Movie Summary
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is a movie about an ex-criminal – Chief Bromden, who pretends to be insane to avoid prison labor. There, he witnesses the way a nurse (Nurse Ratched) uses unethical manipulation techniques to abuse patients. In his attempts to rebel, the main character suffers from electroshock therapy and lobotomy and eventually dies. Many mental conditions can be observed in this movie, for instance, anxiety disorders and schizophrenia. The purpose of this paper is to discuss mental conditions observed and discuss the plan of nursing care.
Mental Conditions
One of the illnesses displayed in the movie is panic disorder. In this condition, a person feels “abrupt and intense fear responses to acute threat arising from inside the body” (Hamm et al. 312). They might occur due to a frightening event or a thought in the brain. Common symptoms are hot flushes, sweating, chest pain, etc. It is treated with therapy or antidepressant drugs. Specific side effects vary from drug to drug and include insomnia, nausea, diarrhea, sexual problems, and weight gain (Shankman et al. 435). Schizophrenia is a complex mental condition that affects many vital aspects of life as well as a person’s relation to the external world (McNally 39). Some symptoms of schizophrenia include hallucinations, inability to pay attention or comprehend information, reduced speaking, and so on. Contemporary antipsychotic medications are found to be effective in treating acute psychosis. Some of the adverse effects include weight gain, metabolic dysfunction, and cardiometabolic risk (Lally and MacCabe 175). Many patients feel improvements after taking antipsychotic drugs, but effects may vary from person to person.
Plan of Care
It is crucial to create a safe and shame-free environment to establish a trustful relationship with the patient. In addition, it is essential to evaluate patient safety and tailor the environment to meet individual needs. Patient and family education is of paramount importance in ensuring that the person is as self-sufficient as possible. It is crucial to stimulate treatment adherence and address the early signs of relapse. Also, the patient together with the nurse should strive for positive reframing and decatastrophizing, so that patient’s behavior is managed adequately. The nurse should consult a pharmacologist to determine whether antidepressants or benzodiazepines can be prescribed since they can cause such side effects as conscious sedation, seizures, addiction, and other negative consequences. Therefore, a consultation is essential to ensure the right course of treatment.
Works Cited
Hamm, Alfons, et al. “Panic Disorder with Agoraphobia from a Behavioral Neuroscience Perspective: Applying the Research Principles Formulated by the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) Initiative.” Psychophysiology, vol. 53, no. 3, 2016, pp.312-322.
Lally, John, and James MacCabe. “Antipsychotic Medication in Schizophrenia: A review.” British Medical Bulletin, vol. 114, no.1, 2015, pp. 169-179.
McNally, Kieran. A Critical History of Schizophrenia. Palgrave Macmillan, 2016.
Shankman, Steward, et al. “Side Effects to Antidepressant Treatment in Patients with Depression and Comorbid Panic Disorder.” The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, vol. 78, no. 4, 2017, pp.433-440.