Treatment of Eating Disorders in Nursing - Case Study Example

Topic: Case Study for eating disorder in Nursing Name: Registration No: Institution: Tutor: Date of Submission: TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.Introduction 2 2.Mental Health, Mental illness and Principles of recovery 3 3.Nexus between Mental health and physical health 4 3.1.Screening, assessment and Treatment 5 3.2.Designing organizational models for Mental and physical health care needs 6 4.Recognizing and responding to metal and physical health needs of the person 6 5.Implications for practice as a health professional 7 5.1.Responsibilities of registered nurses to the person in the case study 7 5.2.Resources and barriers that may have an impact on the person in the case study 7 6.Conclusion 8 7.References 8 1. Introduction This paper provides strategies for assisting a person who has an eating disorder by investigating mental health conditions of the patient so that measures can be taken to correct the eating habit of the patient. The patient in this case study is Nadia, a 23 years old law student who has dieted since she was 14 years. Due to increased reduction in her weight, her parents have been concerned about her medical situation and it has been necessary to determine mental health status as well as physical status of the patient that have had an impact on the manner in which she diets. The scope of this paper is to investigate the relationship between mental health and physical health with its relevance to the case study. In addition, it involves investigation of methods that can be used to respond to mental and physical health of the person in the case study. This is achieved by investigating mental health concerns that need to be addressed so that the patient is convinced to eat rightly. Finally, it provides an implication of the case study and also the topic to the practice of health profession. This involves investigation of the roles that health professionals need to be involved in so that patients are advised to eat the right amount of food that ensures their bodies remain normal. 2. Mental Health, Mental illness and Principles of recovery Mental health refers to a state where a person is able to make the right decisions and also behave in a normal manner (Buckworth and Buckworth 2013). It is a state where a person uses mental ability to act in a mature manner so that the well-being of the individual is improved. Mental health of Nadia in the case study can be described as the ability to make decisions regarding the right nutrition so that she maintains a normal body weight and height. This is because the fact that she is involved in anorexia nervosa is a decision aimed at reducing the actual body size that she should not have. This has resulted into a number of impacts such as cardiac malfunctions as has been illustrated by the results of ECG tests. Mental illness is the opposite of mental health and is a situation where a person does not make the right decisions as a result of wrong decision due to mental inability to make the right decisions (Clow and Edmunds 2014). Usually, a person who has mental illness makes decisions that are detrimental to their physical and psychological well-being. In the case study, it can be observed that the person being studied has mental illness. This is because she makes decisions that are not beneficial to the well-being of her body, but rather makes decisions that result into improper functioning of her body. For instance, her decision to eat less amount of food has resulted into low eight which has impacted on her heart beat as illustrated by the ECG results which recommended that she should attend cardiology department. This is because; her mental position was that she should lose weight irrespective of the negative impacts of the act. Principles of recovery refers to all measures that are taken to assist a person experiencing mental illness such as psychiatric measures so that the person can apply the right decisions in performing activities that affect his or her life (Carless and Douglas 2010). In the case study, various methods have been used to determine recovery of Nadia from eating disorder condition. The first approach that has been used is to perform ECG tests on her followed by referring her to a cardiology department where she would be attended to in a number of ways so that she can recover from the illness. In addition, various counseling sessions are relevant towards accomplishing recovery objectives. 3. Nexus between Mental health and physical health There are many ways in which mental health of a person is related to physical health (Goldberg 2010). This is because, when the mental status of a person is normal, it is possible to make decisions which result into effective treatment of the body so that normal physical health of the body can be achieved. Growing into adulthood and aging is also a process that is dependent on geed mental health. This is because when mental state of a person is not normal, there are possibilities of developing illnesses such as heart diseases or diabetes and increased level of depression or other forms of mental illnesses that can result into premature death compared with another person who is undergoing similar illness. Those who are in their later stages of life such as older adults are exposed to a number of risky physical disorders that include heart diseases, pulmonary illnesses and infectious illnesses that can have an impact on a person’s life expectancy (Clow and Edmunds 2014). Generally, there is a strong nexus between physical health and mental health and a person cannot be healthy when mental health is not right. This shows that during delivery of healthcare, professionals involved in provision of these services must ensure both physical