Abnormal Psych - Final (Case Studies)

Five-year-old Alicia has increasingly severe intellectual disability and is beginning to have trouble walking on her own. One of the characteristics of her disorder is constant hand-wringing.

Rett's disorder

What Peeping Tom will be shocked to find out is that "Susie" is actually Scott, a man who can become aroused only if he wears feminine clothing. Scott's behavior is __________.

fetishistic disorder

Eight-year-old Chandra is described by everyone as a "handful." She fidgets constantly in class, drumming her fingers on the desk, squirming in her chair, and getting up and down. She has trouble waiting her turn at work or at play, and she sometimes has violent outbursts.

ADHD

Ten-year-old Cole can be frustrating to his parents, teachers, and friends. He has trouble waiting his turn during games and does things seemingly without thinking. He often calls out answers in school, sometimes before the complete question is asked.

ADHD

Trent's developmental disorder is characterized by uncontrollable yelps, sniffs, and grunting noises.

Tourette's disorder

Judy witnessed a horrific tornado level her farm 3 weeks ago. Since then, she's had many flashbacks of the incident, trouble sleeping, and a fear of going outside in storms.

acute stress disorder

Farrah can't visit her rural friends because of her fear of snakes.

animal phobia

Rita was comfortable at the zoo until the old terror gripped her at the insect display.

animal phobia

Lance is 19 and has been in trouble with the law for the past two years. He lives to his parents, vandalizes buildings in the community, and often fights with others. He shows no remorse for the people he injures or the grief that he causes his ailing parents.

antisocial personality disorder

Cameron has started to hear voices, which is very disturbing to him. He told his parents and recognizes that he needs to see a mental health professional for help.

attenuated psychosis syndrome

Mike has no social life because of his great fear of rejection. He disregards compliments and reacts excessively to criticism, which only feeds his pervasive feelings of inadequacy. Mike takes everything personally.

avoidant personality disorder

Last week, as he does about every 3 months, Ryan went out with his friends, buying rounds of drinks, socializing until early morning, and feeling on top of the world. Today Ryan will not even get out of bed to go to work, see his friends, or even turn on the lights.

bipolar I disorder

John had to give up his dream of becoming a surgeon because he faints at the sight of blood.

blood-injection-injury phobia

Elaine has low self-esteem and usually feels empty unless she does dangerous and exciting things. She is involved in drugs and has casual sexual encounters, even with strangers. She threatens to commit suicide if her boyfriend suggests getting help or if he talks about leaving her. She alternates between passionately loving and hating him, sometimes going from one extreme to the next in a short time.

borderline personality disorder

Timothy wakes up frequently every night because he feels he is about to hyperventilate. He can't seem to get enough air, and many times his wife will wake him to tell him to quit snoring. He is suffering from a(n)

breathing-related sleep disorder

Brett has started a new job that requires him to change shifts monthly. He sometimes has day shifts and at other times has night shifts. Since then he has had considerable trouble sleeping.

circadian rhythm sleep disorder

16-year-old Chad suddenly lost the use of his arms with no medical cause. The complete paralysis slowly improved to the point that he could slightly raise them. However, Chad cannot drive, pick up objects, or perform most tasks necessary to day-to-day life.

conversion disorder

Patricia was raped at the age of 17, 30 years ago. Just recently, she has been having flashbacks of the event, difficulty sleeping, and fear of sexual contact with her husband.

delayed onset posttraumatic stress disorder

Lately Dom has become more isolated because he believes his coworkers are conspiring to get him fired. He becomes agitated whenever he sees a group of employees talking and laughing, because he believes that they are plotting against him.

delusional disorder

Kai has a collection of women's panties that arouse him. He loves to look at, collect, and wear them.

fetishistic disorder

Whitney is self-critical and claims she is unintelligent and has no skills. She is also afraid to be alone and seeks constant reassurance from her family and friends. She says and does nothing about her cheating husband because she thinks that if she shows any resolve or initiative she will be abandoned and will have to take care of herself.

dependent personality disorder

Terry complained about feeling out of control. She said she felt sometimes as if she were floating under the ceiling and just watching things happen to her. She also experienced tunnel vision and felt uninvolved in the things that went on in the room around her. This always caused her to panic and perspire.

