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Art Austin Case Study Essay

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The Case of Art Austin On a seemingly random night, January 28, 1998, which would have been ten years prior to the copyrighted filming date of Surviving Trauma and Tragedy (2007), Art Austin witnessed the gun-involved homicide of his fiancée in his home. Art, an African American male, of what appears to be middle-age (although it is not stated, and his age during the incident is unknown), is experiencing symptoms related to this traumatic event. Aside from witnessing the homicide, Art also experienced a break-in and forceful actions towards himself by the perpetrators, including having a gun held to his head. After the event, Art’s reported symptoms include flashbacks, anxiety, and difficulties sleeping. Additionally, Art stated that it took him approximately six months before he was comfortable enough to return to work. Art sought help through a trusted primary care physician, as well as through additional counseling (Ochberg, 2007). Diagnostic Impressions F:43.10 Post Traumatic Stress Disorder F51.01 Insomnia Disorder, Late Insomnia, with non-sleep disorder mental comorbidity Z65.4 Victim of a Crime Rationale Based on Art’s presenting symptoms, he is meeting criteria for a …show more content…

This has been ongoing for longer than 3 months, and Art has been prescribed Trazadone for relief with these symptoms. The DSM-V (APA, 2013) notes that insomnia can be comorbid with other mental disorders, must diagnosed in this fashion, in order for the individual to receive proper treatment for both diagnoses. The DSM-V also indicates that insomnia can be initiated by a triggering event. In Art’s case, this traumatic event appears to have been the catalyst to the onset of not only his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, but also his insomnia. Art also was the victim of a crime, therefore Z65.4 is an applicable diagnostic identifier (Ochberg,

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