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Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) (Picmonic)
PTSD Pathochart (Cheat Sheet)
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Example Nursing Diagnosis for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Post-Trauma Syndrome: PTSD is characterized by distressing symptoms related to a traumatic event. This diagnosis addresses the emotional and psychological impact of trauma.
- Anxiety: Patients with PTSD may experience chronic anxiety and hypervigilance. This diagnosis emphasizes the need for anxiety management.
- Ineffective Coping: PTSD can affect an individual's ability to cope with stress and triggers. This diagnosis focuses on coping strategies and support.
Transcript
Let's take a look at the care plan for post-traumatic stress disorder, also known as PTSD. In this lesson, we'll briefly take a look at the pathophysiology and etiology of PTSD, also subjective and objective data and nursing interventions and rationales included in the care plan.
PTSD is a condition that develops when a person has been exposed to a serious situation, like a natural disaster, a serious accident, or life-threatening event. This condition, depending on the severity, can cause debilitating symptoms that can negatively affect relationships, communication, and even daily activities. PTSD affects all ages from children to senior adults with symptoms flaring up without any known trigger at all. Aside from emotional difficulty, these patients may experience physical manifestations, such as chronic pain, headaches, and even can lead to drinking and drug addictions as well as physical abuse.
Diagnostic criteria includes exposure to death, threatened death, serious injury, or actual or threatening sexual violence. Exposure can be direct exposure meaning personally witnessed, It can mean repeated exposure, or it can mean indirect exposure, like what we would see with first responders, child victim advocates, or even law enforcement. Intrusion or persistently re-experienced stressors in at least one of the following ways, including recurrent memories, traumatic nightmares, flashbacks, prolonged distress, following traumatic reminders also included in diagnosing PTSD.
Additional criteria includes negative alterations in mood and cognitions that began or got worse after the initial event, which includes two of the following:Inability to recall key facts or features of the event, persistent or negative beliefs, persistent distorted blame, persistent negative emotions, significant lack of interest, feeling of alienation, or inability to experience positive emotions. Also, alterations and reactivity since the traumatic event, which includes two of the following aggressive self-destructive behavior: hyper-vigilance, exaggerated startle response, difficulty concentrating, or issues with sleep. The duration of symptoms must be greater than one month. There must be functional impairment from symptoms, with symptoms, not being related to medication, mental illness or substance abuse. So, the desired outcome for a patient with PTSD will be to identify triggers, learn and utilize positive coping strategies, as well as demonstrate control of emotions and relaxation techniques, and the patient will absolutely be free from injury.
Let's take a look at some of the subjective and objective data that your patient with PTSD may present with. Now remember subjective data are going to be things that are based on your patient's opinions or feelings. A patient with PTSD may express irritability or being easily agitated, difficulty sleeping, or nightmares, mood swings, outbursts of anger, difficulty communicating with others, impaired relationships and loss of memory.
Objective or measurable data may include alcohol or drug abuse since the event, suicidal or homicidal ideation, self-mutilation or self destructive behavior.
Let's take a look at the nursing interventions, which are super important to a care plan for a patient with PTSD. Assess vital signs and perform a nursing assessment, determine your patient's baseline for vitals and assess for any underlying or accompanying medical condition. It is crucial to determine the safety of the patient as well as others, by assessing for suicidal and homicidal ideations. Assess the anxiety level in the patient to determine the severity of the condition and the course of treatment or therapy. Establish trust with the patient, meaning listen to what they have to say and behave in a calm manner. When a patient has a high level of anxiety, establishing trust can help them to calm down. PTSD patients often have difficulty communicating due to racing thoughts or inability to concentrate. Avoid rushing them and allow them more time to answer or respond to promote security and instill a sense of value. Allow the patient the freedom to acknowledge their feelings and release any repressed emotions that may be exacerbating with distress. A safe environment should be free from actual or perceived judgment and physical or perceived danger.
Encourage them to verbally identify current ineffective coping techniques, which helps the patient to understand their current behaviors that may be preventing effective healing or treatment. Also, encourage the patient to write about the traumatic event, which helps you as the provider to better understand the nature of the client's condition and anticipate triggers that may cause symptoms. It also allows the patient and the provider to review the evolution of the emotions toward the event. Encourage the patient to keep a journal of stressors and emotional reactions to those stressors. Journaling can help the patient to identify triggers that prompted anxiety or symptoms and evaluate the outcomes of those reactions. Help the patient to learn, to manage the anxiety that can accompany flashbacks or environmental stressors or triggers like visualization and relaxation techniques, deep breathing, and imagery.
