Respond to the following posts:

Post 1: joshmeet singh

Hello Everyone,

In this weekàdiscussion post, I will be going over the diagnosis that I believe may apply to this patient and the medications I recommend that can be used to treat this disorder. To start off, the diagnosis I would apply to this patient is bipolar 1 disorder. This disorder is defined by manic episodes that last at least 7 days or by manic symptoms that are severe that the patient needs hospital care immediately; depressive episodes can occur as well which last about 2 weeks (Bipolar Disorder, 2023). Symptoms of manic episodes include feeling very high or irritable, decreased need for sleep, talking very fast about different things or flight of ideas, feelings of grandiose, and risk-taking behaviors; symptoms of depressive episodes include feeling very sad, feeling slowed down, trouble sleeping or sleeping too much, talking very slowly, trouble concentrating, lack of interest in activities, feelings of worthlessness (Bipolar Disorder, 2023). This patient is having an episode of mania due to the symptoms he is exhibiting. The classification of medication that I would use to treat bipolar 1 disorder would be to use a mood stabilizer. The first medication I would recommend would be lithium since it has been used for many years to treat bipolar disorder, episodes of mania, and even prevent suicide; however, it can prove harmful to the kidneys which is why creatinine, GFR, and sodium tests should be run before starting the patient on this medication (Stahl, 2021). Another medication that would be useful is valproate, this is proven effective for acute manic phases of bipolar disorder and is used long-term to prevent the recurrence of mania (Stahl, 2021).

References:

Stahl, S. M. (2021). StahlàEssential Psychopharmacology: Neuroscientific Basis and Practical Applications (5th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

Bipolar Disorder. (2023). National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/bipolar-dis…

Post 2: Norqueta Hardeman 

What classifications of medications can be used to treat this disorder?  Which medication do you recommend and why?

I would begin with a mood stabilizer medication, as it appears Sam is having a manic episode.  Lithium is great mood stabilizer.  Lithium helps reduce the severity and frequency of mania 4he elevated, euphoric end of the mood scale !nd may help to treat bipolar depression (Lithium 2020).  Lithium also help manic episodes from returning.  Lithium is also safe to take for long periods of time.  Lithium is considered the goal standard of medication for bi polar, meaning is the first line of medication practitioneràuse for this disease.

Bipolar DSM-5 Diagnostic Criteria for Professionals – Psycom. 2020, https://pro.psycom.net/assessment-diagnosis-adhere… to an external site..

Lithium (2020) healthdirect. Healthdirect Australia. Available at: https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/lithium#:~:text=Lithium%20helps%20reduce%20the%20severity,episodes%20occurring%20in%20the%20future. (Accessed: February 4, 2023).