Anissa Garcia
PSY 452
Midterm
Abnormal Psychology Midterm
Nan
Based on the information provided and what I have learned in class, for the first vignette about the patient Nan, I would diagnose her with Major Depressive Disorder 296.21 (F32.0).
Nan is a 25 year old female seeking help because she feels black and empty inside and has felt that way for several months. She has dropped out of school, is barley holding a job, always feels tired and sometimes she feels as if she can hardly get out of bed.
Before making a diagnosis I would have to rule out bereavement, the death of a loved one can cause these symptoms in some. Also I would have to rule out the possibility that these feelings are being brought about as the result of substance abuse. I would also have to take into consideration that these symptoms could be caused by some general medical condition such as hypothyroidism. In order to be confident in my diagnosis I would have to ask a few clarifying questions to make sure that I am in fact heading in the right direction and not misdiagnosing Nan. I would have to ask Nan if she has any preexisting medical conditions. That way I can rule out the symptoms being caused by a medical condition. If she does I would ask the type of medical condition and the type of drug she has been prescribed so that I can rule out physiological effects of a substance. I would also ask if she has recently experienced the loss of a loved one or close friend. This is so I can rule out bereavement as a cause of the symptoms. I would also ask if she has done any drugs and if so what kind, how many, and how often. This is so I can rule out substance abuse.
After these questions are answered I would move on to asking more specific questions regarding her symptoms so that I can get a clearer picture of the degree she is experiencing them.
I would ask if she experiences the black and empty feeling all day, some of the day or once every few days? Has she lost weight without having to diet or gained weight significantly these past several months? Also does she have trouble sleeping at night/insomnia? Does she have trouble concentrating nearly every day? Dies she feel worthless or have suicidal thoughts? These are a few specific questions I would ask Nan in order to gain confidence in my diagnosis.
I was leaning toward diagnosing Nan with Major Depressive Disorder because after reading the vignette it seemed obvious that she was depressed. Especially since she said she was feeling black and empty for several months and could not remember the last time she felt normal.
Also she is a 25 year old female and this disorder is most common in women and commonly occurs in those in their mid 20s (Martell, 2015). Also she was experiencing fatigue expressed by her inability to get out of bed and anhedonia evident in her dropping out of school and her empty feeling. Based on her responses to the questions above she could also have even more symptoms of the disorder. Right now I can only assume she has a mild case of Major Depressive Disorder and it is an episode.
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David
In regard to the information presented in the second vignette as well as what I have learned in class, the patient David should be diagnosed with Schizoid Personality Disorder
301.20 (F60.1). David is a 20 year old male who came to visit at the request of his parents. They are troubled by his lack of interest in friends or any other type of relationships. He says he does not like icing with his family but at the same time does not want to get a job so he isolates himself in his room occasionally playing video games to make the day go by faster. He has never been in trouble with the law, does not involve himself in extracurricular activities, and gets barley passing grades at school. According to David he is bored all the time.
I would have to rule out schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depressive disorder with psychotic features. However, because there was no mention of
