Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - Essay Example

The damage can be to a single blood vessel or too many blood vessels that will then be called an infarction in the brain (Beidel, Bulik, and Stanley, 2010). In contrast, 293.0 Delirium Due to a General Medical Condition is a "disturbance in consciousness that is accompanied by a change in cognition" (American Psychiatric Association, 2000, p. 136). Delirium, in this case, the cognitive disturbance has to be due to direct physiological consequences of the general medical condition (American Psychiatric Association, 2000, p. 136). Generally, delirium is brought on by a serious medical illness such as a serious infection, toxic effects of medication or AIDS (Beidel, Bulik, and Stanley, 2010). Although both of these conditions are due to serious medical conditions, delirium affects cognition because of a lengthy illness that affects the brain directly. Although Vascular Dementia also affects cognition, it is a heart problem that has to be present (American Psychiatric Association, 2000).

Hans is a 66-year-old male who is a retired mail carrier. He did his job well until he began to have challenges with his memory. Hans retired from his job five years ago because he was not able to carry out his duties correctly anymore; in fact, he began to make mistakes as he delivered the mail. At the age of 62, Hans was hiking in an area that he knew well and suddenly he was lost and could not find his way home. Soon after, he also mislaid things forgot appointments and could not find his way around anymore. His memory continued to fail as he was unable to recognize his friends and lost interest in watching television and newspapers.

 According to Biedel, Bulik, and Stanley (2010), Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a "common subtype of dementia" (p. 458), than other forms of Dementia. It certainly seems to be the one in the news most often. Because of the media attention, most people understand it and many people seem to be afraid of getting it.  Although this disease is affecting more than 4.5 million Americans and is the "fourth leading cause of death among adults" (Nevid, Rathus and Greene, 2008, p. 525), there is no cure and no way to definitively diagnose it (Nevid, Rathus and Greene, 2008).

In order to begin a diagnosis of AD, it would be helpful for the client to have a complete examination of their medical records. The first aspect is to take a clinical history of Hans' family and of his mental capacities as he has explained. In order to decide on a diagnosis of AD, other illnesses must be ruled out (Nevid, Rathus and Green, 2008). There should also be a clinical evaluation from his primary care physician. Within this clinical definition, some experts suggest that a definite diagnosis can only be done with inspection of an individual's brain tissue which can only occur with a biopsy or an autopsy (Nevid, Rathus and Greene, 2008) but a PET Scan can also be conducted to see whether there are differences in the brain. Some types of AD are controlled by medication that delays the progression of the disease. By doing this, the patient improves their quality of life, helps them manage their aggression and helps control other emotional issues (Biedel, Bulik and Greene, 2010).

The role of the counsellor in this situation would be twofold. At first, the counsellor would give support to Hans and help him receive the care he needed. As an example, Hans would need to come to terms with his AD diagnosis and the counsellor could assist in this area. The counsellor could also help him set up the necessary medical referrals to eliminate other medical conditions.

 A second role of the counsellor is to help the family adjust to the various aspects of Hans' AD he moves through it and as his memory deteriorates. The counsellor can be helpful in steering the family to the options that are needed for taking care of Hans when he cannot take care of himself. The counsellor could also help the family cope with any new mood swings that Hans has as AD progresses.