DSM-5 Diagnostic Case Studies
Case Studies
Tom is a 30-year-old male who was near the World Trade Center during the 9/11 attack. He witnessed horrific scenes, including people jumping from the World Trade Center. Since that day, he has had nightmares. Whenever a plane flies overhead, he has the feeling that he needs to run to a secure place. He has thought of moving out of New York City because he finds himself reliving the event every time he is down in the area of the 9/11 attack.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) although a very complex disorder, is a well-known psychiatric consequence of trauma, which is likely what Tom is experiencing (Iribarren, Prolo, Neagos, & Chiappelli, 2005). The event that is responsible for the PTSD must be directly experienced as a threat to one's own integrity and associated with intense fear, helplessness, or horror; the patient also persistently re-experiences the traumatic incident in such a way as distressing dreams, thoughts, or perceptions of the events, and the diagnosis is made typically when the symptoms have lasted more than one month and included some sort of functional impairment (Longo, et al., 2010).
2.Jennifer is worried about her friend Mark, who is a 19-year-old male who recently started hiding in his apartment bedroom. He told Jennifer that the government could hear everything he says, and does so in every room but his bedroom. More recently, Jennifer has visited him and found out he is not going to work, as he is feeling very low and depressed. She also recognized that he is smoking more pot than usual.
Based on the information provided, it is unclear if the disorder is a substance-induced psychotic disorder or a disorder such as schizophrenia. In many cases, an alcoholic or drug user may experience mental illness prior to ever beginning substance abuse and this could then confound the possibility of easy detection of symptoms that are due to the substance itself; however, in most cases, if the symptoms preceded the substance use, abstinence from the substance will lead to a continuation of symptoms (Gillespie, 2016). In the case of substance-induced psychosis, though, the effects typically subside after the drug wears off and the first step for Mark will be to gain sobriety.
3.Angela is a 35-year-old human resources manager and mother who has found that methamphetamines allow her to work long hours and also gives her enough energy when she is home to manage her household and children. More recently, she has started to think that her boss has been planning to fire her, even though there is no visible sign that her work has been suffering due to her use. When she passes by his office and he is on the phone, she is sure he is talking about her and his plans to fire her.
When some substances are consumed for long periods of time, they can manifest themselves as psychotic symptoms that may present themselves as schizophrenia-like symptoms. The psychiatric diagnoses, methamphetamine abuse and methamphetamine dependence, in DSM-IV-TR were replaced by one diagnosis, amphetamine-type substance use disorder, in DSM-5 listed under the broader category of stimulant use disorders (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). In many case, hallucinations or extreme paranoia can shift in the patient's reality, such that they believe that something far from reality is taking place which could explain why Angela believes that she will be fired without actually knowing whether or not that is the case.
4.Justin is a 20-year-old college student who recently started lining his single dorm room with tin foil. He thinks that his neighbors have been listening in on his phone conversations and wants to prevent their listening with the use of this foil. He has stopped going to classes and interacting with his friends. His friends are very worried about him and decided to go to the dean to talk to her about his behavior.
Schizophrenia is the prototypical psychotic disorder, and not only is it the most common psychosis, but schizophrenia tends to involve abnormalities in all five of the emphasized symptom domains: hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thinking (speech), grossly disorganized or abnormal motor behavior (including catatonia), and negative symptoms (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). It seems like it is most likely the case that Justin is experiencing irrational delusions that would be consistent with a form of paranoid schizophrenia and this should be reported as soon as possible due to the fact that this condition is often associated with self-harm as well as harm to others.
Part 2: Treatment Scenarios
Provide a 50- to 75-word response to each of the following scenarios:
Imagine that you are working with a client that has been diagnosed with a psychotic disorder. Select a psychotic disorder from the DSM-5 and discuss the approach you would you use for treating this client.
Disorder Selected -- PTSD
The diagnostic criteria for PTSD...
Personality disorders are long-standing and pervasive patterns of behavior that impede the individual's functioning and lead to significant distress in performing everyday activities with others (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). As these are chronic conditions that are present from an early age the patient does not perceive that the problems in their lives are a result of their behavior. Often people with these disorders are referred for psychological assessment or treatment
Little is known about abnormal cervical cancer screening results of women who are behind bars. The test was conducted by using data from two cross-sectional surveys of women in jails and community corrections about their history of abnormal pap tests. Univariate analyses (analysis of variance [ANOVA] and chi-square) and a binary logistic regression analysis were conducted to test associations between histories of abnormal Pap testing and factors known to
Bipolar Disorder: Abnormalities in Brain Structures and Functions A person experiencing bipolar disorder will feel alternately euphoric and severely depressed of they can have a mixture of those emotional states. This condition is known to e a disease, much like any other chronic medical condition, which can be mediated by a medication regimen, but not cured. It is also known that there are elements of the disease which relate to certain structures
OCD is in many ways a homogeneous disorder. The disorder has a prevalence of around 2% to 3% of the population, and this prevalence is likely underestimated in many different countries / and descriptions of obsessions and compulsions have been remarkably consistent over time and place. Neurobiological studies have consistently found evidence that cortical-striatal-thalamic-cortical (CTSC) circuits play a crucial role in mediating the disorder and treatment research has invariably demonstrated
Scientists thus call this tendency a "genetic vulnerability" to inherit depression (Read 2007:1) Biologically, bipolarity is not caused by brain damage although there is mounting evidence that the brains of bipolar patients look different from those without mood disorders. A 2000 study in the American Journal of Psychiatry that the brains of patients with bipolar disorder contain 30% more cells that send signals to other brain cells, suggesting that the
Finally, McDermott et.al also provided us with valuable clue in early detection and possibility of avoiding worsening of the condition. By identifying a positive relation between laxative use and severity of disorder the study serves as a warning, indicating treatment measures for such children who abuse laxatives. These researchers have clearly stressed the importance of early detection and treatment to minimize the chances of a full blown disorder. Medicos,
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