depersonalization-derealization disorder

Henry is 64 and recently arrived in town. He does not know where he is from or how he got here. His driver's license proves his name, but he is unconvinced it is his. He is in good health and not taking any medication.

dissociative fogue

Karl was brought to a clinic by his mother. She was concerned because at times his behavior was strange. His speech and his way of relating to people and situations would change dramatically, almost as if he were a different person. What bothered her and Karl most was that he could not recall anything he did during these periods.

dissociative identity disorder

Eusebio is always down and a bit blue, but occasionally he becomes so depressed that nothing pleases him.

double depression

Sam finds arousal in walking up to strangers in the park and showing them his genitals.

exhibitionistic disorder

What Peeping Tom does not realize is that Susie knows that he is watching. She is aroused by slowly undressing while others are watching, and she fantasizes about what they are thinking. Susie's behavior is called:

exhibitionistic disorder

Samantha came into the office because she is unable to reach orgasm. She loves her husband but stopped initiating sex. She is most likely suffering from

female orgasmic disorder

Kelly has no real desire for sex. She has sex only because she feels that otherwise her husband may leave her. Kelly suffers from:

female sexual interest/arousal disorder

Ann was found wandering the streets, unable to recall any important personal information. After searching her purse and finding an address, doctors were able to contact her mother. They learned that Ann had just been in a terrible accident and was the only survivor. Ann could not remember her mother or any details of the accident. She was distressed.

generalized amnesia

Samantha is known for being overly dramatic. She cries uncontrollably during sad movies and we sometimes think that she is acting. She is vain and self-centered, interrupting many of our class conversations to discuss her personal life.

histrionic personality disorder

Melinda sleeps all night and still finds herself falling asleep throughout the next day. This happens even when she goes to bed early and gets up as late as possible

hypersomnolence disorder

Emily constantly worries about her health. She has been to numerous doctors for her concerns about cancer and other serious diseases - even though she doesn't report current notable physical symptoms - only to be reassured of her well-being. Emily's anxiousness is exacerbated by each small ailment (for example, mild headaches or stomach pains) that she considers to be indications of a major illness.

illness anxiety disorder

Rosita cannot remember what happened last weekend. On Monday she was admitted to a hospital, suffering from cuts, bruises, and contusions. It also appeared that she had been sexually assaulted.

localized amnesia

For the past few weeks, Jennifer has been sleeping a lot. She feels worthless, can't get up the energy to leave the house, and has lost a lot of weight. Her problem is the most common and extreme mood disorder.

major depressive episode

After Bob's football team won the championship, his interest in sexual activity diminished. All his thoughts and fantasies centered on football and winning again next season and his wife was threatening to leave him. Bob is probably displaying:

male hypoactive sexual desire disorder

Feeling certain he would win the lottery, Charles went on an all-night shopping spree, maxing out all his credit cards without a worry. We know he's done this several times, feeling abnormally extreme elation, joy, and euphoria.

mania

Nancy thinks she is the best at everything. She thinks her performance is always excellent, and is extremely critical of anyone else's success. She constantly looks for admiration and reassurance from others.

narcissistic personality disorder

Sonia has problems staying awake throughout the day. Even while talking on the phone or riding the bus, she unexpectedly loses muscle tone and falls asleep for a while. This is due to..

narcolepsy

Dennis fears and strenuously avoids storms. Not surprisingly, on his first oceangoing cruise, he found that deep water terrified him, too.

natural environment phobia

Jaclyn's dad is sometimes awakened by his daughter's screams. He runs to Jaclyn's room to comfort her and is eventually able to calm her down. Jaclyn usually explains that she was being chased by a big, one-eyed, purple monster. The events typically happen after watching scary movies with friends.

nighmare

Jack has made a serious commitment to his diet for more than a month but continues to gain weight. He has no memory of eating but noticed that food is always missing from the refrigerator.

nocturnal eating syndrome

During a therapy session John gets up for a glass of water. Ten minutes later, John still is not back. He first had to clean the fountain area and neatly arrange the glasses before pouring his glass of water.

obsessive-compulsive personality disorder

Armando would love to eat fish with his fishing buddies, but he experiences an inordinate fear of choking on a bone.

other phobia

Heidi trusts no one and wrongly believes other people want to harm her or cheat her out of her life earnings. She is sure her husband is secretly planning to leave her and take their three boys, although she has no proof. She no longer confides in friends or divulges any information to coworkers for fear that it will be used in a plot against her. She is usually tense and ready to argue about harmless comments made by family members.

