DSM-IV Diagnosis Analysis - Case Study Example

? DSM-IV Diagnosis DSM-IV Diagnosis DSM-IV Diagnoses Axis 296.30 unipolar disorder, early onset. 295.10 schizophrenia. Axis 2: 301.83 borderline personality disorder, Axis 3: None Axis 4: child abuse, broken relationship, death of loved one. Axis 5: 45 Explanation of the Diagnosis It is by examining the life scenarios that the patient has gone through in arriving at her current life struggles; the psychological problem the patient is facing is the unipolar disorder. This is due to the recurring history problems of lacking early childhood support system from parents, financial struggles, stress and illness of loved ones, and job problems (First, 2004). According to the patient, in her life she experienced hardship situations when her father became alcoholic and her mother was very ill. This implies that the early life experience she went through have the potential of contributing to the recurring life struggles in arriving at her current psychological problems. Indeed, when an individual goes through such experiences during childhood, one is likely to recall such scenarios during his adulthood. This early age experience must have aggregated her current position since they form the basis of her problems she has gone through in her life. Consequently, the guilt feeling the patient records may be great regrets of having been born in her family. The patient is experiencing self blame for all the problems she has gone through her life such as dropping out of school to help in raising her siblings. This reflects that the patient was brought in a family system that denied her the support of building up her future life. Consequently, this necessitated the early child marriage the patient entered into with an older man. If the patient had a family system that supported her in continuing with her education, she might have not been married at an early age. Furthermore, the patient would have been able to attain a decent employment to support her life (First, 2004). The early marriage the patient went through expanded her life problems due to the physical abuse she went through and losing one of her child through death. Accordingly, it is the experience at the childhood stage that is causing the psychological difficulties she is currently facing. In addition, she ended up breaking away from the marriage due to the physical abuses she experienced. Moreover, her second husband died in a street fight that left her alone again. These unpleasant episodes in the life of the patient depict a situational where the patient has gone through excessive disorders. Furthermore, the situational factors depicts that the patient is facing major depressive disorder in trying to understand her fate of life. Indeed, the symptoms that the patient exhibits reflect that the disorder is unipolar through her life experience reflections. The reflections that are caused by a person facing unipolar disorder are similar to the ones the patient is displaying. Under the DSM-IV manual, patients who display the symptoms such as suicidal thoughts and intentions, sadness, lack of concentration, sleep disturbances, loss of energy and interest are likely to be facing unipolar disorder. Accordingly, the patient has shown unipolar disorder symptoms that have history of environmental factor causes (First, 2004). The diagnosis also, is given to be (295.10) schizophrenia due to the hallucinations and delusions the patient has displayed. Furthermore, schizophrenia disorder is said to be caused by life stressor which the patient seems to have gone through. Owing to the recurring hardship life the patient has experienced in her whole life, the psychological disorder the patient is facing is as a result of life stressor (First, 2004). Similarly, the patient has a history of hearing unrecognizable sounds around her and screaming. This illustrates that the patient is has been seeing unreal images that affects her mind stability causing him to undergo the current psychological problems. Furthermore, the effect of nervous attacks when introduced to her family life demonstrates that the patient has a problem of disorganized behavior. Similarly, the patient may be undergoing delusion moments when they are suffering schizophrenia (First, 2004). Certainly, by reflecting on her life history, the patient may have undergone self denial which caused her to consume life threatening substances. The inappropriate affects displayed by the patient of trembling, crying, screaming and hitting the chest are signs of a schizophrenia disorder at advanced stages. These symptoms depicts that the patient might be suffering from schizophrenia disorder. Alternatively, the patient would be diagnosed for (311) depressive disorders NOS. She is diagnosed for depressive disorder NOS (Not Otherwise Specified since the patient exhibits low esteem which has interfered with her daily activities, she also exhibits lack of interest in various activities that she enjoyed previously as well as well low moods. However these symptoms, treatment and causes information are confirmed by the psychological governing body. This is due to the discouragement, despair and sadness the patient displays. Indeed, depressive disorders have the symptoms of unpleasant state of moods on the patient suffering disorder problems (First, 2004). Furthermore, it causes a patient to have a feeling of social withdrawal, somatic behaviors and low self esteem. These are the major symptoms that the parent has displayed during her family therapy. Indeed, the patient is suffering from life desperation, sadness and discouragement in her life that have stimulated her to think of committing suicide. In addition, the patient has a history of withdrawing from her close family members, lack of appetite and low self esteem. This illustrates that the patient would be put under depressive disorders diagnosis once the pending information on its treatment are authentically made. The pending information refers to the final results of the tests that will have to done on the patient in order to ascertain exactly what is the ailment is. Additional Information The patient is likely to have faced traumas through physical and mental harassments when she