Betty Drucker, a 76-year-old woman, was experiencing sad mood, diminished interest in pleasurable activities, excessive worries about her finances, feelings of insecurity when interacting with others, and difficulties in concentration and word finding. She had reduced her social interactions, stopped going to her senior citizens center, and dropped out of her weekly card game because she could not concentrate or memorize her cards. She had lost 7 pounds in the prior 2 months, and her sleep was interrupted by periods of insomnia with agonizing ruminations. This was the first time she had experienced any psychiatric symptoms.
Ms. Drucker had hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and a history of coronary occlusion for which she had received a stent. She was taking hydrochlorothiazide, the angiotensin receptor inhibitor olmesartan, atorvastatin, and low-dose aspirin. She had smoked half a pack of cigarettes per day for about 30 years.
On examination, Ms. Drucker was disheveled and appeared drained of energy. She took a long time to respond to questions. She had a depressed, anxious mood and a sad affect, and was preoccupied with her finances but could be temporarily reassured. She complained of forgetfulness; she was able to recall two out of four objects in 3 minutes and recognized a third when given several choices. In 1 minute, she could think of 14 items available in a supermarket. She failed to cluster items of similar kind. Ms. Drucker had difficulty producing a list of vegetables alternating with items of clothing; she produced 12 correct responses and 4 errors. She spaced the hours unequally in drawing a clock but placed the hands correctly. Her Mini-Mental State Examination score was 24. She gave 22 correct responses over 1 minute in the Stroop Test, which measures “response inhibition” by asking the person to identify the color of ink in which incongruous words are written (e.g., the word “RED” written in blue ink).
A neurological examination was essentially noncontributory. A CT head scan revealed pronounced periventricular and subcortical white matter hyperintensities.
Select at least six current original research articles published within the last five years to support your treatment plan. For each article, place each article reference in APA format and write a summary that includes a) the purpose of the research, b) sample information, c) statistical significant or trustworthy results related to your practice change, d) recommendations made by the author(s), and e) your personal comments about the quality of the article. Submit this assignment using the respective link by the due date in Blackboard. References should be within 5 years.Sample Solution