Psychological Disorders: Case Studies

Case Study 1:

For the past few weeks Mary has felt extremely tired. She’s called in sick several times and has a
hard time concentrating when she is at work. Her coworkers have noticed that she is often
irritable and withdrawn, which is quite different from her typically upbeat and friendly nature.
She used to enjoy meeting her friends for coffee and playing raquetball at their local club, but
lately does not feel like hanging out with anyone, believing she wouldn’t be good company
anyway.

Mary has been having trouble sleeping and when she does fall asleep she wakes up several times
during the night. She cries often, which is not like her. She doesn’t seem to want to talk to her
husband about her feelings and doesn’t appear to want to get close to him.

Mary is unhappy with her life. She gets frustrated with herself because she feels like she has
every reason to be happy, yet can’t seem to shake the sense of doom and gloom that has been
clouding each day as of late.

Diagnosis: 
Be sure to provide a thorough explanation for your answer.

What treatment do you believe to be best for Mary? Why do you believe this treatment would be
beneficial?

Case Study 2:

Shari is a 28 year-old mother of two. She went through a divorce 2 years ago and has remained
single ever since. She’s had a successful career as a teacher for the last 6 years but for the last 8
months she’s gradually become more and more troubled by worry that she will lose her job and
her house. Despite her best efforts, she hasn’t been able to shake the negative thoughts.

Ever since the worry started, she has found herself feeling restless, tired, and tense. She has a
hard time relaxing with her children and the only activity that seems to help is pacing back and
forth in the hallway. When she goes to bed at night, her brain races. She mentally rehearses the
fear of losing her job and the worse-case scenarios that can come from her job loss.

Diagnosis: 
Be sure to provide a thorough explanation for your answer.

What treatment do you believe to be best for Shari? Explain why you believe this treatment
would be best.

Case Study 3:

Dean’s parents reported that as an infant and toddler, he was resistant to nursing, an extremely
picky eater, and resisted cuddling. He was difficult to settle; swaddling, slow rhythmic rocking,
and keeping the environment and routines consistent were the most effective techniques to
manage his behaviors, which included flailing, kicking, and yelling when he was distressed. In
grade school he did not express his emotions in an age-appropriate manner. If he felt sad or
angry, he would burst into tears, scream, and/or walk away from the situation. Dean was able to
speak in full sentences; however, he struggled with social interactions and had difficulty
initiating a conversation. He rarely asked questions and mostly replied with a very brief “Yes” or
“No” response.

Currently, Dean is 23 and employed at an accounting firm. He does well working with numbers
but sometimes has difficulty with coworkers. He has difficulty understanding gestures, body
language and facial expressions. He finds "small talk" difficult and tends not to be very socially
motivated.

Diagnosis: 
Be sure to provide a thorough explanation for your answer.

What treatment do you believe to be best for Dean? Why do you believe this treatment would
help Dean?

Case Study 4:

Joel is a 20 year-old engineering major at a local university. Over the past few weeks his
roommates have noticed increasingly bizarre behaviors. On many occasions they’ve overheard
him whispering to himself. Lately, he has refused to eat anything that is not from a sealed can for
fear someone has poisoned his food.

He’s become angry with his roommates, accusing them on several occasions that they are
conspiring with foreign intelligence to have him killed since they are aware he will create many
ingenious engineering projects that could assist in the capture of foreign enemies. He’s stopped
attending his classes and is now so far behind in his coursework that he will fail if something
doesn’t change very soon.

His parents have tried to get him in to see a psychiatrist. Joel has had an occasional drink, but has
never experimented with illegal drugs. His parents are extremely worried about his behavior but
don’t know how to help. Joel is unwilling to see a psychiatrist because he has an aunt who has
been in and out of psychiatric hospitals for most of her adult life.

Diagnosis: 
Be sure to provide a thorough explanation for your answer.

What treatment do you believe to be best for Joel? Why do you believe this treatment protocol
would be best?

Case Study 5:

Ann presented to her doctor as a 5 feet 7 inches female weighing 79 pounds. Sandy didn't really
think there was anything wrong with her, but her parents brought her in worried about her weight
loss. Ann gets anxious when her parents try to get her to eat, stating she believes she’s “too fat,”
and needs to watch her weight. She’s recently become disinterested in activities that she once
enjoyed, preferring to stay in her room for hours at a time.

During the meeting her physician discovered Ann has experienced amenorrhea for the past 7
months. The medical evaluation found no significant medical history and no physical illness to
explain her weight loss, but she did have low blood pressure.

