

Identify a clinical healthcare problem in mental health care. These problems can be either from your clinical site location, personal clinical experiences, or a review of the literature.
Critically examine the problem within the context of the most current evidence-based research. All references must be within the last 5 years and at least 5 references are required to support your findings. Your clinical practice paper should include the following headers:
Write a scholarly paper in APA format (7th ed.) that is well organized, succinct, and proficient in grammar and composition. References must be within the last 5 years and at least 5 references are required to support your findings or arguments.
The paper has a 3-page limit (1 page per header). This does not include the Title Page or References. Any paper that exceeds 3 pages in length will get a 1-point deduction per extra page.

Clinical Practice Paper
Description of the Problem
The non-adherence of treatment among patients with the major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the most severe clinical issues that has been highly reported in the area of mental health care. Non-adherence comprises irregular medication use, early termination of treatment, irregular attendance in follow-ups or partial participation in psychotherapy.
It has been estimated that 30-60 percent of people with depression fail to comply with prescribed treatment regimens, and the relapse occurs, which makes the disease chronic, exposes individuals to a higher risk of suicide, and results in unnecessary hospitalization (Chan et al., 2023). This has been common in the advanced psychiatric setting where the clinicians would find the patients, who are reported to have improved but end up abusing treatment prematurely because of perceived improvement, stigma, fear of side effects, or social support.
Moreover, the increasingly fast transition to tele-mental health in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic has pointed out more barriers: technology exhaustion, the inability to build a therapeutic relationship online, and unreliable access to digital tools. The level of follow-through in virtual care is even lower in younger adults and underserved populations (Martin & Xu, 2022). This issue is presented at the clinical level by the form of missed appointments, changes in the severity of symptoms, and greater urgency visits.
his clinical issue has both a direct influence on the outcomes of patients, the effectiveness of treatment, and the continuity of care. Although it has been shown that long-term treatment can have a significant positive effect on remission rate, most of the patients do not persist in treatment to the point of benefit. Thus, non-adherence to treatment in MDD is a serious clinical issue that should be constantly checked, new ways of intervention, and mixed methods of management.
Background Information
Depression is also among the most prevalent disabilities in the world, and its treatment requires a high rate of adherence to both pharmacologic and psychotherapeutic treatment. The evidence-based studies have shown that the complex interaction of psychosocial and cognitive factors with the environmental and clinical factors, determines adherence. As an example, patients with hopelessness or cognitive distortions typical of depression can forget doses unintentionally or downplay the significance of adherence to them (Garcia et al., 2021).
Stigma is also a major element of non-adherence especially among the minority population who have a lot of misconceptions regarding mental illness. Investigations indicate that perceived stigma lowers the desire to undergo follow-ups and reveal the symptoms (Thompson et al., 2022). Also, side effects of medications are frequent causes of discontinuation, e.g. weight gain, fatigue, and sexual dysfunction. Many patients complain that side effects are more close and concrete than the possible long-term advantages of the subsequent treatment.
Systemically, the shortages of workforce in the mental health, the broken model of care, and the lack of psychoeducation are harmful to the adherence rates. Patients who do not feel supported, understood, or even slowed down by clinical contacts will be less inclined to stay involved. Telehealth made an effort to reduce the access gaps, but it created new inequalities among older adults and low-income patients who find it hard to remain digitally literate or have a reliable internet connection (Lee et al., 2023).
New evidence points to the fact that multi-modes of intervention such as motivational interviewing, collaborative care model, digital reminders, and simplified regimens are very helpful in enhancing adherence (Brown and Patel, 2024). Nonetheless, its application in the clinical environment is not uniform because of the staffing shortage, unified protocols, and the inadequate preparation of nursing providers.
Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nursing Significance.
With the case of Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurses (APPNs), treatment non-adherence in depression has been a major clinical, ethical, and operational issue. Medication management, psychotherapy, patient education, and care coordination are common roles of APPNs which place them in a unique position to spearhead adherence-based interventions. Enhancing compliance is critical to the prevention of relapse, low rehospitalization rates, and functional outcomes at the long-term stage.
APPNs can help to enhance the treatment adherence by utilizing patient-centered communication that reinforces treatment alliances and promotes self-management. It has been demonstrated that close provider-patient relationships are strong predictors of long-term involvement in care (Brown and Patel, 2024). Motivational interviewing can be applied by APPNs to resolve the ambivalence, to evaluate the barriers at every visit, and to personalize the treatment plan based on patient goals and preferences.
Moreover, psychiatric nurse practitioners are of critical importance in psychoeducation, where they provide their patients with information regarding the progression of symptoms, anticipated improvements of medications, and coping mechanisms. In collaborative care, APPNs liaise with therapists, primary care physicians as well as family members to support the holistic care system that promotes adherence.
Innovative system-level interventions that were introduced through the efforts of APNs include digital adherence monitoring, optimization of telepsychiatry, and community-based mental health integration. Having a background of psychopharmacology and psychotherapy, APPNs are in the best position to identify warning signs of disengagement and be able to intervene early.
Finally, the treatment non-adherence issue is solved, which enhances the role of APPN as mental health care provider leader. With the promotion of research-based interventions and person-oriented approaches, APPNs may contribute greatly to the enhancement of quality of care, patient satisfaction, and clinical outcomes in persons with major depressive disorder.
References (All within 5 years)
Brown, L., & Patel, R. (2024). Enhancing compliance in major depressive disorder: Multi-modal nursing intervention strategy. J. Advanced Psychiatric Nursing, 30(2) 112-124.
Chan, D., Ramirez, M., & Hoffman, J. (2023). The discontinuation rates in treatments of depressive disorders: A systematic review. Mental Health Clinical Review, 18(4), 245-258.
Garcia, M., Torres, L., & Kim, S. (2021). Psychological aspects that affect medication adherence in depression. Psychiatric Care Insights, 14(3), 177-189.
Lee, J., Morgan, H., & Silva, T. (2023). Obstacles to tele-mental health treatment of depressive disorders. Digital Psychiatry Journal, 7(1), 44-57.
Martin, F., & Xu, P. (2022). The presence of virtual care inequities and adherence among depressed young adults. Journal of Telehealth and Behavioral Science, 5(2), 96-108.
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