Medications like SSRI, selective, serotonin re-uptake inhibitors and SNRI, serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors are antidepressants that have proven to be effective for chronic management of symptoms. Patients with PTSD are often fearful, so providing a calm environment can help lessen or relieve anxiety and promote a feeling of safety. Support groups and other community resources like service animals can provide support that the patient needs to function in their daily lives. Facilitate this through community resources, using a case manager or a social worker.
Okay, guys, here is a look at the completed care plan for PTSD. We love you guys. Now go out and be your best self today and as always, happy nursing!
PTSD is a condition that develops when a person has been exposed to a serious situation, like a natural disaster, a serious accident, or life-threatening event. This condition, depending on the severity, can cause debilitating symptoms that can negatively affect relationships, communication, and even daily activities. PTSD affects all ages from children to senior adults with symptoms flaring up without any known trigger at all. Aside from emotional difficulty, these patients may experience physical manifestations, such as chronic pain, headaches, and even can lead to drinking and drug addictions as well as physical abuse.
Diagnostic criteria includes exposure to death, threatened death, serious injury, or actual or threatening sexual violence. Exposure can be direct exposure meaning personally witnessed, It can mean repeated exposure, or it can mean indirect exposure, like what we would see with first responders, child victim advocates, or even law enforcement. Intrusion or persistently re-experienced stressors in at least one of the following ways, including recurrent memories, traumatic nightmares, flashbacks, prolonged distress, following traumatic reminders also included in diagnosing PTSD.
Additional criteria includes negative alterations in mood and cognitions that began or got worse after the initial event, which includes two of the following:Inability to recall key facts or features of the event, persistent or negative beliefs, persistent distorted blame, persistent negative emotions, significant lack of interest, feeling of alienation, or inability to experience positive emotions. Also, alterations and reactivity since the traumatic event, which includes two of the following aggressive self-destructive behavior: hyper-vigilance, exaggerated startle response, difficulty concentrating, or issues with sleep. The duration of symptoms must be greater than one month. There must be functional impairment from symptoms, with symptoms, not being related to medication, mental illness or substance abuse. So, the desired outcome for a patient with PTSD will be to identify triggers, learn and utilize positive coping strategies, as well as demonstrate control of emotions and relaxation techniques, and the patient will absolutely be free from injury.
Let's take a look at some of the subjective and objective data that your patient with PTSD may present with. Now remember subjective data are going to be things that are based on your patient's opinions or feelings. A patient with PTSD may express irritability or being easily agitated, difficulty sleeping, or nightmares, mood swings, outbursts of anger, difficulty communicating with others, impaired relationships and loss of memory.
Objective or measurable data may include alcohol or drug abuse since the event, suicidal or homicidal ideation, self-mutilation or self destructive behavior.
Let's take a look at the nursing interventions, which are super important to a care plan for a patient with PTSD. Assess vital signs and perform a nursing assessment, determine your patient's baseline for vitals and assess for any underlying or accompanying medical condition. It is crucial to determine the safety of the patient as well as others, by assessing for suicidal and homicidal ideations. Assess the anxiety level in the patient to determine the severity of the condition and the course of treatment or therapy. Establish trust with the patient, meaning listen to what they have to say and behave in a calm manner. When a patient has a high level of anxiety, establishing trust can help them to calm down. PTSD patients often have difficulty communicating due to racing thoughts or inability to concentrate. Avoid rushing them and allow them more time to answer or respond to promote security and instill a sense of value. Allow the patient the freedom to acknowledge their feelings and release any repressed emotions that may be exacerbating with distress. A safe environment should be free from actual or perceived judgment and physical or perceived danger.
Encourage them to verbally identify current ineffective coping techniques, which helps the patient to understand their current behaviors that may be preventing effective healing or treatment. Also, encourage the patient to write about the traumatic event, which helps you as the provider to better understand the nature of the client's condition and anticipate triggers that may cause symptoms. It also allows the patient and the provider to review the evolution of the emotions toward the event. Encourage the patient to keep a journal of stressors and emotional reactions to those stressors. Journaling can help the patient to identify triggers that prompted anxiety or symptoms and evaluate the outcomes of those reactions. Help the patient to learn, to manage the anxiety that can accompany flashbacks or environmental stressors or triggers like visualization and relaxation techniques, deep breathing, and imagery.
Medications like SSRI, selective, serotonin re-uptake inhibitors and SNRI, serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors are antidepressants that have proven to be effective for chronic management of symptoms. Patients with PTSD are often fearful, so providing a calm environment can help lessen or relieve anxiety and promote a feeling of safety. Support groups and other community resources like service animals can provide support that the patient needs to function in their daily lives. Facilitate this through community resources, using a case manager or a social worker.
Okay, guys, here is a look at the completed care plan for PTSD. We love you guys. Now go out and be your best self today and as always, happy nursing!
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