Preparation

Use the Capella University Library and professional Web sites to research Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Find articles that address how to differentiate between Alzheimer’s and dementia, accurately diagnose them, and determine treatment options.

Review the following case study carefully:

Sarah is 28 and a doctoral student in California. She recently flew home to Houston to visit her parents for two weeks. When her father, John, who is 80, picked her up at the airport, Sarah thought that he seemed different. She brushed off the thought, but as the first week progressed, she noticed that her usually sharp father seemed frequently confused, had trouble organizing and planning, and was more moody than she had ever seen him. Knowing that he had always been an avid reader, Sarah got him a book she thought he would enjoy, but he seemed upset at the gift. Her mother, Ruth, who is 78, confided later that John never reads anymore and cannot follow the plots of TV shows they watch together, then gets angry when she tries to explain the plots to him. Sarah and her mother are concerned that John is depressed.

Sarah calls you to schedule an appointment to talk to her father. Your conversation with Sarah makes you suspect that John’s problem is not depression. You ask Sarah to bring her mother with her for John’s appointment.
Directions
Part I

Use the case study and your research to diagnose John. Begin your assessment by explaining the difference between Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, including descriptions of the types of behaviors you would expect to see with each. (1–2 pages)

In order to accurately diagnose John, what questions would you ask to help determine if John has symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, and who would you ask? Explain how these questions will help facilitate a diagnosis. (1–2 pages)

Make your diagnosis. Identify additional processes that can confirm or refute your initial diagnosis. (1 page)

If your diagnosis is confirmed, what treatment options are there for John and his family? Develop a treatment plan for John. Be sure that your plan provides information for his family on what to watch for and be aware of as the neurocognitive disorder progresses. (1–2 pages)

Throughout this assessment, support your statements and treatment options with references from your research. Your paper should be 4–6 pages in length (excluding title page and reference page).
Part II

Analyze diagnostic validity and the effect it has on how mental disorders are categorized and used to diagnose individual clients such as the one in the scenario. Be sure you offer supporting information and examples in your analysis. Respond to the following:

How do problems with validity affect the categorization of mental disorders and the diagnosis of individual clients? (Tip: Consider the differences in the way diseases of the body are researched, classified, and treated.)
How might culture affect diagnostic validity? (If psychological research done in the United States is based on the habits of US citizens, and we know that the population in the US accounts for less than 5 percent of the world’s population, is the research valid for a global population?)
How might the pharmaceutical industry affect diagnostic validity? (Since 1997, pharmaceutical companies have been allowed to market their products directly to a target audience.)
How might problems with validity challenge ethical interventions and practices?
What might this mean for the field of mental health care in America? On a global basis?

The topic for this part of the assessment is extremely broad and somewhat controversial. You are not expected to write a lengthy dissertation, only to do a surface examination of the topic. Please limit the length of your completed assessment to no more than 8 pages. However, if your completed assessment is two pages long, you may not have fully addressed the topic. Use current resources from professional Web sites, as well as peer-reviewed professional journals.
Additional Requirements

Use at least 6 (3 for each part) current resources.
Length: 12–14 pages.
Follow APA format.
Note: You may use the APA Paper Template linked in the Resources under the Capella Resources heading. This resource is not required.
Use 12 pt., Times New Roman font.
Double-space.