Assessing and Treating Clients with ADHD
NURS 6630: Psychopharmacologic Approaches to Treatment of Psychopathology
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, Managing Care for Patients with ADHD 2
Introduction
Attention, deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), is a disease process where the
individual which is characterized by inattentive, hyperactive and impulsive. According to the
DSM-V manual (2013), ADHD may be classified into three subcategories of these symptoms
which can be: the patient may not be paying attention, the hyperactive type may be overly
impulsive, fidgety, squirmy or active and most commonly, the patient may have both
characteristics. Individuals with this disorder usually present within six months or more, and the
disease typically occurs in children ages 6-12 years old. The cause of ADHD is not entirely
known, but it can be attributed to combination to genetic factors, and environmental factors that
lead to lower amounts the neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine (Stahl, 2013).
Treatments for ADHD involve behavioral psychotherapy and the use of medications such as
stimulants.
Summary of patient Case
The patient’s name is Katie; she is an 8-year-old Caucasian female who is brought to the
office today by her mother & father. They report that they were referred to the Psychiatric
Mental Health Nurse practitioner (PMHNP) by their primary care provider after seeking her
advice because Katie’s teacher suggested that she may have ADHD. Katie’s parents report that
their PCP felt that she should be evaluated by psychiatry to determine whether or not she has this
condition. The parents give the PMHNP a copy of a form titled “Conner’s Teacher Rating Scale-
Revised.” This scale was filled out by Katie’s teacher and sent home to the parents so that they
could share it with their family primary care provider. According to the scoring provided by her
teacher, Katie is inattentive, easily distracted, forgets things she already learned, is poor in
spelling, reading, and arithmetic. Her attention span is short, and she is noted to only pay
attention to things she is interested in. The teacher opined that she lacks interest in school work
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