dropped out of the school to look after her siblings in the work place through human or machine interaction. Indeed, since the patient was very young when she started working to feed her family, she might have undergone physical harassment in the different tasks she did that traumatized her life. In additional, information on the work she was doing after separating with her first husband and after the death of her second husband is crucial in analyzing if it is related to her current condition (First, 2004). Indeed, the patient may have being involved in activities that are life traumatizing in trying to make a living. Thus, the diagnostic will be able to prescribe the necessary medication or therapy that will be able to eliminate the occupational effects the patient may have infected at through work experience. Treatment records from the previous diagnosis are crucial information that should be availed to the diagnostic (First, 2004). Indeed, the patient was brought to the hospital after undergoing a three month hospitalization in England. Thus, the patient was treated by the previous doctors in discharging her to be enrolled in the current psychotherapy treatment. This implies that the doctors have the medical records that have the health history of the patient from the time she was enrolled in the hospital up to when she was discharged. Thus, providing the previous medical record from the doctors is necessary in reviewing any other physical disease the patient is suffering or is prone and has the capacity in deteriorating the current diagnosis identified. This will help in prescribing or prevent against further psychological suffering of the patient due the exterior physical illness the patient is suffering. Furthermore, it will help the therapist in identifying the likely brain damage that may have caused the patient to face the extreme psychological disorder. Another aspect of the background information of the patient that should be provided is the familial upbringing. This is background information on the social and economic diversity of the community the patient grew. This aspect is very important since it will help the diagnostic to realize the schematic characteristics that have shaped the life of the patient. Once the diagnostic is able to draw the schemas of the patient’s life, it is possible to prescribe the therapy that the patient should be taken through to recover her normal life. Indeed, given that the woman had an early life that was extremely difficult, she may have been affected by the economic disadvantage she faced in her life compared to her counterparts in the same community or family (First, 2004). This may have caused her to lose hope to the level of suffering low self esteem and desperation. Thus, familial upbringing information will be crucial in taking the patient through the mental therapy to gain a normal life. Furthermore, understanding the patient’s performance before dropping at grade 5 is instrumental since it will help in understanding the loss of concentration the patient has suffered. It is crucial to understand her preschool performance in class work and other curriculum activities in understanding the patient’s concentration degradation in examining and prescribing diagnosis. Consequently, the diagnostic will have a proper counseling and therapy sessions that will help the patient to recover her normal life. Lastly, the diagnostic should review the interpersonal relation the patient has experienced with other people in the society. This involves investigating the interaction behavior of the patient with friends and family members in her life. Indeed, the patient depicts a life that she lacked moral support from the society in early age. This is crucial in explaining the social suffering the patient may have suffered due to betrayal or abuse by the people she has interacted with in life (First, 2004). In addition, it will help in understanding the social life of the patient in the community. This will help in reflecting the caring attitude and interpretation of social issue the patient possesses. Accordingly, the diagnostic will be able to identify the right procedure to follow in giving mental and physical therapy to the patient. Part 4 Family and Cultural Factors In assessing and treating the psychological disorder facing the patient, a number of family and cultural factors should be considered. One of the factors is the socialization behavior of the family and the community the patient comes from. This is because the way the family socializes with other people in the society, dictates the socialization of the family members in the society. In addition, the cultural values of the society an individual comes from, dictates how the people socialize. Socialization has the capacity of influencing how an individual interprets and views the world around. Thus, it is important to investigate the socialization aspect in understanding the stressing interpretations of issue surrounding the patient (First, 2004). Accordingly, it will be possible to draw a therapy or medical review of the patient in trying to change her interpretation of unfavorable scenarios that have happened in her life. This will help in building hope and encouragement on the patient in interpreting the past unfavorable scenes. The second factor to consider is the crime history in her family and community. Crime history is crucial in determining if the patient has suffered physical and mental abuses in her family and the society. An individual living in a family that is connected to high crime is likely to suffer from despair and social withdrawal due to the negative image she may experience in the society. This is caused by the feeling of been unwanted in the wider society due to her family connection in crime. Thus, the individual may have lost hope of discovering a better life that caused her to attempt suicide. In addition, the history of alcoholism and drug abuse in family members may have caused the patient to suffer despair and sadness. By understanding the crime and drug abuse history of the patient’s family, it is possible to recommend a counseling program that is customized to such psychological problems (First, 2004). Lastly, it will be important to