An adult patient is diagnosed with bipolar disorder. They wa…
An adult patient is diagnosed with bipolar disorder. They want to stop medication due to side effects that are impacting their quality of life. They report they were once very physically active but have now gained weight and feel lethargic on their current medications. They have a history of multiple inpatient admissions due to severe decompensation and psychosis. The psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner feels that discontinuation of medication could potentially exacerbate the patient’s chronic mental illness. Currently the patient shows no signs of impaired thought process. Best course of action for the nurse practitioner is to provide information regarding the risks, benefits and treatment alternatives and to: