Jimi is a 43-year-old man who lives with his long-term partner and six children. He has a long history of alcohol use, which began when he was a teenager, drinking up to 56 units a week. Recently he has reduced his alcohol intake to around 28 units a week. However, he has still been drinking over the recommended limits for men of three to four units a day, and he never goes 48 hours between drinks to allow his body a chance to recover. Jimi has a diagnosis of treatment-resistant schizophrenia. He has been under the care of the community mental health team since 2002. For many years he received treatment with several atypical antipsychotic drugs but still experienced psychotic relapses. Following the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines for schizophrenia, his medication was changed to clozapine. This medication has alleviated Jimi’s psychotic symptoms.
Because of medical concerns associated with the medication, Jimi attends a clozapine clinic every four weeks for the mandatory blood tests, as well as for monitoring of his vital signs, including his blood pressure (BP), pulse, temperature and weight. When Jimi attended the clozapine clinic for his monthly routine monitoring it was noticed that he had a cardiac condition.
1. What are the critical concerns for Jimi at this stage in his treatment and for this particular condition?
2. Describe the mental health providers role in assisting Jimi with his care plan.
3. What additional supports need to be in place to facilitate success for Jimi as he addresses his health concern?
