Mental Illness Project



Psychology Name_________________________________HR___

Psychological Disorders Assessment

Purpose: To be able to successfully diagnose psychological disorders and recommend an appropriate treatment/therapy.

The format for your groups’ report should follow the guidelines below. Label each part of your report. 1 typed report per group. You will open and share a Google Doc and share it with your group and Ms. Stiles.

Section 1: Identify and Describe

• Identify the disorder you think is present for each case study.

• Include evidence (symptoms, specific behaviors) from the case study to support your justification of diagnosis. DSM-5 Criteria.

• Use your study guide to summarize the major characteristics of the identified disorder.

• Write in complete sentences.

Section 2: Treatment/Therapy Recommendation:

• You will be assigned 3 case studies in which you must create and describe an effective and reasonable treatment plan.

• Explain the treatment method (drug/psychotherapy) for each case study along with the justification. Your treatment method must be thoroughly described. You must explain how and why the drug and/or therapy would be effective.

• Write in complete sentences.

Scoring:

• Each correctly identified case study will earn 1 point. (Total of 14 points)

• Groups must correctly identify appropriate characteristics that match each of the diagnoses. (Total of 14 points)

• Groups must discuss an effective treatment/therapy recommendation for 3 cases that will be assigned to them. (15 points)

• Students will not earn credit for this group assignment if they do not show evidence of contributing to the group. Your shared document will indicate the amount each student contributed to the assignment.

Total Points- 43 points

Case Study #1

A married woman, whose life was complicated by her mother’s living in their home, complained that she felt tense and irritable most of the time. She was apprehensive for fear that something would happen to her mother, her husband, her children, or herself. She has no definite idea what it was that she fears might happen. She suffers from occasional attacks in which her heart pounds with irregular beats; she can not seem to catch her breath when this happens. Often she breaks out in profuse perspiration. Her mouth seems to be always dry, even though she drinks a great deal of water, and because of this and her diffused anxiety she cannot sleep.

Case Study #2

A man, aged 32, was admitted to a psychiatric hospital. Two months before commitment the patient began to talk about how he had failed, had “spoiled” his whole life, that it was now “too late.” He spoke of hearing someone say, “You must submit.” One night his wife was awakened by his talking. He stated that someone was after him and trying to blame him for the death of a certain man, who had been po9isoned, he said. In the admission office of the hospital he showed many mannerisms. He laid down on the floor, pulled at his foot, made undirected violent striking movements, again struck attendants, grimaced, assumed rigid postures, refused to speak, and appeared to be having auditory hallucinations. He was at once placed in continuous bath where, when seen later in the day, he was found to be in a a trance-like state. His face was without expression, he was mute and rigid, and paid no attention to those around him or to their questions. His eyes were closed and the lids could be separated only with effort. There was no response to pinpricks of other painful stimuli. For five days he remained mute, negative, and inaccessible. At times he would be found staring vacantly into space with his eye tightly closed.

Case Study #3

Fred K. is a 50-year old married man who developed muscle spasms in his left hand, and a partial paralysis of his arm. He held his arm bent in front of his, as if it were in a sling, and his fingers were curled inward toward the palm of his hand. He could raise his arm to the level of his shoulder, and there was slight movement in his fingers. The symptoms came on suddenly, and before he was referred for psychological treatment, the patient had undergone medical and neurological work-ups by local physicians as well as by specialists in Rochester, Cleveland, Baltimore, and Boston. He has been feeling a lot of pressure at work and has been preoccupied with taking care of his sick mother who has recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Many different diagnoses were made, and many medical treatments were tried, but the patient did not respond, and the symptoms remained unaltered.

Case Study #4

Mrs. M was first admitted to a state hospital at the age of 38, although since childhood she has been characterized by mood swings, some of which had been so extreme that they had been at a psychotic degree. At one point she became depressed and asked to return to the hospital where she had been a patient. She then became overactive and exuberant in spirits and visited her friends, to whom she outlined her plans for reestablishing different forms of lucrative businesses. She purchased many clothes, bought furniture, pawned rings, and wrote checks without funds. For a period thereafter she was mildly depressed. In a little less than a year Mrs. M again became overactive, played her radio until late at night, smoked excessively, took out insurance on a car that she had not yet bought. Contrary to her usual habits, she swore frequently and loudly, created a disturbance in a club in which she did not belong, and initiated divorce proceedings. On the day prior to her second admission to the hospital she purchased 57 hats.

