PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDER ANALYSIS
Psychological Disorder Analysis
Amy Verhagen
Axia College of University of Phoenix
The diagnosis given to Maria is Dysthymic Disorder. Maria has been having trouble sleeping at night, feeling ‘jumpy’, and not able to concentrate. I suspect this has been going on for a while and possibly co-occurs with other psychological symptoms. Further questioning Maria about her past and present symptom onset will help in confirming this diagnosis to help treat her appropriately.
Background Information
Dysthymia comes from the words thalamus and thyroid, hence the reason it is called dysthymia. Dysthymic disorder is described as a mood disorder with mild or chronic depression, often appearing earlier in life
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Once we discuss how long symptoms have lasted and her life changing experiences, I want to find out more about her medical history. Have you or any family members suffered from any type of psychological condition before, such as depression or other condition? I want to rule out any diagnosis of psychotic episodes and bipolar, or if she is at higher risk for developing a disorder. Maria states that she has not been previously diagnosed with anything and is not aware of depression, or any other disorders in the family. Do you take medication, or have an existing medical condition? These will help to pinpoint if she may be disqualified from receiving the dysthymic disorder diagnosis. Maria states she has no history of medical conditions or any medication or substance use.
Where does your family originate from and do you feel you have ever been treated differently by others being Hispanic? Certain minorities, particular those who are Mexican and African American, are more apt to suffer from dysthymic disorder (Riolo et.la, 2005). Maria stated her family originated in Mexico. Her parents moved to the United States when she was an infant. Job opportunities brought them to the states, where they were able to learn English and obtain some education classes in helping them to advance in their jobs.
Tell me about your life growing up and the relationship you’ve had with family. Maria stated her parents and her came to live with extended family when they first
An out-of-body experience is explained by few as a sense of being detached from one’s body, and if associated with other factors like a sense that the world is not real, far away, or even foggy. This with the combination of failure to recall significant personal information, or the content of a meaningful conversation forgotten from one second to the next are signs of a psychological disorder known as Dissociative Disorder. Considered as a rare and mysterious psychiatric curiosity, Dissociative Disorders will be the psychological disorder that will be discussed in this paper.
Helen is a non drug user that repetitively goes through several week periods of racing thoughts, abnormal energetic disposition, lack of normal eating or sleeping, talking quickly, and putting herself in potential dangerous situations. This period can be described as a Manic or Hypomanic episode. Later, she enters to what qualifies as a Major Depressive Episode. She describes it as a period that may last
Per grandmother, the client’s pregnancy, and delivery were normal. The grandmother recalls that Keisha’s developmental milestones were reached appropriately, including basic motor skills such as crawling, walking and fine motor skills such as writing. According to the client, she experienced an accident when she was nine years old. The accident affected her brain causing her to experience a coma for more than a month. It took her several months of rehabilitation to be able to return back to school. Keisha reports fatigue and/or loss of energy very often. Even after sleeping for more than twelve hours per day she feels tired every morning. She has been feeling this way for more than three years. Furthermore, the client reports that she has poor appetite, eating one or two meals per day. Due to her decrease in appetite the client reports that she lost about ten pounds since last year. Keisha mentions that her appetite has decreased since she started high school. Per client, her father abused drugs when he was younger, which included heroin and crack. She is unaware if father continues abusing drugs. Per client, her mother did not abuse any drugs while she was alive. The client reports no allergies, traumas or chronic diseases affecting her
Psychopathology is the study of mental distress and abnormal maladaptive behaviour, there are four approaches to psychopathology, cognitive, behavioural, psychodynamic and biological. The biological model of abnormality is split into four parts which can all cause abnormal behaviour these are; Genetic, Brain injury, Neurotransmitters and Infection.
Her symptoms started small. She exercised, but slowly it came more extreme. She counted every calorie of every meal. Sally stopped eating her favorite food, like ice-cream and cake. Her family did not understand the seriousness of what was happening. Her menstrual cycle was thrown off, and did not come for some months. Her hair fell out, whether it was from stress or the disorder, it was unsure yet.
What disorder(s) do you think Sonya is likely experiencing? Provide support for the diagnosis/diagnoses you make, walking me through your reasons. Specifically, you might outline what is needed to meet diagnostic criteria and explain how the patient fits these criteria. (10pts)
I am writing you in regards to my psychiatric evaluation of the above-named individual, conducted at Sweetwater Home Board and Care on November 5, 2012.
This paper examines the case study about Sarah Burke. A case study analysis form was completed and symptoms were identified. Identification of certain diagnostic criteria were interpreted and clarified for the exhibiting individual. Illumination of criteria for proposed diagnosis lead to the discussion which resolves the risk factors and clinical features associated with the diagnosis. Recognition of certain symptoms and criteria brought to light other possible comorbidities. Cumulative risk theory, as well as, the diathesis stress model were investigated for possible involvement in the Burke disorder development. Multidimensional factors related to the onset and maintenance of her symptoms are deliberated; as well as, how her culture played a role. In the end, a conclusion is given about suggested pre- and post- treatment, overall benefits of those treatments, and prognosis outlooks.
