WK5AssignCunninghamJ(NURS 6630).edited.edited.edited.edited.docx

RUNNING HEAD: Anxiolytic Therapy 1
Anxiolytic Therapy
Joanna Cunningham
Walden University
NURS 6630, Psychopharmacologic Approaches to Treatment of Psychopathology
September 30, 2019

RUNNING HEAD: Anxiolytic Therapy 2
Anxiolytic Therapy
Anxiety disorders display features of fear and worry and include generalized anxiety
disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder (Stahl, 2013).
According to Rosche (2015), general anxiety disorder (GAD ) affects approximately 6.8 million
adults or 3.1% of the US population. The criteria involved with GAD include the presence of
excessive anxiety and worry about a variety of topics, events, or activities which often occurs for
at least six months and is excessive (Glasofer, 2019). People with GAD find it difficult to control
their anxiety and focus on a daily task (National Institute of Mental Health, 2016). Generalized
Anxiety Disorder is characterized as a mental illness of unknown cause but has been associated
with traumatic experiences in the individual's life.
Client
The case study titled; A Middle-Aged White Male with Anxiety involved a 46-year-old
mal seen in the emergency room. He is alert and oriented, appropriately dressed, with clear,
speech, and blunted affect who presents with symptoms like a heart attack. His symptoms
included chest tightness, mild hypertension, trouble breathing, and feeling of “impending doom.”
After a complete assessment to rule out a myocardial infarction, he was ultimately referred for
mental health services. He continues to be symptomatic and describes them "anxiety attacks." He
has many stressors in his life which include harsh management at his employment as well as
acting as a caregiver to his aging parents. He reports drinking 3-4 beers a night to help with the
stressors of life. He denies all visual, auditory, hallucinations, and paranoid delusions. His HAM-
A score is 26, which indicates severe anxiety. The purpose of this assignment is to assess the
client presented in the case study, explore treatment options which determines the best

RUNNING HEAD: Anxiolytic Therapy 3
pharmacological agent involved, and discuss ethical considerations involved in the treatment
plan of the client.
First Decision
I decided to start the client on Zoloft 50mg orally daily as the first pharmacological agent
in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Although SSRIs are usually intended to
treat depression, they are also the first line of therapy for anxiety disorders (Stahl, 2013). The
clinical signs reported by the client indicating anxiety attacks and frequent worrying about
family and work.