Psychosis

Instructions

Hello again. Here is the post for week 12’s reply.

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Good afternoon, Dr. Fagan and classmates!

First of all, I would like to thank Dr. Fagan for an incredible learning experience this semester. I feel so much more confident in my ability to interpret research articles now and have already utilized this skill in my work as a mental health nurse. In this week’s discussion board post, we are invited to briefly summarize our research project. My PICOT question was: will adult (age 18+) patients who experience their first onset of psychosis (or first psychotic break) experience greater improvement of the symptoms and effects of psychosis when participating in comprehensive first-episode psychosis programs over the next one-year period than those who receive a more traditional treatment regimen of medication and/or therapy alone?

I chose a qualitative study for my research design, gathering a sample of patients from two cohorts: those participating in first-episode psychosis programs, and those who are receiving traditional (or usual) care in the community. I would then obtain a rich set of data by conducting a series of semi-structured interviews with each cohort to gather information about their lived experiences of recovery and symptom remission over the year following the type of treatment they received.

I would then engage in thematic analysis, looking for themes and patterns from which I could extrapolate conclusions regarding the effectiveness of the two individual treatment styles. In particular, I would examine the utilization of each group of emergency intervention and inpatient hospitalization services as metrics. To disseminate my results, I would create informational posters that could be displayed in treatment centers and community health clinics, as well as at conferences and seminars. The findings of my study stand to be impactful for families of those experiencing their first psychotic breaks as well as for providers looking to help their clients.

Solution

Response: Psychosis

I am glad about your research study, which focuses on psychosis. Your PICOT question states: will adult (age 18+) patients who experience their first onset of psychosis (or first “psychotic break”) experience greater improvement of the symptoms and effects of psychosis when participating in comprehensive first-episode psychosis programs over the next one-year period than those who receive a more traditional treatment regimen of medication and/or therapy alone?.

I am also glad you were clear regarding the study design, which you stated would be qualitative. Just to add something, I like the topic because it tries to address a contemporary health problem. Psychosis leads to a bad influence on individuals’ health. Psychosis occurs when people lose some contact with legality (NHS, 2022). The two major symptoms of the mental disorder include hallucinations and delusions. Hallucinations describe situations where the person sees, hears, smells, or feels things that do not exist. On the other hand, delusions occur when the patient develops strong beliefs that do not exist (NHS, 2022).

These issues can have negative impacts on one’s relationship, occupation, education, or any other important functional area of an individual.You mentioned comprehensive first-episode psychosis programs as the intervention under investigation. The program is designed to help patients, and their families, navigate through the first episode of psychosis by offering them education regarding psychosis and resilient coping skills (UNLV, 2022).

The program involves assisting the patients to stabilize their psychotic symptoms. First-episode psychosis program also focuses on assisting individuals in maintaining interpersonal relationships, improving their quality of life, and achieving their educational and employment aspirations (UNLV, 2022). Therefore, I feel that your proposed intervention could be effective in helping patients diagnosed with psychosis.

References

NHS. (2022). Overview – Psychosis. https://www.nhs.uk/mentalhealth/conditions/psychosis/overview/#:~:text=Psychosis%20is%20when%20people%20lose,not%20actually%20true%20(delusions)
UNLV. (2022). First Episode Psychosis (FEP) Program. https://www.unlv.edu/medicine/fep

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