Assignment : Case Study Development and Theoretical Explanation

In today's world, stress is inescapable. Stress can be a major factor in physical and psychological illnesses. Stress is closely related to fear, panic, and anxiety. A number of relatively common psychological disturbances share symptoms that include anxiety as a central component.

The somatoform disorders involve a preoccupation with the body or a medical illness. The dissociative disorders involve an alteration in consciousness or memory such as amnesia or, in an extreme case, the development of multiple personalities as in dissociative identity disorder.

Woody's case

Woody, a 42-year-old married account, complains of dizziness, sweaty palms, stomachaches, and shortness of breath. He has been experiencing these symptoms for more than two years with few periods of extended relief. He also experiences dryness in the mouth, periods of extreme muscle tension, and a constant frustration, he denies feeling depressed and continues to enjoy hobbies and family activities.

Because of the symptoms, Woody has seen his primary care physician, a chiropractor in several other specialists, but has received contracting diagnoses and treatment, nine of which have helped.

Woody constantly worries about the health of his wife, parents, and children he thinks about accidents that could happen and tries to plan to avoid them. Woody's wife was diagnosed with breast cancer several years ago she received treatment and has been cancer free for over one year. Woody also worries about his performance at work feeling that he could be fired at any time; those works reviews do not indicate any problems.

Guidelines for Developing a Case

Review the case studies provided in this course for descriptions of mental illness. Then use the following guidelines to develop your fictitious case. Your case should not name the diagnosis, but should describe the symptoms that are present for the individual in the case.

A case may include some or all of the following elements in varying degrees:

Presenting problem: Why is the person presenting for treatment? How severe is the problem? How does this issue interfere with the person's family, work, friendships, leisure activities, and relationships? What has the person done to try to solve the problem and with what success?

History of problem: How long have these issues been experienced? Have there been times when the Problem was absent? When did the problem first occur?

Prior treatment history: Has this issue ever been treated before? If so, how and when? Have any psychotropic medications been prescribed?

Medical history: Does the person have any physical illnesses or disabilities? Has the person ever been hospitalized for medical illness or has the person been operated upon? Does the person take any medications for medical issues?

Family history: Whom does the person live with? Is the family intact? How many siblings are there? Are there any step-siblings or half-siblings? Are there relatives who have been diagnosed or treated for mental illness or substance abuse? Do any family members have any significant medical disease or illness?

Developmental history: Was the prenatal and childhood development normal? Were there anyremarkable issues to note?

Educational history: How far has the person gone in school? Did the person experience any academic or behavioral problems during school?

Work history: Does the person have a career? How stable is the work history? Has the person experienced problems with coworkers or supervisors?

Legal history: Has the person ever been arrested or served time in prison? If so, what were the charges?

Sexual relationship history: Is the person sexually active? Has the person ever experienced domestic violence? Has there been a divorce? What is the identified sexual orientation?

The case description must include all of the DSM criteria necessary to diagnose that disorder, but may also include additional symptoms not found within that diagnostic category. Include some demographic background of the fictional case subject. This portion of the assignment should be 1 to 1 ½ pages.

Mental health professionals are often trained in one or more theoretical orientations. Each theoretical orientation provides a specific insight into why a person acts the way he or she does. The theoretical orientation also guides the professional's choice of treatment options to address the symptoms presented by the individual to be treated. Several theoretical explanations of abnormal behavior have been described in your readings for this module. Some of these are biological, psychodynamic, behavioral, existential, cognitive, and sociocultural.

Identify the treatment approach for your case based upon the theory you have chosen to explain the disorder. Then in 2-3 pages, write your own theoretical analysis of case characteristics in relation to the disorder the case represents.