Case Study #5

George T., age 35, an auto mechanic, on several occasions found himself in a motion picture theatre after having left home to report for work. He would “come to” in a bewildered fashion and would go to a bar for a few drinks. Eventually he would go home. As a child, George had a pattern of wandering away from home. He came from a very unhappy family; his parents were divorced, and he was left home with housekeepers. His father was very harsh with him and on several occasions gave him such severe whippings that the neighbors called the police. His mother was a highly emotional person and tried to discipline George be screaming at him and threatening to place him in a boarding home. In adolescence, he twice found himself going off to school and eventually, “coming to” in a park about two miles from home. In school, George got along well with the teachers and other students. He was a poor students and failed both the second and seventh grade. He quit school at 16.

Case Study #6

Tamara, a 54 year old female, moved to Seattle about 6 months ago and now works as a cocktail waitress in a bar. When she first applied for the job, the name on her driver’s license and social security card did not match the name she was now using. She explained that she was divorcing and changing back to her maiden name. The manager of the bar saw no reason to question her explanation. Tamara was a very hard worker who got along well with the other employees and customers. Her coworkers liked her but thought she was odd because she never spoke about her past. When they took a break together, Tamara laughed and smiled at everyone’s stories but never added any of her own. When directly questioned about her past, Tamara only smiled and shrugged, occasionally stating that she couldn’t remember. One day at work, a customer kept staring at her. The customer insisted that Tamara looked like a woman from Montana that he knew about. This woman had been married with two children and had disappeared about 6 months before. There had been a massive search for her, but nothing was ever discovered. Police suspected the worst because nothing else had been missing except the woman’s purse and the clothes on her back.

Case Study #7

Edna, age 20, a sophomore in college, had a pronounced fear of being left alone with a man, whether a fellow student, professor, relative, or acquaintance. She refused all dates and never allowed herself to be placed in situations where it was necessary for her to go home with someone of the opposite sex. She could give no food reason for this fear, but recognized her problem; yet there seemed to be nothing that she could do about it. Recently when it appeared inevitable that she must go home from a party with a boy, she trembled, her hands became clammy, and she became very faint. As a result her hostess invited her to remain the night.

Case Study #8

A 34-year old woman describes the ordeal of some of her weekly activities. “Once I have attained control of the car, I have the burden of getting into it and getting it going. This can be a big project some days, locking and unlocking the doors, rolling up and down the power windows, putting on and off the seat belts, some times countlessly… Sometimes while driving I must do overtly good deeds, like letting cars out of streets in front of me, or stopping to let people cross. These are things everyone probably should do, but things I must do… My trip in the car may take us to the grocery store. Inside I have certain rituals I must perform. I am relatively subtle about how I do them to avoid drawing attention to myself. Certain foods must have their packages read several times before I am allowed to purchase them. Some things need to be touched repetitively. There are certain tiles on the floor must be stepped on by my family and my self. I’ll find myself having to go from one end of an aisle to the other and back again, just to make everything alright. I fear being accused of shoplifting sometimes because of the way I behave and the way I am always looking around to see if people have noticed my actions.

Case Study #9

It takes the greatest effort to get out of bed in the morning. I am tired all day, yet when night comes, sleep evades me. I stare at the ceiling, wondering what has happened to my life, and what will become of me. Nothing is getting done at work. I have projects to complete, but I can’t think. I try to focus on my work, and I get lost. I keep wondering when the boss will discover how little I have accomplished. My wife does not understand. She keeps telling me to “snap out of it.” I’m irritable all the time, and yell at the kids, and then I fell terrible later. Nothing is fun any more. I can’t read, and music I used to enjoy so much does nothing for me. I am bored, but I feel like doing nothing. These are times, when I’m alone, that I think that life is hopeless and meaningless, and I can’t go on much longer.