and mental care needs of patients are observed. In the case study, it is required that during the process of assisting Nadia to overcome her eating disorder habit, it is important to ensure mental care is provided to determine whether she is undergoing any mental problems so that this problem is rectified and she is enabled to make reasonable decisions (Goldberg 2010). Despite the fact that physical and mental capability declines by age, mental and physical health are conditions that are directly related and when a person’s mental status is not right, there is s high chance of a diminished physical health. Mental and physical health can be integrated into medical practice in a number of ways. For instance, it can involve the study of substance use that alters the decisions of a person to participate in a particular activity that has an impact on that person’s physical health. A number of professionals in the health care departments have observed the need for providing treatment whenever a person has mental illness through provision of prescription of medications or ensuring the affected person attends a health professional treatment session (In Schultz and In Rogers 2011). It has also been observed that those who have been refereed to practitioners in mental health have not been observant in ensuring they make the appointments with the practitioners. For instance, it has been observed that in some cases, they do not make the subsequent appointments with the people to whom they have been referred. This has had an impact on their recovery. This is because when mental illness has not been cured, it is difficult to cure physical illness. This results into the conclusion that in order to have the right physical health, a person must have the right mental health. This is because the decision that a person makes regarding the right amount of food to eat is based on the decision made by the person. This results into the manner in which the patient‘s physical health becomes (Rogers and Pilgrim 2010). This decision cannot be made if the patient does not have the right mental health. There are various ways in which mental health and physical health can be combined so that the patient can be cured of the illness. Some of the ways include the following: 3.1. Screening, assessment and Treatment Present literature on treatment of chronic illnesses requires that a patient should be screened for mental disorders such as depression. Various screening instruments can be used to achieve this objective. These include patient questionnaire, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale for patients suffering from anxiety and Test-C for abuse of alcohol. However, it is required that screening should be combined with other activities such as interviewing the patient to establish the existence of an illness (Clow and Edmunds 2014). Through first impressions, it is possible to get an accurate view with time thus, it is required that diagnosis should not be left out. However, treatment can be provided in a variety of ways through individual involvement in provision of care. It is also required that primary health care providers should cooperate with mental health professionals so that the right diagnosis and treatment can be determined for a patient. In order to achieve this, they can engage in telephone communication rather than communicating in person if it is not possible to come into contact with a mental health professional. In addition, professionals involved in primary health care provision can collaborate with managers so that they can follow up and establish whether there are any side effects as a result of provision of medication to a patient. This can be achieved through problem-solving therapy. A number of evidence-based approaches can be used to achieve this objective such as improving the patient’s mood and promotion of Access to Collaborative Treatment IMPACT (Johnson 2010). The patient can also be referred to a professional involved in provision of mental care but this is not always effective. The main goal is to make a linkage rather than a referral. It is required that care should be both primary and screening by professionals involved in the activity such as cardiologists, neurologists and endocrinologists. This ensures patients are provided with mental health care that is important in eliminating the disabling impacts of the illnesses (Karban 2011). However, most specialists rely on referrals which culminate in inability to connect with professionals involved in provision of good mental health services. 3.2. Designing organizational models for Mental and physical health care needs Various organizational models can be used to integrate physical and mental health care services during primary health care activities (Goldberg 2010). There are those that emerge during medical practice such as coordination, integration of teams and co-location. In terms of co-location, mental and physical health providers can be based in a single place. This creates an opportunity for these professionals to coordinate their activities and ensure the difficulties experienced by the patient are shared. It should be noted that co-location can contribute a great deal but adequate amount of time should be allocated for coordination among health care professionals. Furthermore, the use of hand-off approach can be significant in ensuring doctor-patient coordination is achieved. Coordination can be carried out when professionals involved in medical care provision communicate with each other so that provision of health care is coordinated (Wiederhold 2012). Electronic records can be used to achieve this objective. But whether the form of communication takes place through telephone conversation, face to face communication or the use of electronic records the accomplishment of coordination tasks takes time. During provision of mental and physical health care services, consultations are also carried out. This is where a single professional asks another to take part in diagnosis process and provision of treatment services when one professional does not have the competence to perform that task (Buckworth and Buckworth 2013). Professionals involved in treatment of chronic illnesses engage in asking psychiatric consultations that can result into referrals. 