CASE STUDIES 2, 4 AND 6

Case Studies 2, 4 and 6



Case Studies 2, 4 and 6

Q1 Can informal care provide effective support for that person in terms of basic lodgings, food hygiene etc?

Ans. Referring to Pardeep's case the number or occurrence of symptoms depends upon the patient. It is one of the most severe depressive disorders among all the other types of depression. Usually middle-aged people or elderly people become the victims of agitated depression, but it does not mean that a young adult or children do not suffer from agitated depression.

It is not tough to identify the symptoms of agitated depression. People that suffer from this type of depression are not able to sit still and keep on restlessly moving here and there all the time. It is due to the outburst of emotional energy caused because of agitated depression. Those that suffer from this type of depression tend to complain a lot and develop the feelings of being misunderstood by others. The symptoms of agitated depression are:

Tearing of cloths

Motor agitation

Intense inner tension

Racing thoughts

Never ending baseless thoughts

Continuous talking

Verbal outburst

Hand wringing

It is noticed many a times that a patient suffering from agitated depression tends to have emotional outbursts.

2 Can informal care provide assistance in monitoring the person's disturbed behaviour, including potentially dangerous behaviour?

Ans. The frequency of the occurrence of symptoms depends upon the patient. It is one of the most severe depressive disorders among all the other types of depression. Usually middle-aged people or elderly people become the victims of agitated depression, but it does not mean that adult or children do not suffer from agitated depression.

Although all of the clients who are admitted to this service have a form of learning disability, a majority of them, like Bryan, also have mental health needs. For this reason Bryan's care is managed using a care plan package that is based on the Care Programme Approach (CPA). This has been called the "cornerstone of the Government's mental health policy." It was introduced in 1991, (Department of Health (DoH) 1991) and was intended to be the basis for the care of people with mental health needs outside hospital. Although in the recent government's document the DoH (1999a) now states that the CPA is not simply "an aftercare arrangement". They go on to emphasise that it is as applicable to service users in residential settings as to those in the community, and assertive inreach is as relevant as assertive outreach as an underpinning principle of the CPA. The NHS Executive (1996) also stress that CPA may be used with people who have learning disabilities.

The CPA has now been integrated with Care Management (NHS Executive 1999, DoH 1999b), which has previously been practised (under the NHS and Community Care Act (1990)) by local authority social services departments whilst they are undertaking their duties of assessing needs and purchasing appropriate services.

The CPA process has four stages:

"IA systematic assessment of the person's healthcare and social care needs

"The development of a care plan agreed by all involved, ...