The diagnosis of psychiatric emergencies can include a wide range of problems—from serious drug reactions to abuse and suicidal ideation/behaviors. Regardless of care setting, the PMHNP must know how to address emergencies, coordinate care with other members of the health care team and law enforcement officials (when indicated), and effectively communicate with family members who are often overwhelmed in emergency situations. In their role, PMHNPs can ensure a smooth transition from emergency mental health care to follow-up care, and also bridge the physical–mental health divide in healthcare.

In this week’s Assignment, you explore legal and ethical issues surrounding psychiatric emergencies, and identify evidence-based suicide and violence risk assessments. 

To Prepare

Review this week’s Learning Resources and consider the insights they provide about psychiatric emergencies and the ethical and legal issues surrounding these events.

The Assignment

In 3 pages, address the following:

Explain your state laws [MARYLAND] for involuntary psychiatric holds for child and adult psychiatric emergencies. Include who can hold a patient and for how long, who can release the emergency hold, and who can pick up the patient after a hold is released.

Explain the differences among emergency hospitalization for evaluation/psychiatric hold, inpatient commitment, and outpatient commitment in your state.

Explain the difference between capacity and competency in mental health contexts.

Select one of the following topics, and explain one legal issue and one ethical issue related to this topic that may apply within the context of treating psychiatric emergencies: patient autonomy, EMTALA, confidentiality, HIPAA privacy rule, HIPAA security rule, protected information, legal gun ownership, career obstacles (security clearances/background checks), and payer source.

• Identify one evidence-based suicide risk assessment that you could use to screen patients.

Identify one evidence-based violence risk assessment that you could use to screen patients.

Overview

To truly understand the many perspectives on an issue, you need to see how the issue impacts people who have a stake in it. Seeing this impact firsthand is valuable in helping yourself understand the significance of the issue and the importance in addressing it.

For this discussion you will conduct two types of field research to help you better understand your topic.

Instructions

1. Research: Conduct the interview you planned in Discussion 2.
2. Research: Conduct a second type of field research. Consider creating and carrying out a survey (you should have at least 100 responses to consider your survey effective enough); volunteering at a local place of government or local shelter/charitable organization and observing during your volunteer time; visiting a local museum; attending a rally or political event; or touring a manufacturing or processing plant, correctional facility, courtroom, or hospital. The point is for you to experience your topic firsthand. Be creative! This research must be conducted during the course of this module (you should not draw on prior experience), and you must be actively involved in your topic (conventional text research will not be accepted).
3. Think: What did you learn from your observations and interview? What significant information did you gain? What new questions do you have or what new directions might you want to pursue after completing this field research?
4. Write:
   • Write one paragraph explaining who you interviewed and summarizing the main points you learned from the interview.
   • Write a second paragraph explaining your field research activity and summarizing what you learned from your observations.
   • Write a third paragraph analyzing and interpreting the information you gained from this field research. Explain how it will shape or affect your research and what new ideas or questions you have.

Instructions: 

a.) Before writing this assignment, carefully read this article from top to toe. Make sure that you understand the whole argument, study every example, including case stories and charts, with your full attention, and develop your own understanding of the whole article. Here is the article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/apr/14/americas-year-of-hunger-how-children-and-people-of-color-suffered-most?fbclid=IwAR2exYiTuQVQPSwIhH7Twwkv74MCLzGGuUGHlZFZ1PKJ-iLEqwHlJDDr85c (Links to an external site.)

b.) Introduction. In the first paragraph, write a well-developed paragraph to summarize what this article mainly argues and what critical points this article exposes to the reader. You can mention one or two good points this article presents to the reader in this summary paragraph. 

c.) Interpretation. Choose one chart that impresses you so much and interpret it. In this second paragraph, you first introduce the context of this chart with couple summary sentences and carefully state what you have observe from this chart. Secondly, make sure that you really explain what each curve means to food insecurity or the problem it addresses. You also need to explain if different curves relate to each other or don’t have much relevance in detail. Gradually explain how and why these curves matter with the main argument this article presents. 

d.) Evaluation. In the third paragraph, organize your viewpoints and evaluate if and how this chart works for the whole article. You can evaluate if the source of this chart is from a credible source so what it demonstrates to the reader is believable. You can also judge if the side explanation makes sense to the reader to understand what this chart means and how this chart supports the argument. Most important, you need to develop your perspective to contest how and why this chart enhances or does not support the whole argument. 

This is a 2 part assignment. The 1st part is to read the material and then write the initial discussion post, minimum of 250 words. The 2nd part is to write a minimum of 100 words reply to 2 classmates posts. Once the initial post is completed I will post here 2 other classmates posts for you to write a short reply to. Replies to classmates must be focused on the topic. PLEASE refrain from telling the classmate your opinion on how they wrote their post or what they could change to make it better. Focus on the topic only.

Read:

1) Hurston. Their Eyes Were Watching God. Ch. 1-9 (You must have Access to this book)

**THE FIRST PART MUST BE COMPLETED WITHIN 48 HOURS FROM THE TUTOR ACCEPTING THE ASSIGNMENT**

Discussion Assignment:

Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God is said to be a novel about the experiences of several Florida African-American/Black communities in the 1930s. How does Hurston address the American Dream in the novel; and how are issues of social class, sexuliaty, and gender normacly at the center of her narrative and the American Dream?

Please address the readings and learning modules as part of your post. Avoid, phrases such as: “good post,” “I think,” “to me,” “in my opinion,” and “I agree.” Simply present your argument with supporting material from the course.

In your peer response, address one of the communities opposite of your peers.

Finally, pose a question to be answered by either your peers or the instructor based on your post.

Post your response as a new thread. Read and respond to at least two separate posts.

Note: all post must be at least 250 words.