Altered Mental Status: A Case Study

If you completed an assessment with this client, what biological, family, and cultural considerations of their background would you need to see to justify the diagnosis?

Delirium is defined as a disturbed state of mind which is accompanied by confusion, restlessness, illusions, incoherence & sometimes hallucinations.

For the following hypothetical cases, determine the type (s) tests and method(s) of assessment that you would apply. All of the information you need is in chapter 4 of your textbook.

Read each case below and determine what psychological disorder each patient might have. In your own words, state your reasons why. Type your answer directly below each case.

1. Outline the causes, incidence and risk factors of the identified disease and how it can impact on the patient and family (450 words)

cause an ongoing loss of contact with reality. Other mental health conditions that may sometimes

The applicant requests an upgrade of his general, under honorable conditions discharge to honorable and a change to the narrative reason for his discharge. The applicant states, in effect, he has submitted two requests to have his discharge upgraded. The applicant contends, unfortunately, his requests were denied on both occasions. The applicant further contends, he has been receiving disability compensation for multiple disabilities. The applicant states, he has an anxiety disorder that is associated with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The applicant further states that on September 3, 2014, the Secretary of Defense issued a memorandum to the Boards for Correction of Military/Naval Record (BCM/NR). To carefully consider each and

Dissociation fugues or depersonalization/deserialization is also known as out of body experience. When an individual is diagnosed with depersonalization or deserialization disorder often means that the individual presents symptoms of detachment with reality and themselves. National Alliance on Mental Illness (Dissociation Disorders) also defines depersonalization is when an individual present episodes of detachment with their own person and deserialization it often known when the individual presents detachment with reality. These individuals are always in trance also known as dreamland. These experiences could feel as an out of body experience for these individuals. Most of time individuals could experience both depersonalization and dissertation at the same time lasting second, minutes, or days that could lead episodes of stress, worries, and difficulties. Dissociation identity disorder is another type of dissociation disorder, on which an individual identifies himself or herself as more than one

Dissociative disorders used to be under characterized under hysterical neurosis but this category is no longer used since it is not accurate. Hysterical neurosis implied a specific, but unproven cause for a disorder. Dissociative disorder is currently defined as a disorder in which individuals feel detached from themselves or their surroundings and feelings reality, experience, and identity may disintegrate. Dissociative disorders are not well understood, but have intrigued medical professionals for centuries. Two types of experiences occur in individuals with dissociative disorder. Derealization episodes alters one’s perception so that the sense of reality of the external world is lost (Barlow & Durand, 2016). There are currently three types

Dissociative Identity Disorder is characterized by a disruption and or discontinuity in the normal integration of consciousness memory, identity, emotion, perception, body representation motor control and behavior. Dissociative symptoms can potential disrupts every area of physiological functioning (Association, 2013).

Delirium can be described as a disturbance in the mental abilities of an individual that ultimately results in things like decreased awareness of the surrounding environment and disoriented thinking. The beginning of delirium is usually quick, being within a couple hours or just a few days. Delirium can sometimes be traced to one or more factors, such as changes in metabolic balance, infections, surgery, chronic illnesses, and even alcohol or drug withdrawal.

Delirium is also called acute confusional state. It is characterized by "fluctuating course, attentional deficits and generalized severe disorganization of behavior."

Mental status exam is the psychological equivalent of physical examination that gives the description of behavior and mental state of an individual. The objective observation of the examiner and subjective description of the patient are needed in this assessment.

While dissociative disorders did not get a lot of attention in the beginnings of psychology, the ideas of it had been present in a “body of medical and scientific literature that emerged from 1775 to 1900” and first introduced in a concept coined by Ellenberger, known as “First Dynamic Psychiatry” (Kihlstrom). After this was introduced, concepts and possibilities skyrocketed in the 1980s and now receive a large amount of attention in the world of psychology and psychiatry ("Dissociative Disorders", 2016). This disorder, known as dissociative amnesia, is a subset of dissociative disorders and can be accompanied by multiple other disorders, such as depression and anxiety ("Mental Health and Dissociative Amnesia"). Just as well,

What is your list of differential diagnoses in this case and explain how each of these fits with the case patient as described above. Be sure to list at least four (4) pertinent differential diagnoses. Indicate which of these you would select as the most likely diagnosis and explain why.