After reading the three scenarios about anxiety-based disorders, your assignment
ID: 3464857 • Letter: A
Question
After reading the three scenarios about anxiety-based disorders, your assignment is to provide a diagnosis for each scenario along with a brief (one paragraph) explanation for each diagnosis. You do not have to provide a complete, five-axis diagnosis for each scenario; rather, simply name the disorder and write your explanation as to why this may be the correct diagnosis.
Scenario 1 - Brandy Brandy is a woman in her middle thirties who works as a sales representative for a large company. Brandy's father died about three months ago from a heart attack. Brandy's father's death was very sudden and unexpected and she has been having a very hard time coping with her feelings of loss. About a week ago, Brandy was at work and suddenly felt extremely anxious. Her heart seemed to be pounding in her chest and she was unable to catch her breath. She became terribly worried that she was having a heart attack or that she was losing her mind. The experience lasted a few minutes and then quickly subsided Following this experience, Brandy felt extremely worried that it would happen again. The next morning, Brandy woke up and once again experienced intense feelings of terror and a worry that she was having a heart attack. She called 911 and paramedics were rushed to her apartment. Brandy was brought to the hospital and, following a comprehensive examination, was told that she was in good health and did not have a heart attack Brandy continued to experience further episodes where she felt terrified that she was having a heart attack. Her worries about these experiences began to severely interfere with her work and social life and she was referred to a psychologist for help What psychological disorder do you think best fits the particular difficulties that Brandy is experiencing and why?Explanation / Answer
Case 1: Brandy
After reading the symptoms, it could be diagnosed that Brandy is suffering from Panic Disorder. Panic Disorder is a kind of anxiety disorder where a person has panic attacks which are intense, overwhelming and often uncontrollable anxiety paired with physical symtoms.
Brandy showed physical symptoms of anxiety of having a heart attack, which the doctors said had no medical proof. Inspite of the doctor's diagnoses she continued to feel anxious about her health and felt sensations of chest pain. Her feelings were getting uncontrollable, and she feared that she would die just like her father. All these symptoms are very typical of a panic attack. It has been mentioned that her father passed away three months back. It is important to note the time frame, as it is exactly the time frame required for a panic attack to form a panic disorder.
Case 2: Jerry
After reading the symptoms, it could be diagnosed that Jerry is suffering from Generalized Anxiety Disorder. This is an anxiety disorder where a person feels anxious most days, worrying about lots of different things.
Jerry's symptoms seemed that he is in a perpetual state of anxiousness. He feels increasingly worried and upset over daily life issues such as making a decision for himself after graduation. He also feels that he hates himself and judges his performance in social situations. Not only this, he wakes up with no energy and even generally cannot stop thinking about worrisome issues. Therefore, his symptoms are broad and inclusive of all anxious moments- thereby making it a GAD.
Case 3: Alexis
After reading the symptoms, it could be diagnosed that Alexis is suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. This is a form of anxiety disorder, in which a person experiences a traumatic event and thereby shows anxiety symptoms.
In Alexis's case, she had witnessed a terrible accident of her classmates who lost their lives. Alexis reported to have experienced nightmares, post that event. So much so that she was convinced that she was seeing ghosts. This has also hampered her related activity to the incident, that is, going to school. These flashbacks, dreams and avoidance of anything that is related to the event is very typical of PTSD
Related Questions
drjack9650@gmail.com
Navigate
Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.