Dsm-Iv_Case_Studies

DSM-IV Case Studies By: Stephany Boles-University of Phoenix-Axia College PSY280-Professor Elizabeth Kindall October 10, 2010 In case study 1, Josephine has a schizoid personality disorder. A possible cause for Josephine’s disorder could be a problem in her childhood. Josephine could have had a bad relationship with her parents or someone close to her causing her to shut herself down. Josephine could have also been sexually abused or molested by someone close to her causing her to shut herself off from the world. She no longer trusts or wants to be affiliated with anyone in her life. Treatment for Josephine should be extensive psychotherapy. In order for Josephine to be able to gain her relationships back with those in her family, the psychotherapist will need to uncover Josephine’s past history. In case study 2, Luis has a narcissistic personality disorder. Luis’ narcissistic behavior could have started in his early childhood. Luis may have been downgraded as a child. In that position, Luis would then have tried to convince himself otherwise even if it meant it was fantasy or unrealistic. Since someone made Luis feel so low as a child, he now has no compassion for others and how they feel. Treatment for Luis would consist of psychotherapy, medication, and tools on self-help. In case 3, Anissa is suffering from somatoform disorder. Anissa is feeling physical symptoms of numbness that is unexplained by physicians. Anissa went through an extremely traumatic experience where people were killed. Anissa have begun thinking more heavily on the accident, sending her into a depressive state. When a person with somatoform disorder reaches a depressive state, physical symptoms become present. Since there is no explanation for Anissa’s physical symptoms, the problem becomes a psychiatric illness. I would recommend that Anissa be started on cognitive-behavior therapy to learn how to deal with her depressive state when it is present. I would also recommend that Anissa take an SSRI instead of an antidepressant to reduce her depression. In case study 4, Karen is suffering from dissociative disorder. Karen had no memory of her son’s death and panicked when she discovered her son was not in his crib. The incident of her losing her son caused trauma and stress to Karen. Something so traumatic may have caused Karen to block out the incident because it was too painful. At the time the incident occurred with the memory loss, Karen should have been hospitalized in order to stabilize her behavior. Karen should receive psychotherapy in order to come to terms with her son’s death and her memory blockage of the situation. Karen could also look into a support group to be around those who have dealt with the same or similar issues. In case 5, Tony is suffering from schizophrenia. I believe that Tony’s environment was a huge cause for the onset of schizophrenia. Tony was once a good student that took care of himself. Tony became lax on his personal hygiene and his education. I believe that Tony became so overwhelmed with school pressures and his environment that he was unable to manage his life in an organized way. Tony talked to himself a lot because his thoughts we so disorganized and overwhelming. Treatment that would best suit Tony would be the use of antipsychotic medication. Tony should also consider acquiring the services of a mental health professional to learn how to manage his disorder and his life. I would also suggest that Tony be hospitalized in order to gain mental stability through medication and a more supporting environment.