Assignment task:
Instructions:
Choose one of the psychological disorders discussed in the course resources (i.e., generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, etc.) and create a fictitious case study of someone who exhibits the behaviors of this disorder.
Academic case studies typically focus on a single individual or small group of people, providing specific and detailed information about the person and chosen topic. Your case study for this assignment should include the following:
- A fictitious person that is the focus of your case study
- A description of this fictitious person
- Specific behaviors related to the chosen psychological disorder
- Background information to give context of these behaviors
- Information on how the person may be affected by the chosen psychological disorder
Use at least 4-5 sentences to answer each bullet point.
Here is an example of a case study about a person who suffers from claustrophobia. You will need to elaborate on the assignment to fully address the instruction components and rubric, but this can help to get you started.
Case Study Example: Specific Phobia-Claustrophobia
John is a 25-year-old male who lives in a high-rise apartment building on the fifth floor. John has many friends who live in the same building; most of them live above him. John has lived in the building for about two years but has never visited his friends' apartments. John's friends always make jokes about how he never uses the elevator, but John shrugs it off and says he likes to get a workout in any way he can. His friends have started to get offended that John never wants to come to their apartments and hang out. They find it annoying that they always have to go to his place. John feels he is starting to lose his friends, so he has decided to tell them why he never comes over.
One day John and his friends are at lunch, and John begins to tell them why he never comes to their apartments to hang out. He mentions that he has never liked elevators ever since he was a child. One day he was at the mall with his mom, and the elevator broke down while they were inside. John's mom started to panic, which made John start to panic. They both were breathing heavily, starting to sweat, and feeling anxious as they were stuck in the elevator. John explained that since this incident, he has avoided elevators and other enclosed spaces as much as possible because of how they make him feel. His friends live about ten or more floors above him, so that is why John never makes it up to their places to hang out. He is hesitant to climb up and down ten flights of stairs to see his friends all the time but also fears being in an elevator. He tries to explain how he feels about elevators and enclosed spaces to his friends and says that while being in an elevator may seem like a completely normal activity for them, for him, the ride feels like a long-lasting torment.
John's prognosis is good, should he receive appropriate treatment. Although the condition can cause a lot of fear and anxiety, treatment can help to empower the patient (Björkman-Burtscher, 2021). This can improve the quality of life for the patient in many ways. Not only is their personal life improved, but their professional life as well. For example, the fear of confinement can limit career options for individuals with Claustrophobia (Weaver, Ojiambo, Kemp, Diserafino, & Simmons, 2023). Although either drugs or psychotherapy can be useful for Claustrophobia, I would suggest psychotherapy in John's case.
Note To Student: Be sure to mention a prognosis and treatment for John. A prognosis is a prediction about the outcome of a person's condition and the expectation or direction the condition will follow. Treatment is an appropriate measure designed to relieve a pathological condition; for example, in John's case, it seems he may not like enclosed places. So, John may suffer from claustrophobia. What treatment could we offer John to help with this condition? Drugs and/or psychotherapy?
Resources: Chamberlain Library search pages with links to relevant articles
- Search the Chamberlain Library for articles relevant to "psychological disorders".
- Search the Chamberlain Library for articles relevant to "psychological therapy".
References:
Björkman-Burtscher, I. M. (2021). Claustrophobia-empowering the patient. European Radiology, 31(7), 4481-4482.
Weaver, A., Ojiambo, W., Kemp, J., Diserafino, D., & Simmons, A. (2023). Confined Space Induced CLAUSTROPHOBIA. Professional Safety, 68(7), 16-25.