Diagnosing mental disorders Instructions: For each of the following case studies, play the role of a clinician and make the most accurate diagnosis...
Diagnosing mental disorders
Instructions: For each of the following case studies, play the role of a clinician and make the most accurate diagnosis possible from the given information.
If you interacted with Scott briefly, you might think that he functions normally. However, once he told you about the government’s plot against him and how he was going to be rescued by some alien friends, you would start to suspect that he has a disorder.
Shannon’s moods seem to swing abruptly, and she often seems unable to control her emotions. She has had many sexual encounters and often complains of boredom, though she is seldom alone and often caught up in very intense, stormy relationships. At other times she is sad, despondent, and refuses to see anyone. Her friends are on edge around her because of her unpredictable behavior.
Emmit, who has just suffered a serious knee injury, cannot undergo an MRI because he has an irrational fear of narrow, enclosed places.
Frank awoke one morning and suddenly remembered some important personal information that had been unavailable to him for years. Specifically he remembered that he had another name and a family in another state. He does not remember how he came to be living his present life in his new location.
Although Karina was not personally injured in the earthquake, the experience was a terrifying one and her house was badly damaged. She has frequent nightmares about earthquakes, and even when awake she sometimes gets flashes as if she’s reliving the experience. The slightest noise or movement around her causes her heart to pound rapidly.
While teaching her class one day, Theresa suddenly begins having difficulty breathing. Her heart starts pounding wildly, and she feels weak and dizzy. She feels as if she’s having a heart attack and is honestly afraid that she’s going to die in the next minute or two. (Assume that Theresa is not having a heart attack).
Sarah has an unrealistic fear of shopping in crowded stores and walking through crowded streets. She has begun to spend more and more time home alone in order to avoid the panicky feeling she gets when she goes out in public.
Sam’s friends are starting to worry about him. Normally energetic and fun-loving, Sam has become withdrawn and sullen. He has lost weight, is constantly tired, and hasn’t been showing up to lacrosse practice or to his fraternity meetings. In his conversations with others, he expresses feelings of doubt and unworthiness, and seems to be entertaining suicidal thoughts.
Because Amy feels “dirty” a lot of the time, she spends much of her day at the sink, washing and rewashing her hands hundreds of times until they are raw.
After being abused throughout her childhood, Helen has three distinct personalities. One is aggressive, one is sexually promiscuous, and one is very timid.