Case Study #10

Theodore Reskin has just graduated from college. He had been a good student and enjoyed reading and getting lost in science fiction comic books. He also enjoyed board and Internet games that dealt with fictional comic book characters and had a large network of online friends who shared this interest. Theodore was known as “Teddy” by his friends and was a genius at writing computer programs. Teddy occasionally experimented with ‘hacking’ but feared the repercussions of his actions if he were to be caught.

Teddy had a girlfriend for a time in college and felt comfortable with those he knew well. He could be very funny and while shy he was always very considerate of others feelings. He was straight-laced and had drunk alcohol on occasion in college but had never tried drugs of any sort.

Once Teddy graduated from college, he thought that given his grades and highly esteemed university credit to his resume he would quickly find a position in a company writing computer code. The economy was slow and the job was not forthcoming. Teddy’s mother was pressuring her son to “make something of his life” and wanted him to find a place of his own to live. Teddy had thought that he would stay with his parents until he got married and had not anticipated his mother’s response.

As weeks turned into months and there was still no job, Teddy’s mother threatened to force him to work for the family cleaning business. Teddy was not interested and began to spend more and more time in his room under the guise of looking online for a job. Instead, he played more and more Internet games and became engrossed in the world that was created by the fictional characters.

Since high school he had been particularly interested in a character named “Garth”. During the growing period of time Teddy had gone without finding a job he began thinking about Garth’s next move even when not playing the game. One day while grocery shopping for his mother Garth began to tell him what to buy and not to buy and to discard the list that his mother had given to him. When he returned home his mother was irate and ordered him back to the store. Once again, Garth took over and his wishes seemed to supercede those of Teddy’s mother.

The following week during an interview Teddy stared blankly ahead as the interview progressed, he was playing his favorite Internet game in his mind, while Garth instructed him on destroying his enemies. The interview ended badly once again and without a job. Teddy became lost in the world of Internet games both while he was playing and not playing. Garth, and eventually other characters, watched and directed Teddy’s every move. He withdrew from other friends and became extremely isolated, choosing to live only in the world created by the Internet game.

Case Study #11

Jackie has always lived a relatively comfortable life. She had been raised in a small community on the East coast and was raised by nannies and housekeepers as much as her own parents raised her. Her father was a successful real estate broker and often worked with celebrities and demanding clients, he was often out of town and Jackie would not see him two weeks at a time. Her mother was a kind woman but caught up in the world of “lunches” and shopping. She always wanted to see people and be seen. She was always leaving her only daughter to the care of the household staff. Luckily, she was well taken care of and shown much love by those who worked for her parents. Although she suffered from terrible allergies she enjoyed being outside and playing many sports. She became an expert horseback rider and competed in many competitions

As Jackie grew older she became resentful of her mother’s disinterest towards her. While her mother had never been unkind to her, she simply had never made her a priority. Early in her teenage years she began smoking, drinking and getting into trouble. Jackie’s mother decided that boarding school was the answer. At school Jackie withdrew and no longer participated in activities such as tennis and horseback riding that she had once loved. She rarely left her room, but when she did she would often stay out all night and often engage in risky behavior with the boys from a neighboring school. Often times she would then retreat to her room for days on end, sleeping and brooding over her lack of care. This type of behavior went on for months at the end of the semester Jackie on an impulse flew to Los Angeles where she shopped non stop for four days straight running up a credit card bill of over $20,000. While Jackie’s family had money she did not and when she returned to school and the headmaster realized what had occurred, she immediately called Jackie’s mother.

Case Study #12

Kindra was beautiful and popular. As a child she did some modeling and as she grew into her teenage years her looks only improved. In addition, she had a great personality and was kind to everyone even if she was not particularly close to them. She had a very close bond with her family and had two older brothers who doted on her and looked after her at school. Kindra loved performing and was actively involved in school plays and productions in high school. She was also on the school dance team and loved serving as the announcer for the school volleyball games.

Kindra suffered from migraine headaches and as a result she missed much school. Her family did not have the money to pay for a personal tutor, so instead she enlisted the help of friends who always were willing to help out and make sure that she stayed caught up in school.

