Clinical Paper Panic Disorder

Submitted By dsprung09
Words: 2844
Pages: 12
Open Document
The presenting patient is Daniela, a 24-year-old graduate student at Columbia University. Daniela has dealt with anxiety since early adolescence. The first time when she started to feel anxiety was when she was being severely bullied by a girl in her 8th grade class. One thing in particular that this girl did, was make her beg for money on the streets and then give it to her after she was done. Daniela distinctly remembers an instance in which the bully locked her in an empty bedroom in her boyfriend’s apartment in a sketchy neighborhood. She reported feelings of nausea, dizziness, heart racing, and fear of not being able to escape the situation. Daniela continued to struggle with these sensations through high school and undergraduate years, especially on buses or other modes of transport. She reports having constant fear of not being able to escape, vomiting, or fainting while on the subway or bus. This past semester her panic attacks became so intense that they have begun to disrupt her sleep. Daniela says that she frequently has to take a cab to and from activities to avoid the subway due to fear of having a panic attack, which is becoming expensive. Sleep-deprived and financially strained, she felt it was best to seek the counseling services at school. Due to her symptoms of panic attacks (dizziness, nausea, racing heart) and fear of not being able to escape a situation and loss of control in public, she has been given a diagnosis of panic disorder with mild agoraphobia.
Cognitive Behavior Therapy with Exposure
Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) has shown to be the most effective type of therapy for treatment of anxiety disorders such as panic disorder and agoraphobia (Barlow, 2008; Tilton, 2010). CBT involves enhancing the development of skills in cognitive restructuring and behavioral exposure to reduce panic anxiety and confront underlying fears. Most studies of CBT for panic disorder and agoraphobia involve 10-20 weekly treatment sessions, which involve psychoeducation, self-monitoring, relaxation training, cognitive restructuring, and exposure therapy (Barlow, 2008; Aslam, 2014). In order to help Daniela develop resistance to her dysfunctional thoughts associated with riding the subway and bus, she will learn more about the connection between thoughts, emotions and physical symptoms when she uses public transportation, as well as how to question her automatic thoughts that arise upon entering a train car or bus. Due to the fact that CBT is designed to be a time-limited therapy, Daniela and I plan on working together twice a week for six weeks, ideally a total of twelve sessions (with follow-up sessions as needed). Daniela will first come in for an initial interview, which utilizes The Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule, 4th ed. to scan for differential diagnosis (Barlow, 2008). She will be required to keep a panic attack record as a form of self-monitoring, which is to be completed each time following a panic attack (Barlow, 2008). In addition, Daniela will keep a daily mood record, which also encourages self-monitoring behaviors (Barlow, 2008). Upon arrival at each visit, Daniela will complete the Beck Anxiety Inventory, to compare differences in anxiety in each session (Hassiotis et al., 2011). The aim of this therapy is to help Daniela understand her irrational fear of inability to escape and loss of control while on public transportation, and how to apply the techniques that she will learn during these sessions to manage the onset of panic attacks in everyday life.
Initial Sessions 1 & 2 During our first session, Daniela and I will spend time on the psychoeducation aspect of CBT, and work on the development of a strong therapeutic alliance. The goal is to educate her about what Panic disorder and agoraphobia are and how her symptoms are related to the diagnosis. Daniela will learn about the relationship between thought, emotion, and behavior so that she understands that her panic attack symptoms are not
Show More

Related Documents: Clinical Paper Panic Disorder

Essay about Contruct Development

Intelligence Definition and Measurement Paper Charlotte King Braswell University of Phoenix Intelligence Definition and Measurement Paper Anxiety will always be a part of our human race, with different accounts of manifestations, including but not limited to shyness, stage fright etc.. Since the 1900’s reported levels of anxiety has risen alarmingly all of the Country. Anxiety disorders constitute the most mental health problems around…