Diagnosis: 
Be sure to provide a thorough explanation for your answer.

What treatment do you believe to be best for Ann? Why would this treatment help Ann? 

Psychological Disorders: Case Studies

Mary is suffering from depression. It’s estimated that more than seventeen million people in the

United States alone suffer from depression at some point in their life. Mary has been feeling

distant and gloomy as she stated. She is losing interest in her daily activities and doesn’t seem to

want to talk to her husband about how she is feels. People who suffer from depression like Mary

often experience insomnia as a daily occurrence.

The best treatment option for Mary would be to recognize her depression and seeking

professional help. After her depression has been recognized and diagnosed the best option for

Mary would be to have a combination of cognitive therapy and medication management under

supervision. Medication alone will not treat Mary’s depression but will relieve some of the

serious symptoms associated with it that affect her daily life. Cognitive therapy will help cure her

from depression and prevent it from occurring in the future.

Shari: Case Study #2

Shari is suffering from generalized anxiety disorder. She is constantly worrying and can’t seem

to relax which is the key factor in people who suffer from anxiety. Shari worries about small and

large things and lets the negative thoughts control her and interfere with her daily life activities.

Shari is expiring restlessness which is also a common occurrence for people who suffer from

anxiety because they can’t seem to turn their thoughts off.

People who suffer from anxiety and don’t seek treatment can experience a lot of other health

related issues. Some issues include acne, stomach ulcers and heart issues. It’s important to seek

professional help at the first sign of anxiety.

what she’s experiencing. The second step would to discuss treatment options. Anxiety is treated

with a combination of (CBT) Cognitive behavioral therapy and medication. Psychoanalytic is

also utilized is the patient (Shari) begins to suffer from panic attacks. These treatment options

have been successful in treating anxiety and helping patients cope and overcome the disorder.

Dean: Case Study #3

Dean began suffering from Autism from a small infant. Dean has experienced the key

characteristic of Autism which includes: lack of warm expressions, becoming distressed easily

and hard to calm if feeling upset. Even as an adult Dean has trouble with social interactions.

The best treatment option for Dean and his Autism is to seek professional help and have an

evaluation. The exact cause of Autism is still a complete mystery but can occur from multiples

inheritances. There still isn’t a perfect treatment option for Autism but there are multiple

approaches that doctors have used successful to help treat and cope with the episodes caused by

Autism. (ABA) would be the best option for Dean. (ABA) Applied behavioral analysis will

teach/help dean accept his social disruptiveness’.

Joel: Case Study #4

Joel is suffering from a Schizotypal Personality Disorder. This disorder can occur in the early to

late twenties and be undiagnosed until then. With Joel he has begun to exhibit odd behaviors that

worry his loved ones. He has begun to feel paranoid for reasons that are unrealistic to anyone but

him. People who suffer from this disorder have odd, magical thoughts that no one else other than

the person suffering from the disorder understand. They begin to lose relationships and separate

themselves from reality, just as Dean has begun to do.

the dysphoric affects from the personality disorder. People who suffer from this disorder often

have episodes of depression, anxiety, stress and psychotic thoughts. The best treatment option for

Joel would to have his symptoms recognized and diagnosed. Have a professional listen to Joel

and his concerns he has. A professional will be able to use CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy)

with medication to help diminish some of the episodes Joel is experiencing.

Ann: Case Study #5

Ann is suffering from Anorexia Nervosa. This disorder causes Ann to not be giving her body the

proper nutrition it needs to maintain a healthy weight. Ann has fear of gaining weight and thinks

that she looks great the way she is. For her height and age she would weigh at least 20-30 pounds

heavier than she currently does. People who suffer from anorexia (like Ann) believe that nothing

is wrong with them and that have the perfect body as is, in most cases that is extremely untrue

and Ann is very underweight and in danger for her health.

Ann and other people who suffer from anorexia begin to experience low blood pressure, thinning

hair and nails, dry and yellow skin and growth of fine hair over the entire body. Ann is already

exhibiting one of the issues associated with anorexia: low blood pressure.

The best treatment option for Ann is to seek medical and professional help immediately. A

professional will use CBT to help Ann accept her body for who she is and help her begin to

develop a healthy eating routine (slowly) but successfully. In some cases patients suffering with

anorexia were hospitalized to ensure they do not put their life in danger anymore. With Ann she

is border line close to developing major health related issues but can stop and reverse her illness

before it gets worse.