4. Recognizing and responding to metal and physical health needs of the person There are a number of actions that can be taken to respond to mental and physical health conditions of Nadia in the case study. For instance, mental health can be understood by asking her to attend a session where she will be interviewed on any psychiatric problems she has experienced. In addition, she will be counseled on the decisions she needs to make regarding her diets so that she does not involve herself in anorexia nervosa. In terms of Nadia’s physical health, the action that can be taken is to assist her understand that she is eating below the expected amount of food she is supposed to eat and advised to eat the right amount of food. She should also be informed that as a result of her involvement in anorexia nervosa, she has developed irregular heart rates as was illustrated by the ECG outcome. She should be informed that the ECG outcomes are illustrations that can affect her life and she can suffer from conditions such as heart failure if she does not eat the right amount of food. During the provision of mental and physical health support to Nadia, various professionals should be involved. For instance the cardiologist should be involved in assessing the functions of her heart, a nutritionist should be involved in ascertaining whether she is eating the right amount of food and a psychiatric should determine whether her mind is sound so that she can make the right decision regarding her nutritional needs. The functions of these professionals can be facilitated through consultations amongst themselves. 5. Implications for practice as a health professional 5.1. Responsibilities of registered nurses to the person in the case study From the case study, registered nurses have a significant role to play to ensure the needs of the patient are addressed. For instance, registered nurses can ensure the patient is provided with care and support in the areas of difficulties such as medications that are aimed at performing a relevant function to the patient (Carless and Douglas 2010). In addition, registered nurses must ensure care is provided to the patient and the patient is not subjected to physical or psychological harm. 5.2. Resources and barriers that may have an impact on the person in the case study In order to provide services to Nadia, registered nurses will use s number of resources. For instance, they will use counseling services to counsel the patient regarding the right amounts of food that needs to be taken by the patient. In addition, they need to use ECG facilities to test heart functions of Nadia’s heart so that any irregularity can be determined. Another resource that can be important is the services of a mental health professional that can provide a report about her state of mind and ability to make the right decision regarding her health (Clow and Edmunds 2014). However, during the process of using these resources, there are a number of barriers that may be encountered. For instance, there may be unwillingness of the patient to cooperate with the nurses in assisting her overcome her eating disorder problem, there may be difficulty in orienting the patient to stop eating less food and in some cases, the patient may not be willing to attend some of the sessions aimed at assisting her overcome her eating disorder problem (Goldberg 2010). This will have a great impact on the outcome of the effort to ensure she develops the right eating habits. 6. Conclusion This paper shows that there is a strong relationship between physical health and mental health. This is because when a person has an abnormal mental health such as depression, there is a high chance that physical health can be affected. In the case study, the mental health of the patient is based on her ability to make the right decision. It is observed that she is unable to make the right decision regarding the amou8nof food she should eat. This has resulted into her low weight and heart problems as has been illustrated by the ECG results. Thus, it is concluded that while providing health services, mental and physical health of a person should be a matter of high concern among medical practitioners. 7. References Buckworth, J., & Buckworth, J. 2013. Exercise psychology. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. Carless, D., & Douglas, K. 2010. Sport and Physical Activity for Mental Health. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons. Clow, A., & Edmunds, S. 2014. Physical activity and mental health. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. Goldberg D. 2010. The detection and treatment of depression in the physically ill. World Psychiatry, Vol. 9, February, pp. 16-20. In Schultz, I. Z., & In Rogers, E. S. 2011. Work accommodation and retention in mental health. Rogers, A., & Pilgrim, D. 2010. A sociology of mental health and illness. Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill Open University Press. Johnson, W. E. 2010. Social work with African American males: Health, mental health, and social policy. New York: Oxford University Press Karban, K. 2011. Social work and mental health. Cambridge: Polity Press. Wiederhold, B. K. 2012. Pain syndromes - from recruitment to returning troops: Wounds of war IV. Amsterdam [etc.: IOS Press. Read More