The given case presupposes that Morgan is a 19-year-old male who reveals that he was molested by his cousin who was released from jail (Laureate Education, 2017). He tells that he suffers from severe depression and anxiety, but he is not sure whether it is a PTSD that is shaped by the traumatic experiences of his past (Laureate Education, 2017). Therefore, it is apparent that Morgan needs a set of the additional assessments of his case of child abuse so that his diagnosis can be finally formulated and as a result, it would be possible to start the process of treatment.

The recommendations for the psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner can be related to the need to assess the state of the patient by means of applying the strategy of evaluation of the reliable measures. For example, a child therapist can ask the patient and his parents to reflect upon his prior behavioral patterns to detect the “spectrum of possible behavioral, mood, and anxiety symptoms” (Pfefferbaum & Shaw, 2013, p.1230). Such a strategy would help the psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner to assess the alterations in Morgan’s behaviors over time.

A set of interviews can be conducted with the 19-year-old patient to reveal the reasons for the changes in his behaviors. Therefore, it is apparent that the behavioral assessment of child abuse is necessary in this particular case. Over the course of the interviews, it is crucial to create rapport first, then ask open-ended questions, listen to the free narration of Morgan, and after that, it is possible to formulate the focused questions. The leading questions can be used the patient fails to directly state his opinion. A psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner can also utilize the method of multiple choice questions and Yes-No questions. This approach can be a good basis for a step-wise interview (Sadock, Sadock, & Ruiz, 2014).

To directly assess the scope and nature of traumas that were shaped by the abuse, it is possible to make the patient fill in several questionnaires. For example, the patient and the child therapist can learn about the abuse-related symptomatology of Morgan with the help of a Trauma Symptom Checklist for Young Children in order to assess whether the patient can be diagnosed with PTSD because this state does not have to be necessarily attributed to the symptoms of depression and anxiety (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Apart from the mentioned measures, it is possible to appeal to the projective tests and other tests such as drawing that could help to explicate the emotional reactions of Morgan and create the complete picture of the diagnosis of the 19-year-old patient.

When it comes to the role of the exposure to the media, it is evident that it can affect the patient. Even though the role of media coverage is hard to overrate because such cases have to be exposed to the general public in order to create the agenda of awareness (Pfefferbaum & Shaw, 2013), it is still evident that the molested patient can be severely injured in a psychological context by such an occasion. Therefore, to minimize the potentially disruptive consequences for the patient, it is crucial to organize the media coverage with the brief and succinct description of the case and avoid the disclosure of the identity of the victim. It is crucial to “avoid unnecessary abstractions” (Pfefferbaum & Shaw, 2013, p.1227), and outline the case in such a way so that the media coverage does not lead to disappointment of the patient.

Lastly, it is crucial to note that mandatory reporting is utterly required in this case. Given that the case reveals that the 19-year-old patient was molested by his cousin who was released from prison for the same crime, it is apparent that the perpetrator demonstrates the recurrent patterns of the disruptive behaviors. Therefore, to prevent Morgan and other potential victims from becoming molested or sexually abused by the newly released prisoner, it is highly recommended that the case of Morgan has to be reported to police and authorities so that the respective measures will be taken.