Words 1060 - Pages 5

Panic Disorder and Online CBT Essay

Panic Disorder and Online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy T. Wragg Counselling Methodologies: Behavioural and Cognitive Modalities Panic Disorder and Online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Anxiety disorders (AD) are the most prevalent of mental health illnesses in contemporary Canadian society, and currently affect approximately one in ten individuals (Health Canada, 2009). In 2006, panic disorder (PD) was listed by the World Health Organization as a major cause of “years of life lived with disability”…

Words 4205 - Pages 17

Nursing Concept Analysis Paper

nursing matters. Healthcare providers are required to use evidence-based practice while caring for their patients. Evidence-based practice in healthcare involves the meticulous use of present-day evidence along with clinical knowledge to pilot healthcare decisions. The purpose of this paper is to analyze anxiety in patients as a nursing concept by defining the concept,…

Words 1313 - Pages 6

Anxiety Disorder Intro to Psychology Essay

ANXIETY DISORDER Anxiety Disorders Types of Anxiety Disorders Anne Noyola Introduction to Psychology Keiser University In this paper I am going to point out four types of Anxiety, what they are, some of their symptoms and some ways to ease each type of anxiety to keep the disorder to a minimum. Anxiety is a serious mental condition that can interfere with our everyday lives. Everyone has Anxiety to a point, but it becomes a psychological disorder when it interferes with our everyday lives…

Words 837 - Pages 4

Individual Anxiety Doc Essay

Anxiety, Mood/Affective, Dissociative/Somatoform Paper Stella Cook Sunday April 21, 2013 Psychology 410 Analu Sing, M.S.C.P The Anxiety Disorder and Affective Disorders; Dissociative Disorders; Somatoform Disorders they will offer diagnosed categories and classifications…

Words 1158 - Pages 5

Social Anxiety Disorder In College Students

Social Anxiety Disorder in College Students, Diagnosis, Prevention, and Effects Travis Markum SAD, DIAGNOSIS, PREVENTION, AND EFFECTS Abstract This paper analyzes scholarly articles and the book looking at college students who experience a form of a generalized anxiety disorders (GAD) called social anxiety disorder (SAD). Looking at relationship between transient versus permanent SAD in college students through various articles, the paper will try to understand how SAD importance truly…

Words 2145 - Pages 9

JoanPsychological Disorders Week 8 Essay

Assignment: Psychological Disorders Joan Simpson PSY/201/Week8 09/12/14 Katrena Taylor-Springs Social Anxiety Disorder Social anxiety disorder is one of the most common psychiatric disorders and mainly relates to having fear and anxiety both during and due to social situations. According to Murray, Stein and Gorman (2001), people with this disorder are “typically shy, timid, and quiet in groups and uncomfortable being the center of attention. People have a tendency to fear the scrutiny…

Words 685 - Pages 3

Essay on Psychotropic Medicine

Psychotropic Medicine Psych 105 Laura Britton 10/14/2011 Melanie Gabbert I chose to write my paper on psychotropic drugs. This topic caught my eye because I thought that it would just be about antidepressants and depression which I find fascinating anyway. However, when I started researching my topic, I was surprised and a little overwhelmed at the fact that there are many kinds of psychotropic drugs and that they are used for a variety of different reasons. Psychotropic drugs, sometimes…

Words 1600 - Pages 7

Psychological Disorders And Treatment

Psychological Disorders and Treatment Kevin Walters PSY/203 September 22, 2014 Sara Molloy Psychological Disorders and Treatment A psychological disorder can occur at any stage in one’s life and to anyone. Much like a physical disease such as cancer, they do not discriminate. In our society, there seems to be certain stigmas and stereotypes attached to psychological disorders (although there is more understanding in recent years) and counseling for them, even though many may be overcome, or at least…

Words 2189 - Pages 9

Post Partum Depression Essay

be both thrilling and rewarding, it can also be a difficult and quite stressful task. Most women make the transition without great difficulty, yet some women experience considerable complexity that may manifest itself as a postpartum psychiatric disorder. The blues "may be a normal reaction to the dramatic physiologic changes that occur after delivery" (Beck 41). Symptoms of the "baby blues" include unstable moods, weepiness, anxiety, fatigue, irritability, inability to concentrate, and feeling dependent…

Words 1093 - Pages 5