Interpersonally, she had withdrawn from others and socially isolated. She reported having difficulties in forming meaningful relationships with her parents and peers at the college. Her behaviors were inactive causing inability to work or live independently. The hallucinations, delusions, and cognitions she is currently suffering from severely limits her self-care functioning. Her coping methods of avoidant behaviors increase in the negative symptoms to deal with stress that in turn causes increased anxiety, negative cognitions, and psychotic
The term Psychological disorder, known more as mental disorders or psychotic disorders. Mental disorders are patterns of behavioral or psychological symptoms that impact multiple areas of life. There are lots of different psychological disorders such as; major depressive disorder, anxiety, schizophrenia, PTSD, OCD, substance use and addictive disorder. These disorders can create distress for the individual experiencing these symptoms. Psychological disorders affect most peoples daily lives some worse than others. Some people are born with psychological disorders, others may have suffered a traumatic event that opened a door in the brain that caused the disorder. There are millions of people that suffer mental or behavioral
Leading up to the hospitalization, Felicia experienced multiple stressors that all contributed to her condition. She experienced financial difficulties, which caused her a lot of stress and resulted in her attempt to, “take in people to help pay for rent”. Therefore, as an attempt to make her home presentable to potential renters, she stayed up for 36 hours cleaning and, during that time, had the illusion that there were bugs crawling in her skin, hair, and on her clothes. As a result, she threw away all of her clothes, bought new clothes, and called an exterminator to investigate the bugs, which she later found out was dirt. Other stress-related factors leading up to her episode included: menopause, long hours at work, and anxiety due to cleanliness. However, Felicia reported that finding out that her sister was diagnosed with invasive brain cancer, was “the final straw.” When asked to describe her symptoms during her episode, on a scale of 1-10 (1 being normal and 10 being out of control) Felicia
Clara disclosed that she has had no prior psychiatric treatment or history. There are no reported current or past health concerns and her last physical was in August, 2016. Clara’s mother reported that she has an allergy to penicillin and that she is currently taking birth control medication. Clara reports no past or current substance use and has no history of legal issues. During the self-reported mental health questions, Clara identified herself having anxiety over everything for the last year of so. Clara appeared well groomed with a cooperative attitude. Her motor activity was observed as appropriate and speech was normal. Her mood appeared calm and she appeared to have a normal thought process denying any hallucinations, paranoid trends or a history or present thoughts of suicide or homicidal ideation. She appeared bright and presented as having good judgement as assessed by self-report and her answers on how she manages her relationships, school and work
Gonzalez symptoms are similar in intensity to that of her father's, going from one extreme to the next. She goes for days without speaking to anyone or going to class. Bursting out with fits of rage towards her boyfriend. Having the feeling of being so uncomfortable while attending parties she has the urge to scream. Threatening her sister with cutting the tires on the car if she attempted to take the car as well filing a report with the police stating it was
Major life stressors, chronic illness, medications, and relationship or work problems may cause Dysthymia. Now that you know a little bit more about Dysthymia, you are probably wondering, what are some of the symptoms? Some of the symptoms of Dysthymia are: sadness or depressed mood most of the day or almost everyday, loss of enjoyment of things that were once pleasurable, major change in weight ( weight loss or gaining weight), insomnia or excessive sleep throughout the day, Fatigue, feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness or guilt almost everyday, thoughts about death or suicide. Now that you know some of the symptoms of Dysthymia, you might wonder, How are you diagnosed with it? A mental health specialist or a psychologist, generally makes the diagnosis based on the symptoms of the person. There is no blood, x-ray, or any other lab test that can find out if you have Dysthymia. Now that that’s clear, the final question is… Is it curable!? Although Dysthymia is a severe illness; it is also very treatable. As with any chronic illnesses, early diagnosis and medical treatment may reduce the intensity and duration of symptoms, and also reduce the likelihood of it developing into major depression. To treat Dysthymia doctors may use psychotherapy, more commonly known as, seeing a therapist, along with taking antidepressants. Dysthymia can be treated by a primary care physician. Now, last but not least is “Genetic Depression”. It has been known that depressive illness can run in families. Genes that we inherit from our parents can determine lots of things such as gender, hair and eye color. Our genes also determine which illnesses we may be vulnerable to at some point in our lives. Every cell in our body contains around 50,000 to 100,000 genes. They are all made up of DNA ( deoxyribonucleic acid). Genes are located on chromosomes within the nucleus of
There is no indication she has had a manic or hypomanic episode. Her depression may be complicated by grief due to her father’s death one year ago. Her symptoms seem to get worse after his passing.