Please read and understand the case study
There are 3 questions to answer related to the case study
Read the HINTS (VERY IMPORTANT) I have provided cause it tells you the way the answer should be. it’s a guide
Read also the tips it will help you a lot mostly how to find information about the stress vulnerability model, MSE, DSM V and mental health recovery.
please respect the word count for each question.

Case Study: Lucinda Okiro

Lucinda Okiro presented to the perinatal mental health service today for a mental health assessment with her daughter Emily (aged eight months). She and Emily were both well-groomed but Emily was wearing a short sleeved onesie on a cold day. Lucinda was referred for an urgent appointment by her midwife at her antenatal clinic. Lucinda complained of feeling frightened and very unhappy since she found out she was pregnant with her second child. She has known about this pregnancy for one month and is now ten weeks pregnant.

Lucinda is a 22-year-old woman who gave birth to her first child, Emily, eight months ago. There were complications when Emily was born as she was a posterior presentation and labour was prolonged (12 hours). Eventually, Emily was born by a forceps extraction because although the head could be seen, the labour was not progressing. It 5 took Lucinda a long time to feel physically ready to care for Emily. She also said she is exhausted caring for Emily and is still having difficulties sleeping even though Emily was now in a better routine. When speaking about her difficulties caring for Emily, Lucinda becomes tearful and stares at the floor, wringing her hands.

Lucinda immigrated to Sydney from Ghana in 2017 to study accounting and met her partner, Jerome (aged 24 years) who is also from Ghana, at her church. Jerome works in the local supermarket and is also studying accounting. Although he is very happy to share the care of Emily when he is at home, he has to work long hours as he is the only person who is able to bring in a wage. Lucinda hoped that her mother, who she misses very much, might come to Sydney to help her but there was not enough money to pay for her mother’s air ticket. Lucinda says she has no other family in Australia and although Jerome’s family are supportive, they live in Port Macquarie.

At the beginning of her second year at university, Lucinda was shocked to find she was pregnant but continued studying up until she gave birth. She realised after Emily was born that she would have to defer her studies for one year. She says that she feels guilty that she can’t help Jerome more by working. Lucinda is now very upset that she will have to take more time off studying and working because she is having another baby. She is also very worried and scared about the birth.

When she thinks about the birth, Lucinda starts to feel very anxious and finds that she has trouble breathing and when she told the midwife about this, the midwife referred her for further assessment. She is also finding that she feels very unmotivated and that she really doesn’t want to get out of bed in the morning. This makes her feel worse because she believes she is not being a good mother to Emily. Lucinda says that if she feels like this with one baby, she has no idea how she could cope with another baby.

Sometimes Lucinda wonders whether Emily and Jerome would be better off if she was not around but knows that she must try to keep going for the sake of her unborn baby. Today she scored 12 on the Edinburgh Perinatal Depression Scale. She denied thinking about harming herself on question 10. However, she believes that she just feels a little bit worse every day and worries that when the baby is born, she may think differently about whether she needs to remain with her family as the wife and mother. Lucinda says that she feels very lonely and really doesn’t know where to turn to get help.

 

 

 

 

Question 1 – 600 words

Using relevant literature critically discuss the mental health status of the client in the case study.

Your work should make reference to two (2) components of the Mental State Examination (MSE) related explicitly to the case study and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders V (DSM V) relevant criteria for Depression.

Hints: You are asked to think about the mental health status of the client making reference to the Mental State Examination.

Make sure you think about the Mental State Examination (MSE) here and not the overall mental health assessment structure. We want you to think about the present state / presentation of the client in terms of the components of the Mental State Examination such as: appearance and behaviours, affect, mood, thought form, thought content, perception, judgement and insight for example.

We also want to see that you can think about the client’s presentation with reference to the DSM V (psychiatric book use to make diagnoses based on criteria). You can do this by thinking about the specific criteria for diagnoses. Show that you can consider the criteria and how they may be relevant for this particular client in the case study. For example: you might want to suggest the client has depression or anxiety so show you have considered the criteria for depression or anxiety which are relevant and how.

We are expecting that you will have more literature other than the MSE and DSM V for question 1. You should also use other research papers.

 

 

Question 2 – 600 words

Critically discuss two (2) factors which have contributed to the development of the client’s current mental health status.

You should demonstrate your knowledge of the Stress Vulnerability Model and demonstrate how any history of trauma may impact on the person’s mental health. Your work should clearly identify the contributing factors; make reference to the case study and relevant literature.

Hints: Asks you to show your understanding, using literature, of the Stress Vulnerability Model and Trauma Informed Care. It would be reasonable to use 100 words to provide a definition of both these concepts.

You are also asked to think about 2 contributing factors where you should make reference to the case study and literature. One contributing factor should demonstrate your knowledge of how stress may make a person more vulnerable to mental illness and another factor should identify an episode of trauma in the person’s life.

A good way to think about contributing factors are possible stressors or trauma which could have impacted on how a person thinks, feels and behaves.

 

 

 

Question 3 – 300 words

Respect, empowerment and hope are three (3) positive aspects of mental health recovery. Using relevant literature and the case study, critically discuss how these three (3) principles could positively contribute to the client’s journey of recovery.

You should demonstrate your knowledge of recovery orientated mental health theory and practice.

Hints: Question 3 asks you to show your understanding of the mental health recovery model / theory and to relate the recovery principles of respect, empowerment and hope to the client in the case study.

Ensure you relate your answer to the client in the case study and include relevant literature.

To help direct your thoughts for this question, you might want to ask ‘how can the health professional show respect or exercise a respectful to the client in this particular case study and how could this support his recovery?’ You might want to consider how his family can show a respectful attitude towards the client to better support his recovery or how could his employee be respectful give his current situation to support the client. Thinking about the wider community approach to mental health concerns may also be helpful here. i.e. how can the language used by members of the community support his recovery. ie non-stigmatising language. How can a health professional facilitate self-respect for the client?

You may want to ask these questions in relation to empowerment also. ie. how can a health profession, family, employer and the wider community offer greater empowerment to the client to support his recovery? How can this be helpful and why?

Also, how can hope be helpful for the client, particularly given his current presentation and concerns for self and possible self-harm and suicide? How can a family member, employer and community members support greater hope for this client and why?

 

Hints and tips for assessment

 

• Read the case study several times before doing anything else – ensure you have a good understanding of the client’s history, possible contributory factors, family situation, employment, current presentation, actual and potential risks to self, family and others.
• Carefully consider the search terms and keywords in your literature search.
• Use journal search engines such as: Scopus, ProQuest or Google Scholar. With key words / terms such as: mental state examination; low mood; depression; post-natal/partum depression; mood; maternal/ postnatal/partum anxiety; depression; Stress Vulnerability Model; mental health recovery; trauma informed care.
• Try to have most of your references from research papers or policy papers.
• Websites such as: Department of Health; Mental Health Commission; Reach Out; Beyond Blue; Black Dog can be helpful as long as properly referenced in your work.
• There is no need for an essay introduction nor conclusion in your work for assessment one.
• You are required to use an academic writing style throughout your work using literature to support you.
• Make sure each question relates back to the client in the case study and incorporates literature.
• Your work should extend more than description or discussion but should move towards critical analysis. One way to do this is to compare and contrast the ideas in the literature. For example: what are the similarities and differences from different pieces of research or noted in policy.
• An APA 6th reference list must be included with your work. Your work should include at least 10 different pieces of literature, no more than 5 years old unless it is seminal work.
• Ensure you avoid cutting and pasting text. This will result in review under the Misconduct policy. It can also reduce your overall mark of your work.