NA: Care of a Resident With a Chronic Psychiatric Disorder

1. Introduction to Caring for Residents With a Psychiatric Disorder

In this chapter, we will introduce the different psychiatric disorders you will likely encounter in your facility, discuss the agenda and learning objectives for this course, and present three scenarios of example residents.

2. Learning About Anxiety, Depression, and Bipolar Disorder

In this chapter, we’ll discuss the three most common psychiatric disorders that you will encounter: anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder. We will explain the common symptoms associated with each of these disorders, and what you can expect when working with a resident who has one of these disorders. Finally, we will return to the example residents from our first chapter and identify which psychiatric disorder each one exhibits.

3. Learning About Schizophrenia, Personality Disorders, Suicidal Ideation, and Dementia

This chapter will present additional psychiatric disorders and behaviors that you will encounter in your facility and discuss strategies for how best to respond when working with residents.

4. How to Manage a Psychiatric Crisis

Nursing assistants are the staff members most involved with resident care. They must learn to deal with psychiatric issues, including anger and/or boundary issues. This section will outline how to set limits and make safety of staff and other residents a priority, and present a demonstration of how to work with a resident who is experiencing a psychiatric crisis.