Psychopathology Case Studies

AT is a 22-year-old female who presents for treatment of depression. Psychosocial predisposing factors include growing with strict and controlling father who is dismissive of her views and choices. Her mother used to be busy with work, yet she made herself available much to her, and her brother cared of his sister who is 10 years older than her. Furthermore, when she was 8-year-old her brother used to take her for parks, activities, CNE to play with him and she experienced that as a great support.

Based on documentation provided at the time of this referral, face-to-face interviews and observations and reference reports, The following risk factors were identified

risk factors for disease and injury, socioeconomic status, access to health care use due to

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be defined as “ a complex disorder in which a person’s memory, emotional responses, intellectual process, and nervous system have been disrupted by one or more traumatic experiences”(Swan & Persis, 2016). It is trauma and stressor related, a disorder that depends on a factor outside a person. Types of events that can lead to the development of PTSD include physical assault, rape and sexual assault, military combat, torture, mass violence, natural disasters, transportation or workplace disasters, explosions and fires, life-threatening epidemics and radiation. Repeated traumas or being exposed to long duration of traumas may also cause symptoms of PTSD. There are biochemical, physiologic, sociocultural, together with occupational factors and personal variables involved in the development of PTSD (Swan & Persis, 2016). Health risks associated with PTSD include cardiovascular, digestive musculoskeletal and respiratory disorders. Also cancer, infectious diseases, suicide, homicide and drug overdose (Heavey, 2014).

These symptoms, sometimes referred to as ‘soldier’s heart’ were only defined as a disorder in 1980, when it was officially terms posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is a psychological condition that occurs following traumatic experiences that pose a real or apparent threat to life. The person may re-experience the trauma, avoid associated stimuli and be in a state of hyperarousal (Admon, Milad & Hendler, 2013). Considering that the condition was more recently classified, the etiology and optimal treatment of the disease have yet to be completely verified. However, considering that approximately half of the population will be exposed to a traumatic event within their lifetime, it is imperative that we appreciate the understanding and treatment of the disorder (Admon et al., 2013). There is a broad variability of data that implicates a variety of brain regions in the disorder. Recently, several biomarkers have been discovered concordant with the manifestation of the disorder. The purpose of this review is to focus on the neural correlates and biomarkers of PTSD and their use in facilitating interventional therapy. It will consider findings related to peripheral markers such as cortisol and brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels and various neural pathways that may lead to the presentation of the disorder. A critical analysis of these recent findings will elucidate and aid

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a widespread disorder that affects certain individuals psychologically, behaviorally, and emotionally following the experience of a traumatic event (Lee et al., 2005, p. 135). However, because of inconsistencies regarding the percentage of individuals who experience PTSD and the percentage of individuals who subsequently develop PTSD, researchers hypothesize that both biological and environmental factors contribute to the development of PTSD (Wolf et al. 2010, p. 328). In order gain a better understanding of this disorder and to discover contributing and predicative factors which contribute to the development of PTSD, this paper analyses the historical context and prevalence of PTSD, the

Anyone can experience a traumatic event, for example, a car accident or a physical assault during a robbery. In most situations people will develop resilience, which is the person’s ability to adapt when they are faced with trauma, adversity, or high amounts of stress (American Psychological Association, 2016). In other words they are able to cope with the traumatic event, a constructive manner. However there are those who are unable to reach this phase and thus develop a Trauma – and – Stressor Related Disorder. The most common heard of disorder in this category is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), yet there is another disorder that is very similar, Acute Stress Disorder (ASD).

According to The Free Dictionary, mental illness is defined as, “Any of various psychiatric conditions, usually characterized by impairment of an individual 's normal cognitive, emotional, or behavioral functioning, and caused by physiological or psychosocial factors “(The Free Dictionary, 2007). Mental illness can certainly be a physical illness, but is not as easily diagnosed like a disease such as diabetes. In a disease like diabetes, physicians can run tests to look for certain indicators of the disease in the blood like the levels of blood glucose and hemoglobin A1C. Sometimes physical conditions can cause mental illnesses. Unlike diseases like diabetes, mental health diagnoses’ often rely more on the patient relaying their symptoms

Findings in recent studies that are using stress-enhanced fear learning in rats, developed and tested in Rau et al., as a model for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder has a lot of potential. The model allows for scientist and researchers to learn more about what is happening in the brain as a result of traumatic situations. By pinpointing these molecular and cellular mechanisms in rats, we are able to apply the information to humans who have PTSD. Continuing work on this topic gives the ability to learn more about how to treat PTSD and offers the potential for therapeutic

Posttraumatic stress disorder is a mental illness most commonly associated with soldiers, this is due to the fact that it is an illness triggered by immense trauma such as experiencing a war. However why does everyone that go to war or experience something traumatic not obtain posttraumatic stress? I believe that there are neurological abnormalities prior to experiencing the trauma that makes certain individuals more susceptible to obtaining posttraumatic stress. These abnormalities may be located on or near the hippocampus, amygdala, and/or the medial prefrontal cortex as those three areas of the brain all play important roles in posttraumatic stress (Bremner, 2006). To understand the primary causes of posttraumatic stress

The objective of the experiment is to identify the individuals who can be beneficial to society from their polygenic risk scores associated with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Previous studies revealed that healthy siblings of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder were over-represented in creative professions, displaying a positive association between creativity and psychological disorders. But whether this association is due to shared genetics or environment still remained uncertain. Thus researchers used polygenic risk scores of psychological disorders generated from overall population of Iceland and the results from two other mega-analyses to test this question.

instead how the persons mind and body reacts in its own unique way to the traumatic

The pathoplastic model states that there is a bidirectional relationship between personality and psychopathology (Widiger & Smith, 2010). This model suggests that as personality can be affected by the presence of psychopathology, and psychopathology can be influenced by the individual’s personality. Given this bidirectional relationship, it is difficult to stablish whether one’s current personality traits are product of the psychopathology, or the psychopathology is an outcome of the traits.

Even though the psychodynamic school of thought has been largely engaged by many, it has various drawbacks. According to Berzoff et al., this theory relies on the childhood experiences that many can’t recall. Berzoff et al. indicate that the theory takes a lot of time in the therapy session that many people may not be willing to give. According to Ahmed (2012), the long term application of this theory may never yield results. In this case, this theory does not fit a client that has immediate needs.

DOI: 6/15/2012. Patient is a 60-year-old female front end associate/cashier who sustained injuries to her left shoulder, neck and abdomen when she slipped and fell on soap while cleaning the bathroom floor. Per OMNI, she is status post left shoulder surgeries in 2012 and 2014.