In other words, the nurse needs to become the patient's mentor and confidant all at the same time. This requires excellent communication skills and listening skills on the part of the nurse.
Applicable Psychological Theory:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
The Cognitive Behavioral model is an amalgamation of three major psychology disciplines: behavior therapy, cognitive therapy and social psychology (Cooper & Lesser, 2008). There are a series of steps that need to be undertaken to assess or intervene using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. These are: 1) Specifying the problematic behaviors; 2) Data collection (monitoring and recording); 3) Goal setting; 4) Intervention; 5) Homework; 6) Reinforcement for Change; 7) Helping the client take credit for change; 8) Relapse prevention (Cooper & Lesser, 2008, pp. 167-168).
According to Scott (2001) "There is increasing support for the use of cognitive behaviour therapy as an adjunct to medication for patients with bipolar disorder" (p. 164). The primary goal of the use of CBT with bipolar clients is to create a feeling of acceptance of the disorder on the part of the patient. Essentially, the aim is to help the patient stop fighting against the disorder and start working with it. Scott (2001) reports that CBT has been shown to help bipolar patients get the treatment they need, both medically and therapeutically. It also helps with the self-management of symptoms and the ability to recognize signs of relapse.
The Mood Disorder Questionnaire
The Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ) is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing Bipolar Disorder Type I. According to Hirschfeld (2002) this is an excellent and easy to use instrument for diagnosing bipolar disorder in a clinical setting. He states that "The MDQ has both good sensitivity and very good specificity" (p. 10). The screening ability of the MDQ works well both in diagnosing those who have bipolar disorder and weeding out those who do not. Hirschfeld (2002) reports that 7 out...
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