A 42-year-old male reports pain in his lower back for the past month. The pain sometimes radiates to his left leg. In determining the cause of the back pain, based on your knowledge of anatomy, what nerve roots might be involved? How would you test for each of them? What other symptoms need to be explored? What are your differential diagnoses for acute low back pain? Consider the possible origins using the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) guidelines as a framework. What physical examination will you perform? What special maneuvers will you perform?

With regard to the case study you were assigned:

• Review this week’s Learning      Resources, and consider the insights they provide about the case study.
• Consider what history would be necessary to collect from the patient in the case study you were      assigned.
• Consider what physical exams and diagnostic tests would be appropriate to gather more information about      the patient’s condition. How would the results be used to make a      diagnosis?
• Identify at least      five possible conditions that may be considered in a differential      diagnosis for the patient.

Note: Before you submit your initial post, replace the subject line (“Discussion – Week 8”) with “Review of Case Study ___.” Fill in the blank with the number of the case study you were assigned.

By Day 3 of Week 8

Post an episodic/focused note about the patient in the case study to which you were assigned using the episodic/focused note template provided in the Week 5 resources. Provide evidence from the literature to support diagnostic tests that would be appropriate for each case. List five different possible conditions for the patient’s differential diagnosis, and justify why you selected each. 

A Disease of Obsession

• Provide two examples of how symptoms of a co-occurring disorder may influence efforts to stop the abuse of a substance.
• Describe the symptoms and how substance abuse or an addictive behavior might temporarily counteract the symptoms of the co-occurring disorder.
• Explain how the development of a ritual around substance abuse or addictive behavior can be used to strengthen an addiction or be used to treat an addiction.
• Explain why the type of substance or other obsession is relevant when it comes to the disease of addiction itself.
• Describe three examples of how an individual’s addiction might impact others or society.

Addiction is a disease of the mind, a disease of obsession, and a disease of isolation. The role of a particular substance, whether it is alcohol, opiates, marijuana, gambling, food, or sex, is merely the symptom of the disease, not the disease itself. Any substance has the potential to be abused due to the addiction disease itself. Many naively believe that merely removing the substance from the addicted person will “cure them.” If the disease of addiction were that simple, this disease would not be a rampant social problem.

“The idea of addiction being a neurological disorder is critical to understanding its development and the recovery process” (Recovery Connection, n. d.). There are a variety of reasons and opportunities that support people with addiction seeking help. Whether from internal turmoil and conflict, outside interventions, or a combination of both, clients will seek to stop the addiction cycle. The goal is to develop a healthier lifestyle called recovery. It may take months, years, or decades before this process leads to the path of recovery (Recovery Connection n. d.). 

Begin maintaining your log in week one of the course.  Because you have been documenting clinical log time each week, it would be beneficial if you copy and paste that time into the final clinical log.  Just be sure to include descriptive detail so we can understand and credit you the time.?

All students are to keep a log of hours that are spent working with the preceptor and the implementation of their project in NRSE 4600. This log must tally a total of 21 true hours. You must account for lunch and breaks, these are not to be counted in your 21 hours (federal and state laws require that you take lunch breaks, etc). ?Count the 21 hours that are actually spent working with your preceptor (seeking advice or updating them on your project) and in the research, direct patient contact and the implementation of your project. The time spent must be described (describe specifically how your time was spent with the preceptor, what topics you researched, how you impacted patient outcomes and what you implemented), and total time may be spent:

• Minimum of 3 hours with preceptor
• Maximum of 6 hours on research of topic
• Minimum of 1-2 hours in direct patient contact 
• 10-11 hours in implementation of your project
• Total of 21 hours

As a reminder, the final preceptor log must include a descriptive detail of the clinical time.  For example;

• The log requires a description of the activity.  For example, what was accomplished with the preceptor, what was researched, what was implemented, direct engagement time activities :
• Meeting with preceptor to…
• Researched best practice to…
• Conducted a staff in-service to…
• Engaged with the patients on…

For this assignment, you will create your own behavior change goal. By using the information from Discussion 2 and SMART Goals, and after you have submitted this assignment and received my feedback, you will try to make progress towards or reach your goal during this semester. You will tell me about your experience at the end of the semester when you are completing your Behavior Change Reflections Final.

Complete Discussion 2 before starting this assignment.

Read the Reaching Your Goals the SMART Way pdf by clicking on the link below. You can also find this pdf in Module 2.

SMART GOALS

Actions

Consider all your behaviors, from eating, smoking, and exercise habits, to how well you manage your emotional health, protect yourself from disease, injury, and abuse, to stress and sleep management. 

Create Your Specific Behavior Change Goal

Create your specific behavior change goal. (5 points)
 

For example, I will reduce the amount of soda I drink to 3 cans per week.

Is your goal measurable? How will you measure your progress? Describe your measurement tool and what you will be tracking each week. (10 points)

For example, I will keep a count of how many cans of soda I drink a day and reduce by one can a week until I reach my goal. I will track my behavior by writing down how many cans I drink each day. 

Is your goal relevant and why? Why is this goal important to you? (10 points)

For example, This is important because I want to lose weight and have fewer cavities. I want to reduce my sugar intake to improve my health and avoid Diabetes Type II. 

Schizophrenia Over Time: Experiences Living With the Illness 

Watch 

Experiences of schizophrenia are not homogeneous; there is wide variety in onset, course of illness, and combinations of symptoms. Social workers need to be able to understand the different manifestations and pathways of the illness to plan interventions. Social work services play a key role in stabilizing crises, supporting family coping, and influencing overall quality of life and outcomes of individuals with schizophrenia. In this Assignment, you practice applying this necessary individualization.

To prepare: In the Learning Resources, focus on the associated features, development, and course of the illnesses in the schizophrenia spectrum. Also focus on descriptions of the disorder and the way it develops for different individuals.

Choose two articles from the list in the Learning Resources that apply to treatment support and interventions for the schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders chapter in the DSM 5. Choose either Saks or McGough to focus on for this.

Submit a paper in which you address the following:

• Describe Saks’s or McGough’s experiences with schizophrenia(LINK BELOW). Identify onset, associated features (specifically referencing the positive and negative symptoms), development, and course. 
• Explain how you would use the Clinician Rated Dimensions of Psychosis Symptom Severity measure and the WHODAS to help confirm your diagnosis.
• Explain how you would plan treatment and individualize it for Saks or McGough. Support your response with references to scholarly resources. In your explanation, consider the following questions:
  • What are the long-term challenges for someone living with the illness?
  • What social, family, vocational, and medical supports are needed for long-term stabilization?
• Briefly explain how race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, religion, or other identity characteristics may influence an individual’s experience with schizophrenia.

https://youtu.be/xbagFzcyNiM