| Course | NRNP 6635 Psychopathology and Diagnostic Reasoning |
|---|---|
| Week | Week 6 |
| Paper type | Criteria map |
| Length | About 770 words, 5 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Walden University |
| Program | MSN Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for NRNP 6635 Week 6
Trauma-Related Criteria Map: A Driver 7 Weeks After a Highway Collision, With Exposure Established First and a Head Injury Weighed
Student Name
College of Nursing, Walden University
NRNP 6635: Psychopathology and Diagnostic Reasoning
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Trauma-Related Criteria Map: A Driver 7 Weeks After a Highway Collision, With Exposure Established First and a Head Injury Weighed
The Composite
A man of 44, a regional delivery supervisor, was the driver in a highway collision 7 weeks ago when a truck crossed the median. His passenger, a coworker, was seriously injured and spent 2 weeks in hospital. He was evaluated in the emergency department for a brief loss of consciousness, "maybe a few seconds," and released with a diagnosis of concussion. He now avoids highways, startles at horns, and sleeps poorly. PCL-5 total 48, a self-report measure of the 20 DSM-5 PTSD symptoms with strong reliability in its development studies (Blevins et al., 2015).
The Map, in the Manual's Order
Each band records evidence, judgment, and source separately (American Psychiatric Association, 2022).
A. Exposure. Evidence: he was directly involved in a collision with a threat of death and witnessed a coworker's serious injury. Judgment: met. Source: patient; emergency department record confirms the collision and his evaluation.
B. Intrusion (one required). Evidence: "I see the grille of that truck when I close my eyes"; nightmares of the crash four nights a week; sweating and racing heart when he hears a truck's air brakes. Judgment: met, three symptoms. Source: patient; wife confirms nightmares.
C. Avoidance (one required). Evidence: drives only on local roads, adding 40 minutes to his commute; changes the subject when coworkers mention the crash. Judgment: met, both symptoms. Source: patient.
D. Negative alterations in cognition and mood (two required). Evidence: blames himself ("I should have seen it coming"), although the police report found no fault on his part; persistent guilt; has stopped his weekly softball games; feels "cut off" from his family. He cannot recall the seconds just before impact, which could reflect either dissociative amnesia or the head injury, and is therefore not counted. Judgment: met, four symptoms without the memory item. Source: patient; wife confirms withdrawal.
E. Arousal and reactivity (two required). Evidence: startles at horns; irritable with his children; sleeps 4 to 5 hours with frequent waking; difficulty concentrating at work. Judgment: met, four symptoms. Source: patient, wife.
F. Duration more than 1 month. Evidence: 7 weeks since the collision, with symptoms since the first week. Judgment: met.
G. Distress or impairment. Evidence: reduced hours at work because of concentration problems; family strain. Judgment: met.
H. Exclusion of substance and medical causes. Evidence: no alcohol or drug increase; see the head injury section below. Judgment: met with a qualification.
Timing as a Rival: Acute Stress Disorder and Adjustment Disorder
Acute stress disorder applies from 3 days to 1 month after the event. He met its picture in the first weeks, but at 7 weeks that diagnosis no longer applies; if he had presented at week 3, it would have been the correct label. Adjustment disorder would fit if his symptoms did not meet PTSD criteria; they do, so it is set aside.
A Medical Contributor Weighed: Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
He lost consciousness briefly and was diagnosed with concussion. Poor concentration, irritability, and sleep disturbance can arise from a mild traumatic brain injury as well as from PTSD, and his memory gap for the seconds before impact cannot be attributed to either with confidence. The two are not mutually exclusive: in a multicenter cohort of patients with mild traumatic brain injury, about 20% had probable PTSD or major depression at 3 months, compared with about 9% of patients with orthopedic injuries that did not involve the head (Stein et al., 2019). The PTSD diagnosis stands because the intrusion, avoidance, and trauma-specific cognition symptoms cannot be explained by concussion; the overlapping symptoms are recorded as possibly shared, and a follow-up with his primary care clinician for post-concussive assessment is arranged.
What the Map Leaves for the Next Visit
Three items remain. First, the fault question: he blames himself despite a police finding of no fault, and that cognition will be a direct target of treatment, so it is recorded exactly as he states it. Second, the passenger: his coworker is recovering, and whether he has visited is not yet known; guilt organized around the passenger may deepen or ease depending on that contact. Third, driving: his avoidance of highways is adding 80 minutes to each workday and is the most visible impairment, so it is the natural first target for graded exposure once treatment begins, and his employer's willingness to adjust his route temporarily was raised with his permission.
Conclusion
Posttraumatic stress disorder, with the overlapping concentration, irritability, and sleep symptoms noted as possibly shared with a mild traumatic brain injury. Reassess with the PCL-5 monthly.
