Mood disorders can impact every facet of a human being’s life, making the most basic activities difficult for patients and their families. This was the case for 13-year-old Jeanette, who was struggling at home and at school. For more than 8 years, Jeanette suffered from temper tantrums, impulsiveness, inappropriate behavior, difficulty in judgment, and sleep issues.

As a PNP working with pediatric patients, you must be able to assess whether these symptoms are caused by psychological, social, or underlying growth and development issues. You must then be able recommend appropriate therapies.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Students will:

Assess patient factors and history to develop personalized plans of antidepressant therapy across the lifespan
Analyze factors that influence pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic processes in pediatric, adult, and older adult patients requiring antidepressant therapy
Synthesize knowledge of providing care to pediatric, adult, and older adult patients presenting for antidepressant therapy
Analyze ethical, legal, and social implications related to prescribing antidepressant therapy to patients across the lifespan