of acute mental health problems.  The client group profiles of the ward, are working age adults between the ages of 18 - 65. The ward is a mixed gender ward with 18 beds staffed with qualified Mental Health Nurses, Psychiatrists and Health Care Workers.

The assignment will commence with a brief description of the illness  and effects of the illness on the patient, her family and friends being fully researched.  Characteristics of the illness, and aspects of the illness are present in the individual in question will also be examined.  The stigma attached to mental illness will be examined in detail, while other aspects will be outlined briefly.

This assignment will highlight how a therapeutic relationship was built up during the course of the placement, how this increased an understanding of the illness and it's affect on those who live with it.

Finally the assignment will conclude, with a reflection of the time at placement and the how the relationship ended with the patient and will examine any ethical considerations encountered. This is important so that any further studies which are to be conducted in the said matter are possible keeping in view of my research.

 

DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY

The WHO ICD10 and DSM-IV classifications (WHO, Geneva, 1993) of depression and anxiety are comprehensive and specific in that they are self explanatory of the state that the patient is going through in the illness; these are characterised by persistent sadness or low mood which is consistent from day to day often feeling worse in the morning.  Other characteristics include loss of interest or pleasure, poor concentration and indecisiveness and poor or increased appetite.  Symptoms are often vague and are brought to the attention of the GP by worried relatives who know the patient is 'not right'.  Using the ICD-10 and DSM-IV guidelines of WHO, Geneva (1993) doctor or Psychiatrist will determine the level of depression, depending on the number and the severity of the symptoms.

 

Impact on the patient

In 2009 Elizabeth had 3 admissions to hospital, all relating to low self esteem, anxiety and depression.  As confirmed by WHO (2001) “A recurrence rate on recovery from a first episode is estimated at around 35 percent within ...