The three mental complications that include dementia, delirium, and depression have similar symptoms which make it difficult to determine the exact condition the patient suffers from (Yasin, 2013). As such, it becomes very important to learn the diagnosis procedure. Such practice helps in instilling some sense of accuracy when it comes to differentiating the three conditions (Alonso, Chatterji & He, 2013). This paper seeks to analyze a typical case study whereby the patient has presented her scenario with specific details of the condition as it represents itself symptomatically.
Reflection on Case Study 2 Patient’s Presentation
The case under analysis is the second one which involves an old woman at the age of 78 and taken care by her husband. Her husband brings her to a clinician following a gradual increase in forgetfulness and levels of irritability. According to the description, the woman has been showing these two symptoms for the last 3 months although the condition showed up some years ago especially in regard to the issue of memory loss. The memory loss is manifested both in short term and long term versions mixed with signs of anxiousness. In some cases in point, the patient boils a pot dry, forgets the purse, and becomes anxious that her children would steal from her leaving nothing. Importantly, she shows signs of becoming irritable when people around her tells her anything about her condition. Besides, there are past cases of hypothyroidism and cancer which have been treated successfully. In light of treating these diseases and others, the patient has taken some drugs such as Synthroid, ibuprofen, and Benadryl among others.
Analysis on the Presence of Depression, Dementia, or Delirium
Based on the preliminary analysis on the symptoms presented in the case above, there is a high likelihood that the patient is suffering from dementia. This proposition, which is essentially hypothetical, is based on the close analysis of the expected symptoms for all the three conditions including delirium, dementia, and depression with a view to eliminate one by one. It was evident that the patient’s memory has been deteriorating gradually which is one of the characteristics of dementia. This is an implication that the memory has been deteriorating at the rate in which the disease continues to take root. In addition to this, the patient has shown mild impairment of attention and mental stability. This is the same thing that has been seen to happen in dementia theoretically as the stages of the disease progress (O'Brien, Kennedy & Ballard, 2013). Now, the possibilities of the patient having delirium or depression are reduced by the fact that delirium’s impairment of memory and stability is usually fast and fatal. On the other hand depression’s level of stability and memory is mild as compared to dementia.
Concerns for Further Evaluations
A further evaluation should be conducted in relation to the condition and the presentation of the patient. This evaluation should be done from two critical perspectives and fronts. The first one should answer the question of whether the drugs taken to cure hypothyroidism and relieve back pain could be leading to increased bodily toxicity that is depressing the body de-toxication systems and hence over-engaging the brain. The second analysis should be done to obtain an accurate determination on whether the condition is a case of developing depression or dementia at late stages.
References
Alonso, J., Chatterji, S., & He, Y. (2013). The burdens of mental disorders: global perspectives from the WHO World Mental Health Surveys. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
O'Brien, P. G., Kennedy, W. Z., & Ballard, K. A. (2013). Psychiatric mental health nursing: an introduction to theory and practice. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Yasin, S. (2013). Mental Health Awareness. Cork: BookBaby.
