The purpose of this paper is to review the health status of my friend S. B. He is a 27-year-old man who has been experiencing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for two years after his wife disappeared. At present, S. B. is a single parent taking care of his 5-year-old child. The person turned to a specialist after the recurring symptoms of PTSD, which were caused by the accident when his wife went missing (the woman is presumably dead or held hostage). Before the accident, the man’s health status was normal. He did not have any serious or chronic illnesses; S. B. had influenza three times during the past five years, and his vaccination pass was sufficient. The man receives both medical and psychotherapeutic treatment, which help him greatly but his current health concern is that he has depressive moods, which hinder his communication with the child.
Health Details
In terms of coping patterns, soon after the accident with his wife, S. B. resorted to avoidance mechanisms, which resulted in the PTSD. The man went in denial as he was reluctant to face that his wife was most probably dead. He was exhausted both physically and mentally due to numerous police investigations and searches. In addition, he did not get any help with the underage child. Due to the constant pressure and stress, S. B. was incapable of acknowledging that the accident did happen. This coping pattern led to significant internal harm and the man experienced insomnia or nightmares, hallucinations, and started showing aggressive moods.
Thus, his supervisor advised him on the appropriate medication (he takes Paxil), and he attends weekly sessions with a psychologist (S.B., personal communication, December 9, 2016). In addition, S.B. and his son attend family consultations to help the child cope with his fears and to achieve a harmonic relationship with each other. At present, the coping pattern has shifted to adaptive mechanisms (post-traumatic growth) (Cooper & Gosnell, 2014). However, as mentioned above, S. B. experiences occasional depressive moods, which are connected to the fact that he is still not knowledgeable of whether his wife is alive or not.
The health values of S. B. can be considered sufficient. He tries to conduct a healthy lifestyle. In particular, he keeps diet and exercises four times a week (including jogging, workout, and swimming). He and his son take walks in the fresh air and take sufficient amounts of fruit and vegetables (Cooper & Gosnell, 2014). In addition, S. B. takes his medication as prescribed by the clinician. However, during the past month, he has been having insomnia and has depressive moods. To be able to cope with them, he sees his counselor.
Regarding the social support, he does not receive any assistance from any social services; however, a social worker visits his place occasionally to check the housing conditions and the child’s state. The individual is a confirmed believer, and he and his son visit the church when they feel the need to support their spirituality (S. B., personal communication, December 9, 2016). S. B’s personal health goals include the desire to continue leading a healthy lifestyle, the need to stabilize his emotional condition, and to stop taking the medication. Notably, he strives for harmonizing the relationship with the child and his friends.
Summary
Overall, it can be concluded that the health status of S. B. has a tendency for improvement. The depressive moods of the person are a common occurrence bearing in mind the consequences of acute PTSD. Nevertheless, it is advisable to consult the specialist on the drug intake since the present emotional condition could be the consequence of improper medicine prescription (Elder, Evans, Nizette, & Trenoweth, 2013). Further, the spiritual health of S. B. can be assessed positively since the turn to religion and spiritual dialogue are the signals of adaptive coping pattern. In general, his mental health has stabilized and the man is on the way to improving the physical fitness.
References
Cooper, K., & Gosnell, K. (2014). Foundations and adult health nursing. New York, NY: Elsevier.
Elder, R., Evans, K., Nizette, D., & Trenoweth, S. (2013). Mental health nursing. New York, NY: Elsevier.