4 hours ago 5. A clinic nurse assesses a new Latino patient who repeatedly reports feeling nervous and having headaches. No organic pathology is present. The symptoms began about 3 years ago when the patient's parent died. Select the nurse's best first action. a. Explore the patient's grief. b. Encourage the patient to take frequent rest periods. >> Go To The Portal
So did 13 percent of Mexican Americans and 10 percent of Cuban Americans. 1 However, only 20 percent of Latinos with a mental disorder talk about it with a primary care physician, according to the U.S. Surgeon General’s report, Mental Health: Culture, Race, and Ethnicity. 2 And only 10 percent pursue treatment from a mental health provider.
“Mental health issues have a stigma 3 in the Latino community,” says psychiatrist Diana Lorenzo, MD, of Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Behavioral Health. “Many Latinos would prefer to ignore these conditions over talking about them openly.” Originally from Argentina, Dr. Lorenzo completed her psychiatry residency at Cleveland Clinic.
The nurse begins the mental status examination and finds that the patient's speech is dysarthric and that she is lethargic. The nurse's best approach regarding this examination is to:
A patient is admitted to the unit after an automobile accident. The nurse begins the mental status examination and finds that the patient's speech is dysarthric and that she is lethargic. The nurse's best approach regarding this examination is to:
had depression symptoms. So did 13 percent of Mexican Americans and 10 percent of Cuban Americans. 1. However, only 20 percent of Latinos with ...
Schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and similar severe mental illnesses are especially stigmatizing — labeled “locura” (Spanish for “craziness”) by many Latinos. More common disorders, such as depression and anxiety, are regarded as merely “nervios” (“nervousness”) and perceived as short-term, easier to treat and not requiring medication. As such, Dr. Lorenzo is cautious about recommending pharmacotherapy to her patients. 4 “Latinos tend to view psychotherapy as more acceptable,” she says. “If appropriate, I often recommend that first, then add medication later if needed.”
Communication is essential to diagnosing mental disorders, so understanding what patients are expressing is critical. Using an interpreter may help, but a psychiatrist who speaks the patient’s native language — and can interpret cultural nuances and jargon — is often most effective, says Dr. Lorenzo.
Since Latinos with a mental health concern are twice as likely to consult a PCP rather than a mental health provider, collaborating with primary care clinics is vital to reaching this population. “Latinos typically won’t claim they’ve had a panic attack, for example, but they will report the somatic symptoms, like chest pain and shortness of breath,” says Dr. Lorenzo. “PCPs are the ones to identify the psychological root of the symptoms and refer patients for appropriate care.”
Latinos have strong family networks, says Dr. Lorenzo. Family support can help alleviate the stigma of a mental disorder and embolden patients to address it. “I encourage my patients to bring their parent, spouse or child to their appointments,” she says. “Sharing information with family members increases their understanding of the disease and helps them better support the patient.”
4.It is usually necessary to perform a complete mental status examination to get a good idea of the patient's level of functioning. ANS: 2. The full mental status examination is a systematic check of emotional and cognitive functioning. The steps described here, though, rarely need to be taken in their entirety.
As the nurse beings the mental status portion of the assessment, the nurse expects that this patient: 1.will have no decrease in any of his abilities, including response time. 2.will have difficulty on tests of remote memory because this typically decreases with age.
Delirium is a disturbance of consciousness (i.e. , reduced clarity of awareness of the environment) with reduced ability to focus, sustain, or shift attention. It is also a change in cognition (such as memory deficit, disorientation, language disturbance) or the development of a perceptual disturbance.
1.A patient's family is the best resource for information about the patient's coping skills. 2.It is usually sufficient to gather mental status information during the health history interview. 3.It takes an enormous amount of extra time to integrate the mental status examina- tion into the health history interview.
2.Mental disorders occur in response to everyday life stressors. 3.Mental status functioning is inferred through assessment of an individual's behaviors. 4.Mental status can be assessed directly, just like other systems of the body (e.g., cardiac and breath sounds).
Mental status cannot be scrutinized directly like the characteristics of skin or heart sounds. Its functioning is inferred through assessment of an individual's behavior. The nurse is assessing mental status in children.
Rationale: Performing a complete mental status examination is necessary when any abnormality in affect or behavior is discovered or when family members are concerned about a person's behavioral changes (e.g., memory loss, inappropriate social interaction) or after trauma, such as a head injury.
Rationale: Mental status cannot be directly scrutinized like the characteristics of skin or heart sounds. Its functioning is inferred through an assessment of an individual's behaviors, such as consciousness, language, mood and affect, and other aspects.
Level of consciousness and cognitive abilities. D. Rationale: Delirium is a disturbance of consciousness (i.e., reduced clarity of awareness of the environment) with reduced ability to focus, sustain, or shift attention. Delirium is not an alteration in mood, affect, or language abilities.