review the education value in the patient’s family and the society. Education is considered to be crucial in helping individuals to understand and come up with prudent optimal decisions in their life. Thus, it is crucial to investigate how the patient’s family and the community value the need of formal education (First, 2004). The patient may be facing a weak ability to absorb unfavorable scenarios that have occurred in her life and make decisions that are likely to improve her life due to low education knowledge. This will help the diagnostic in understanding the low opinion the patient has on life. Accordingly, it will help in assisting the patient in developing positive attitude in life. Assessment Method The most viable assessment method in understanding the patient’s psychological disorder is interview. Thus a structured and unstructured interview will be used in assessing the patient. The structured interview is considered to be optimal in learning the behavior of the patient since it allows the diagnostic to press the patient in giving intensive information (First, 2004). Thus, the diagnostic will be able to earn the real problems that are facing the patient in prescribing the therapy or medical review to be put under. Secondly, by undertaking a direct interview with the patient, it will be possible to gain the confidence of the patient in becoming cooperative to help in treating her illness. Similarly, the unstructured interview helps in connecting with the patient since the patient is allowed to give her own version of answer (First, 2004). Thus, the psychologist will be able to drive the questions in a way that will make the patient to disclose vital information in treating the psychological disorder facing her. In addition, unstructured interview will allow the patient to disclose information that is considered to be sensitive and may not share it with anyone else. This will allow the diagnostic to discover exterior factor that might deteriorate the axis one diagnosis identified. The second method that will be used is the behavioral observations. This will involve observing how the patient is acting when talking to them during the therapy session. This is crucial since it will help in forming relevant information on the behavior of the patient a real situation. In addition, it will help in structuring the questions to be asked depending on the observed behaviors (First, 2004). Testing method will be another method that will be used in assessing the psychological disorder facing the patient. This method will be used in testing the personality depressions facing the patient by use of Minnesota Multiphase Personality Inventory (MMPI). The MMPI is a psychological assessment instrument that is completed by the patient being evaluated. There is also a score which the examiner interprets in order to ascertain the patient’s personal characteristics. Under this test, scores will be registered on the recovery trend of the patient during the outpatient assessments on the patient. Similarly, the California personality inventory will be used to test non-personal problems facing the patient (First, 2004). This process is important since it has the potential of yielding accurate and reliable scores to be used in assessing the recovery of the patient. Treatment Recommendation The treatment recommendation for the major depressive disorder will be through the psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy mutually. The medications that have been authorized to be utilized for persons facing major depressive disorders are Zoloft, Paxil, Prozac and Wellbutrin. This medications help in reducing the psychotic symptoms that the patients suffering from unipolar disorder display (First, 2004). On the other hand, the psychotherapy treatment should be conducted by helping the patient in understanding factors that causes the depressive symptomology (First, 2004). Thus, the patient is introduced to historical factors such as sexual and physical abuse and environmental factors that may have caused the disorder (First, 2004). This helps the patient in understanding and appreciating the factors that causing the illness. Thus, the patient is able to manage the factors to prevent against suffering the illness. Furthermore, if the periodic stressors come back, it is important to keep the patient under close relationship with a mental professional. On the other hand, to treating the schizoaffective disorder is highly recommended to undertaken through medication. This is due to its ability to minimize and eliminate psychotic symptoms that schizoaffective disorder patients display (First, 2004). Thus, the patient is able to engage in her social life without undergoing unpleasant acts that may hinder her relationship with other people in the society. However, it is recommended that the patient is put under case management in order to assist in financial matters, daily living abilities and housing that are crucial in helping the patient in coping with the abilities and improving occupational and social skills. Schizoaffective disorder is a critical mental illness which has features of different conditions that are namely two; an effective mood disorder that is either bipolar disorder or major depression and schizophrenia. The diagnosis for the patient shows schizoaffective disorder which is a life-long illness which can impact in all the daily living areas including relationships, social contacts, school or work. Majority of the people who suffer from this illness have episodes that are periodic normally referred to as relapses. There is no known cure for this illness but the symptoms can often be controlled by use of proper treatment (First, 2004). Some of the symptoms of schizoaffective disorder that the patients has includes self-blame or guilt, loss of interest in normal activities, suicide or thoughts of death, hopelessness or feelings of worthlessness and inability to concentrate. Among the causes of schizoaffective disorder include environmental factors such as poor social interactions and exposure to highly stressful situations which are evident in the patient (First, 2004). Reference First, M. B. (2004). Dsm-iv Tr Guidebook. New York: American Psychiatric Pub. Read More