Question Two And Major Depression
Research questionsResearch Question One: What are the similarities and differences in clients for whom APRNs and psychiatrists prescribe?ResearchQuestion Two: What are the similarities and differences in the typesand numbers of medications prescribed by psychiatrists and APRNs?Twodiagnoses, chronic paranoid schizophrenia and recurrent majordepression, were selected for Research question two. The NationalAlliance for the Mentally Ill included these two diagnoses in theircriteria for severe and persistent mental illness. These two diagnoseswere identified by the World Health Organization as being among the leading causes of disability in the world, and they were included inthose illnesses with the highest burden of care [].Chronicparanoid schizophrenia and recurrent major depression were selected toallow for comparison of professional groupsâ?? prescribing practiceswhile controlling for variance in the population served. Thesediagnoses occurred with enough frequency to ensure that sufficientnumbers of cases were available for review, and both diagnosesgenerally included medication management in the treatment of theillness. In this study, clients might have had more than one diagnosisfor comorbid conditions. Clients might have had treatment-resistantillnesses that were often managed with combinations of medicationswithin the same class and/or from different classes. For example, anindividual with recurrent major depression with psychotic featurescould conceivably have been treated with an antidepressant, a moodstabilizer, an antipsychotic, and an antianxiety medication.MethodologyThisstudy was part of a larger study comparing physiciansâ?? and APRNsâ??prescriptive practices with people who have severe psychiatricillnesses. This study answered the first two quantitative researchquestions. The third question was a qualitative question regarding APRNand psychiatrist perceptions of their practices and is reportedseparately.
Tags: major depression, stress model