Assignment 1: Diagnostic Approaches

For this assignment, consider the following case vignette:

Annie is a 13-year-old Asian American girl; the youngest child in a family of four older siblings. Her parents are both high school teachers and came to United States from India to attend college and stayed to raise a family together. They travel as a family to India several weeks of every year to be with extended family. Annie understands some phrases in the dialect spoken by her extended family, but she and her sisters consistently speak to their parents in English. When Annie was 5 years old, she was hospitalized for three weeks for a serious illness. Since that time, she has been in good health, but has struggled with her fears and anxiety.

Annie is extremely shy and avoids situations in which she needs to interact with new people or large groups. She worries about making mistakes in her schoolwork and becomes extremely anxious when taking tests. Sometimes, she becomes so nervous that her heart races; she begins to tremble and has difficulty breathing. Annie is also afraid of the dark and does not want to be alone in her room at night. She often requires the presence of one of her parents or older sisters until she falls asleep. As her oldest three sisters have left home to pursue their education and careers, the family is finding Annie's need for reassurance more burdensome.

Instructions: Download Unit 3 Assignment Template. Use it to complete your assignment.

Part I: Examining Three Models of Psychopathology

• Review each of the three models of abnormality-biological, psychological, and sociocultural-and apply key principles from each model to frame what is happening to Annie and her family.

• Analyze how each model explains the factors leading to Annie's presenting behaviors.
Part II: Assessment Instruments to Aid in Diagnosis
Formulate a culturally sensitive assessment strategy using a combination of at least two measures listed below (and linked in Resources) to assist with the assessment of Annie and her family. Describe how the assessments will be administered and interpreted using scholarly sources to support the strategy.

Discussion 1: Depressive Disorder Diagnosis and Assessment

Read the following vignette, keeping in mind the importance of knowing symptoms, and their duration and severity:

Christina is a 25-year-old Mexican American woman who has been working as an elementary school teacher since she graduated from college three years ago. Although she does well at her job, she has been feeling low ever since she left college. When she took this teaching position, she had to relocate to a city over four hours away from her family and the house she grew up in. Even though she has made some new friends, Christina still feels disconnected and lonely. She is also concerned about her mother, who has been diagnosed with a serious health condition.

For the past month, Christina has felt much worse. She reports feeling very sad and tired most of the time and is having difficulty concentrating at work. She says that she does not have enough energy to accomplish the things she would like to do. She admits to overeating to "unwind" after school, and is concerned she is sleeping too much on the weekends. She also has very low self-esteem, despite being well-liked at her school and receiving good performance evaluations.

Christina describes her life as "heading nowhere" and says that lately she has felt extremely hopeless. She wonders if she will ever feel as happy as she did when she was in college. She does not have a history of ever feeling worse than this, and is in good health.

Based on the information presented, address the following questions in your discussion post using headings to match content in each bullet point:

1. What depressive disorder diagnosis would you consider assigning to Christina?

Describe the process you used for making this decision, including your use of the "Differential Diagnosis by the Trees" from the DSM-5 Handbook of Differential Diagnosis (linked in Resources).

2. Describe how the Beck Depression Inventory-II would aid in making a diagnosis for this client. (See page 63 of Abnormal Psychology).

3. What V and Z codes would you consider for Christina? How would including these systemic considerations help you understand Christina's presenting symptoms and consider your treatment approach?

Support your ideas with references to the course texts, articles from this learning unit, articles from the optional resources on the course syllabus, or articles from peer-reviewed journals that you locate in the Capella University Library.

Resources: • Discussion Participation Scoring Guide.

• Capella University Library.

• Differential Diagnosis by the Trees