Nurs 6640 week 2 discussion – Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) Essay examples

Nurs 6640 week 2 discussion – Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) Essay examples

The Sheehan Disability Scale

Assessment tools such as the Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) are important in helping the PMHNP in assessing the functional status and functional impairment of their clients (Wheeler, 2014). The impact of mental disorders on the clients’ life does not only depend on the diagnosis of the condition but on the disability that the disorder causes (Luciano et al., 2010, p. 896). The SDS is an assessment tool that can be done in the waiting room that focuses on three groups of activities including home management, work abilities, the ability to form and maintain relationships and social life (Luciano et al., 2010, p. 897). Nurs 6640 week 2 discussion – Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) Essay examples.

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In the case of major depressive disorder (MDD) there are associations between the mental illness and functional impairments in the affected client (Sheehan et al., 2015). The impairment associated with MDD have strong social and economic impacts causing clients to miss work, have a reduction in quality relationships, and an increase in family disruption (Sheehan et al., 2015). The SDS is a validated and accepted measure of functional outcome in clients with MDD with higher scores indicating a greater functional impairment (Sheehan et al., 2015).

Sheehan Disability Tool and Psychopharmacology

Psychopharmacology can be an important part in the client’s recovery process. The prescribing of medications for clients with mental illness is a difficult task because medications could exacerbate symptoms or even mask symptoms. It is important to be able to use a reliable assessment tool such as the SDS to determine if the medications prescribed are effective.  It is important to monitor the client’s progress early in the course of antidepressant treatment using a functional assessment such as the SDS can help clinicians determine whether or not medication adjustments are needed (Soares, Zhang, & Boucher, 2017).  Mental health recovery does not only mean symptom remission but the restoration of functional ability and that is where SDS plays a major rule in medication management. Nurs 6640 week 2 discussion – Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) Essay examples. The SDS is among the most commonly used function scales in clinical trials of antidepressant treatment of MDD (Soares, Zhang, & Boucher, 2017). The SDS shows great potential to enhance the quality of care for mental health clients and may help clinicians determine sooner than later whether treatment adjustments are needed.

It is important for the PMHNP to understand the assessment tools that are used and their limitations. SDS may help clinicians determine sooner than later whether treatment adjustments are needed (Soares, Zhang, & Boucher, 2017). The SDS can not only be used as a primary assessment tool but can also be used to determine the efficacy of the medications being prescribed. Nurs 6640 week 2 discussion – Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) Essay examples.

Reference

Luciano, J. V., Bertsch, J., Salvador-Carulla, L., Tomás, J. M., Fernández, A., Pinto-Meza, A., … Serrano-Blanco, A. (2010). Factor structure, internal consistency and construct validity of the Sheehan Disability Scale in a Spanish primary care sample. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 16(5), 895-901. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2753.2009.01211.x

Sheehan, D. V., Mancini, M., Wang, J., Berggren, L., Cao, H., Dueñas, H. J., & Yue, L. (2015). Assessment of functional outcomes by Sheehan Disability Scale in patients with major depressive disorder treated with duloxetine versus selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental, 31(1), 53-63. doi:10.1002/hup.2500

Soares, C. N., Zhang, M., & Boucher, M. (2017). Categorical improvement in functional impairment in depressed patients treated with desvenlafaxine. CNS Spectrums, 1-11. doi:10.1017/s1092852917000633

Wheeler, K. (2014). Psychotherapy for the Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurse, Second Edition. Springer Publishing Company. Nurs 6640 week 2 discussion – Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) Essay examples.