week9assign.ham c. decision tree final.

TREATING PATIENTS with ADHD Carolyn Ham 7/30/2021 Dr. De Caro INTRODUCTION 8-year-old female newly diagnosed with ADHD, ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by hyperactivity, impulsivity and difficulty maintaining attention, which persists overtime. Daydreaming and difficulty focusing on one task, excessive talking fidgeting and restlessness. Katie is my client provided in the case study brought into the clinic by her parents, seeking treatment. The purpose of this paper is to assist the treatment of ADHD for Katie and her parents and do no harm with less side effects possible. DECISION 1 I chose to start Katie on Ritalin 10 the morning. This is the most common treatment for ADHD. Ritalin is a nervous system stimulant used to treat ADHD in children and adults. It targets dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain to reduce common ADHD symptoms. (D,2018). Katie and her parents need some psychotherapy and patient teaching, before prescribing any medication. Patient teaching promotes compliance to the drugs and the treatment. I didn’t choose the Wellbutrin XL because of the suicidal thoughts and behaviors risk increase in children especially the first three months of taking the drug. Wellbutrin is an antidepressant and also has a risk for seizures in children. I didn’t choose Intuniv XR because of the side effects of low blood pressure and low heart rate with fainting spells. DECISION 2 I chose to switch to Ritalin LA 20 mg in the morning, because it is working for Katie, it just needs to last for the whole school day. Katie returned to the clinic 4 weeks later and parents reported that the teacher said Katie was doing so much better in school but in the afternoons, she began to stare off into space and daydream. Katie's parents are concerned because she said her ..............................................continued........................................................