References
American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787
Blevins, C. A., Weathers, F. W., Davis, M. T., Witte, T. K., & Domino, J. L. (2015). The Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5): Development and initial psychometric evaluation. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 28(6), 489-498. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.22059
Stein, M. B., Jain, S., Giacino, J. T., Levin, H., Dikmen, S., Nelson, L. D., Vassar, M. J., Okonkwo, D. O., Diaz-Arrastia, R., Robertson, C. S., Mukherjee, P., McCrea, M., Mac Donald, C. L., Yue, J. K., Yuh, E., Sun, X., Campbell-Sills, L., Temkin, N., Manley, G. T., & TRACK-TBI Investigators. (2019). Risk of posttraumatic stress disorder and major depression in civilian patients after mild traumatic brain injury: A TRACK-TBI study. JAMA Psychiatry, 76(3), 249-258. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2018.4288
NRNP 6635 Week 6 instructions, in plain terms
Week 6 of NRNP 6635 often asks for a criteria map for a trauma-related presentation. You establish exposure, map each symptom cluster in the manual's order with evidence, consider timing-based rivals and medical contributors, and note what needs follow-up. Faculty grade coverage and accuracy, so every cluster must appear separately. Cite DSM-5-TR and validated measures in APA 7. The traumatic event itself can be summarized briefly. Head injury and substance use are common contributors to consider. A conclusion should state the diagnosis supported and its confidence. NRNP 6635 faculty want exposure stated first with the criterion it meets. Map each cluster with his words. Explain why the timing rules out acute stress disorder. Weigh the head injury with its evidence.
How this NRNP 6635 Week 6 example is built
The map is a table running down the page, one band per DSM-5-TR criterion group: the exposure itself, intrusion symptoms, avoidance, negative shifts in thinking and mood, and heightened arousal, followed by duration, distress or impairment, and exclusion. In each band, the left column quotes or paraphrases what the composite reported, the middle column states whether the criterion is met, and the right column names the source. The composite is a man in his forties, driver in a collision, now avoiding highways, startled by horns and sleeping poorly. Three short rival sections sit under the table: acute stress disorder, set aside on timing; adjustment disorder and a depressive episode, weighed on pattern; and a mild traumatic brain injury from the crash, considered as a contributor to concentration and irritability. The PCL-5 appears as a reported self-rating.
Where the marks sit in the NRNP 6635 Week 6 rubric
A criteria map is marked on coverage and accuracy, and gaps show immediately. Maps collapsing avoidance into the negative mood cluster, or omitting the arousal band, lose points even when the diagnosis is right. Judgments without evidence beside them cost the reasoning line, since a tick in a box is not an argument. The timing question is frequently skipped, and acute stress disorder left unmentioned reads as a missed rival. After a vehicle collision, ignoring the possibility of a head injury costs the medical rule-out credit many rubrics carry. Language matters in this week more than most: describing the patient as damaged, or dwelling on graphic detail of the crash, costs professionalism and adds nothing. Maps that include treatment options have moved beyond the diagnostic task set here.
NRNP 6635 Week 6 help: mistakes that cost marks
Criteria maps lose marks when avoidance is folded into the negative mood cluster or the arousal cluster is left out. Keep all four clusters separate. Another common gap is skipping exposure, which must be established before any symptom counts. Record it first. Writers also ignore timing, though seven weeks rules out acute stress disorder. Explain why. Avoid omitting the possible head injury, which can cause overlapping symptoms. Tie symptoms to his words. Use a measure such as the PCL-5 if allowed. Close with what the next visit should clarify. Writers also forget to consider substance use after the crash, such as more drinking to sleep. Ask about it. Another frequent slip is mapping symptoms without the required counts per cluster. State the counts.
Get a NRNP 6635 Week 6 example written to your instructions
Send over whatever scenario your Week 6 prompt supplies with the rubric beside it; the criteria map returns with every cluster set against that scenario's evidence and the timing question answered. Your first custom sample is free, back in 24-48 hours, and never built from a real survivor's account.
More NRNP 6635 papers and PMHNP samples
- NRNP 6635 Week 1: Diagnostic Classification Post
- NRNP 6635 Week 2: Symptom Neurocircuitry Brief
- NRNP 6635 Week 3: Anxiety Rule-Out Note
- NRNP 6635 Week 4: Psychiatric Evaluation
- NRNP 6635 Week 5: Mood Timeline Analysis
- NRNP 6635 Week 7: Psychosis Differential Grid
- NRNP 6635 Week 8: Substance-Induced Analysis
- NRNP 6635 Week 9: Personality Pattern Write-Up
- NRNP 6635 Week 10: Neurodevelopmental Analysis
- NRNP 6635 Week 11: Integrated Psychiatric Evaluation
- NRNP 6644 Week 6: Family Systems Analysis
- NRNP 6634 Week 6: Diagnostic Formulation
- NRNP 6654 Week 6: Setting-Specific Care Plan
- NRNP 6624 Week 6: Crisis Session Note
NRNP 6635 Week 6 questions, answered
Does the map describe the collision itself?
Only as far as the criteria require. The map records that a qualifying exposure occurred and the patient's role in it, then moves to symptoms. Graphic description serves no diagnostic purpose and would be out of keeping with trauma-informed writing, which markers in this course notice. A map prepared for your prompt handles the event in your case with the same restraint.
Why consider a head injury in a psychiatric map?
Because concentration problems, irritability and sleep disturbance after a crash can have a physical contributor as well as a psychological one, and the two can coexist. The map does not decide between them; it notes what the case supplied and what remains uncertain. Weighing a medical contributor is part of the diagnostic reasoning this course grades, and your own map would be expected to show it.
Is the driver in the map a real person?
No real person is behind him. The driver was assembled from an age bracket, a role in a collision and a set of reactions, with nothing that could lead back to anyone. Survivors you meet in placement keep their stories in their own records. The map you request is built from the scenario your section provides.
Where can I find a free NRNP 6635 Week 6 sample paper?
The highway collision criteria map is printed here with exposure first, each cluster in order, the timing rivals and the head injury weighed.
What event is the map built around in NRNP 6635 Week 6?
A highway collision seven weeks ago when a truck crossed the median and his coworker passenger was seriously injured.