In her second year of college Kindra’s Father suddenly died of a heart attack, the family was devastated and Kindra did not take the news well. She was not able to attend the funeral because she felt dizzy and experienced a terrible migraine which left her bedridden for two days. During this time her mother and brothers while morning they made every effort to insure that Kindra was comfortable. Two weeks after her father’s funeral her oldest brother deployed to fight in the Middle East, while everyone knew that this was coming it was difficult as they had just lost their father. Kindra now felt stomach pains and went to the doctor to find out what was happening. He assured her it would pass and she would be fine.

Directly after college Kindra married and settled down in a small town not far from where she grew up. She was new to the neighborhood and no longer the center of attention. While her husband loved her and treated her well he did not dote on her as her family had done. She got a job as an executive assistant tried to make the best of it, although she missed her family terribly. Her migraines returned and each time she would miss work and her mother would come to care for her. She started having dizzy spells at work and was convinced that she had vertigo. Her doctor assured her that she was fine and she was cleared to go back to work. Kindra insisted that she could not go back to work as she could hardly stand and her stomach felt uneasy. Her mother stayed until she felt better, but the cycle would occur every 4 to 5 weeks eventually causing Kindra to lose her job. She tried a new doctor but he too assured her that she was fine. She decided that until the symptoms went away she should go and stay at her mothers where as she put, she would receive proper care.

Case Study #13

Kurt was considered a “bully” from the time he was in preschool. He pushed other students and teased them mercilessly. Other students in Kurt’s class sided with him or hung around with him because they did not want to face the same torment. He seemed to derive pleasure out of these activities and when his teachers made him apologize for his actions he did so only half heartedly.

Kurt’s home life was somewhat chaotic, his father had left when he was a baby and Kurt had little contact with him. His mother worked two jobs to insure that the family could keep their home. She frequently had boyfriends who would occasionally stay with them for weeks on end. Generally Kurt and his brother were left to fend for themselves for most of the day.

Kurt was extremely intelligent and performed well on exams and standardized assessments despite rarely completing his homework. He often lied and convinced his teachers to give him extended time on a homework assignment despite having no good reason for not having it completed. Occasionally he would cheat on assignments from other students and often turn in someone else’s homework claiming it as his own. He did not seem to care that the other person did not get the credit for their work. During group projects he manipulated the others into doing his work but during a presentation he would come through with flourish therefore he never suffered the consequences.

His relations with women were much the same, he would often be dating three women at a time and thought nothing of lying to them or convincing them it was something they did to drive him into the arms of another woman.

Kurt became a trial lawyer taking on cases for large corporations and serving as both prosecutor and defense when needed. He did not care if he had to lie to win his case nor did he care if his client was guilty or innocent. Kurt’s main objective was to win high profile cases to further his own career.

Kurt was brought to the police station after a hit and run accident in which he hit an eight-year-old boy who had run into the street to retrieve his Frisbee. Kurt did not stop or express any concern for the boy when he was arrested.

Case Study #14

Leon was working as an air traffic controller on 9-11, 2001 when the flight that he was responsible for guiding safely to the ground was taken over by terrorists. Leon could hear everything that occurred in the cockpit and did everything in his power to insure the safety of the passengers to no avail.

Seven years later Leon has relived the 20 minutes in which he had contact with the plane over in his head thousands of times. He still works as an air traffic controller and thinks about the event multiple times per day. He realizes the events were out of his control but cannot help but feel somewhat responsible for the deaths of the people of the plane. Leon took sometime off after incident and has been seeing a counselor ever since to work through his grief and feelings of guilt.

These pressures have cause tension with his family and he has become more introverted and caught up in his own thoughts. He has become very concerned with his children’s well being. His wife has become impatient with him and although he has been to the doctor multiple times there is no physical ailment. She wants everything to return to normal and return to their previously life in socializing with friends and enjoying each others company. He has become very withdrawn. He often dreams about the incident and each day when he goes to work dreads that something similar will occur.

On the job his performance has been outstanding. He went through a retraining program to give him the confidence he needed to go back to work and he is extremely diligent trying to account for any possible interference and always opting for the safest option even if it will be an inconvenience for passengers.

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