After assessing and diagnosing a patient, PMHNPs must take into consideration special characteristics of the patient before determining an appropriate course of treatment. For pharmacological treatments that are not FDA-approved for a particular use or population, off-label use may be considered when the potential benefits could outweigh the risks.
In this Discussion, you will investigate a specific disorder and determine potential appropriate treatments for when it occurs in an older adult or pregnant woman.
• Choose one of the two following specific populations: either pregnant women or older adults. Then, select a specific disorder from the DSM-5-TR to use.
• Use the Walden Library to research evidence-based treatments for your selected disorder in your selected population (either older adults or pregnant women). You will need to recommend one FDA-approved drug, one non-FDA-approved “off-label” drug, and one nonpharmacological intervention for treating the disorder in that population.
• Recommend one FDA-approved drug, one off-label drug, and one nonpharmacological intervention for treating your chosen disorder in older adults or pregnant women.
• Explain the risk assessment you would use to inform your treatment decision making. What are the risks and benefits of the FDA-approved medicine? What are the risks and benefits of the off-label drug?
• Explain whether clinical practice guidelines exist for this disorder, and if so, use them to justify your recommendations. If not, explain what information you would need to take into consideration.
• Support your reasoning with at least three current, credible scholarly resources, one each on the FDA-approved drug, the off-label, and a nonpharmacological intervention for the disorder.
For the purpose of formulating a sample response structure and finding general information, I will select:
Population: Older Adults
Disorder (from DSM-5-TR): Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)
I will structure my search to find evidence-based treatments and guidelines for MDD in older adults, focusing on the three required intervention types.
Initial Search Strategy:
What are the clinical practice guidelines for Major Depressive Disorder in older adults?
What is an FDA-approved drug for Major Depressive Disorder in older adults and its risks/benefits?
What is a common off-label medication used for depression in older adults and its risks/benefits?
What are evidence-based nonpharmacological interventions for Major Depressive Disorder in older adults?
Since the prompt explicitly directs the user to use the Walden Library to research and select their specific resources, I will simulate the research process by generating relevant searches to guide the user and provide a structured framework for their final answer.
I will use the Google Search tool to find high-level information that would inform the student's subsequent focused library research and assignment completion. This response is a framework designed to guide a PMHNP student through the required elements of the discussion prompt. It selects a specific disorder and population and provides evidence-based examples for each treatment category, along with the necessary risk/benefit and guideline considerations, which the student must then support with their own specific, peer-reviewed, and current resources from the Walden Library.
Sample Answer
This is a detailed, multi-part assignment that requires researching and selecting a specific disorder and population (pregnant women or older adults), and then recommending and justifying a treatment plan including an FDA-approved drug, an off-label drug, and a nonpharmacological intervention. I will need to use the Walden Library (as specified in the prompt) to find scholarly resources, which I cannot directly access. However, I can perform a general search to identify the relevant clinical practice guidelines, potential treatment options, and risks/benefits for a hypothetical scenario to provide a structured answer that meets all the prompt's requirements.This is a detailed, multi-part assignment that requires researching and selecting a specific disorder and population (pregnant women or older adults), and then recommending and justifying a treatment plan including an FDA-approved drug, an off-label drug, and a nonpharmacological intervention. I will need to use the Walden Library (as specified in the prompt) to find scholarly resources, which I cannot directly access. However, I can perform a general search to identify the relevant clinical practice guidelines, potential treatment options, and risks/benefits for a hypothetical scenario to provide a structured answer that meets all the prompt's requirements.