NURS 6630 Week 11: Therapy for Patients With Dementia/Alzheimer’s and Comorbid States 

NURS 6630 Week 11: Therapy for Patients With Dementia/Alzheimer’s and Comorbid States 

As a psychiatric nurse practitioner, you will frequently work with patients across the life span who may also have comorbid conditions. For instance, you may treat a 16-year-old female with Down syndrome and increasing violent behaviors; a middle-aged male with schizophrenia, diabetes, and poor lung function; or an older adult with a mental disorder, Stage 1 Alzheimer’s disease, and chronic heart disease (CHD). In cases like these, you must draw from foundational knowledge of pathophysiology and collaborate with other healthcare providers to ensure optimal safety and efficacy of psychopharmacologic therapies for patients. 

This week, as you examine therapy for patients with dementia/Alzheimer’s and comorbid states, you review psychopharmacologic approaches to treatment for these patients across the life span. You will also complete your Final Exam. 

Learning Objectives 

Students will: 

Assess psychopharmacologic approaches to treatment for patients across the life span 

 

Learning Resources 

 

Required Readings (click to expand/reduce)  

 

Gatchel, J. R., Wright, C. L., Falk, W. E., & Trinh, N. (2016). Dementia. In T. A. Stern, M. Favo, T. E. Wilens, & J. F. Rosenbaum. (Eds.), Massachusetts General Hospital psychopharmacology and neurotherapeutics (pp. 149–162). Elsevier. 

 

Angermeyer, M. C., Matschinger, H., & Schomerus, G. (2013). Attitudes towards psychiatric treatment and people with mental illness: Changes over two decades. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 203(2), 146–151. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.112.122978 

 

Bui, Q. (2012). Antidepressants for agitation and psychosis in patients with dementia. American Family Physician, 85(1), 20–22 

 

Crocker, A. G., Prokić, A., Morin, D., & Reyes, A. (2014). Intellectual disability and co-occurring mental health and physical disorders in aggressive behaviour. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 58(11), 1032–1044. https://doi.org/10.1111/jir.12080 

 

Dingfelder, S. F. (2009). Stigma: Alive and well. Monitor on Psychology, 40(6), 56-59. https://doi.org/10.1037/e542802009-028 

 

Erickson, S. C., Le, L., Zakharyan, A., Stockl, K. M., Harada, A. M., Borson, S., Ramsey, S. D., & Curtis, B. (2012). New-onset treatment-dependent diabetes mellitus and hyperlipidemia associated with atypical antipsychotic use in older adults without schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 60(3), 474–479. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-5415.2011.03842.x 

 

Jenkins, J. H. (2012). The anthropology of psychopharmacology: Commentary on contributions to the analysis of pharmaceutical self and imaginary. Culture, Medicine and Psychiatry, 36(1), 78–79. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11013-012-9248-0 

 

Malhotra, A. K., Zhang, J., & Lencz, T. (2012). Pharmacogenetics in psychiatry: Translating research into clinical practice. Molecular Psychiatry, 17(8), 760–769. https://doi.org/10.1038/mp.2011.146 

 

 

Medication Resources (click to expand/reduce)  

 

 

U.S. Food & Drug Administration. (n.d.). Drugs@FDA: FDA-approved drugs. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/daf/index.cfm 

 

Note: To access the following medications, use the Drugs@FDA resource. Type the name of each medication in the keyword search bar. Select the hyperlink related to the medication name you searched. Review the supplements provided and select the package label resource file associated with the medication you searched. If a label is not available, you may need to conduct a general search outside of this resource provided. Be sure to review the label information for each medication as this information will be helpful for your review in preparation for your Assignments. 

donepezil 
galantamine 
memantine 
rivastigmine 

 

Optional Resources (click to expand/reduce)  

 

 

Bennett, T. (2015). Changing the way society understands mental health. National Alliance on Mental Illness. http://www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/April-2015/Changing-The-Way-Society-Understands-Mental-Health 

 

Mechanic, D. (2007). Mental health services then and now. Health Affairs, 26(6), 1548–1550. https://web.archive.org/web/20170605094514/http://content.healthaffairs.org/content/26/6/1548.full 

 

Rothman, D. J. (1994). Shiny, happy people: The problem with “cosmetic psychopharmacology.” New Republic, 210(7), 34–38.  

 

Final Exam 

This exam will cover the following topics, which relate to psychopharmacologic approaches to treatment for patients across the life span: 

Therapy for Patients With Substance Dependence 
Therapy for Patients With Impulsivity, Compulsivity, and Substance Use Disorder 
Therapy for Patients With ADHD 
Therapy for Patients With Dementia/Alzheimer’s 
Therapy for Patients With Pathophysiology and Psychiatric Comorbidities 

 

Photo Credit: [Vergeles_Andrey]/[iStock / Getty Images Plus]/Getty Images 

Prior to starting the exam, you should review all of your materials. There is a 2.5-hour time limit to complete this 50-question exam. You may only attempt this exam once. 

This exam is a test of your knowledge in preparation for your certification exam. No outside resources including books, notes, websites, or any other type of resource are to be used to complete this exam. You are expected to comply with Walden University’s Code of Conduct. 

By Day 7 

Submit your Final Exam by Day 7. 

Submission Information 

Submit Your Exam by Day 7 

 

To submit your Final Exam: 

Week 11 Final Exam 

 

 

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