paranoid personality disorder

Ayana has had some mood disorder problems in the past, although some days she's better than others. Many days it seems like she has fallen into a rut. Although she manages to get by, she has trouble making decisions because she doesn't trust herself.

persistent depressive disorder

Jack was involved in a car accident 6 weeks ago in which the driver of the other car was killed. Since then, Jack has been unable to get into a car because it brings back the horrible scene he witnessed. Nightmares of the incident haunt him and interfere with his sleep. He is irritable and has lost interest in his work and hobbies.

posttraumatic stress disorder

Aadarsh lacks the ability to control ejaculation. The majority of the time he ejaculates within seconds of penetration. He suffers from

premature ejaculation

Natalie reveals to her therapist that she hears numerous voices talking to her and giving her orders. Her doctor has just sent her to this therapist for what he believes to be a major depressive episode. She had begun to sleep all the time and contemplated suicide often.

schizioaffective disorder

Doug is a college student who has no close friends. He comes to class every day and sits in a corner and is sometimes seen having lunch alone on the park bench. Most students find him difficult to engage and complain about his lack of involvement in class activities but he appears indifferent to what others say. He has never had a girlfriend, and expresses no desire to have sex. He is meeting with a therapist only because his family tricked him into going.

schizoid personality disorder

If Shawn's schizophrenic symptoms disappeared after about 4 months and he returned to his normal life, what diagnosis might he have received?

schizophreniform disorder

Rebecca lives alone out in the country with her birds and has little contact with relatives or any other individuals in a nearby town. She is extremely concerned with pollution, fearing that harmful chemicals are in the air and water around her. She has developed her own water purification system and makes her own clothes. If it is necessary for her to go outside, she covers her body with excessive clothing and wears a face mask to avoid the contaminated air.

schizotypal personality disorder

Mae enjoys being slapped with leather whips during foreplay. Without such stimulation, she is unable to achieve orgasm during sex.

sexual masochism disorder

Elias believes the government is out to get him. He thinks agents follow him daily, monitor his calls, and read his mail. His roommate, Cedric, tried to convince him otherwise. However, after a year of this, Cedric began to believe Elias was correct and the government was out to get him, too

shared psychotic disorder

Rama is extremely overweight. His wife suspects he may be suffering from ___________ because he snores every night and often wakes up exhausted as though he never slept.

sleep apnea

Jaime sometimes awakens and cannot move or speak. This is a particularly frightening experience known as

sleep paralysis

Sho-jen's parents hear her piercing screams on many nights and rush to comfort her, but she does not respond. During these episodes, her heart rate is elevated, and her pajamas are soaked in sweat. When she gets up the next day, however, she has no memory of the experience.

sleep terrors

In school, 6-year-old Miley appears extremely awkward. She doesn't understand when other children are being sarcastic and misses many social communication cues.

social (pragmatic) communication disorder

Six-year-old Megan experiences many problems in communicating and does not seem to understand the "rules" when speaking with other children.

social (pragmatic) communication disorder

Mark had no friends at school and hid in the boys' bathroom during both lunch and recess.

social phobia

Rachel turned down several lucrative job offers that involved public speaking and took a low-paying desk job instead.

social phobia

D.J. arrived at Dr. Blake's office with a folder crammed full of medical records, symptom documentation, and lists of prescribed treatments and drugs. Several doctors are monitoring him for his complaints, ranging from chest pain to difficulty swallowing. D.J. recently lost his job because he was using too many sick days.

somatic symptom disorder

Kelly was a good student until the sixth grade. Her grades slowly began to drop, despite her increased studying. Now, as a high school senior concerned about graduation, and with hopes of going to college, Kelly has sought help. She places above average on an IQ test but shows significant problems with reading and comprehension.

specific learning disorder

Julian is a recovering alcoholic. When asked about his wild adventures as a young man, his stories usually end quickly because he can't remember the whole tale. He even has to write down things he has to do in a notebook; otherwise, he's likely to forget

substance-induced neurocognitive disorder

Mr. Brown has suffered from a number of strokes but can still care for himself. His ability to remember important things, however, has been declining steadily for the past few years.

vascular neurocognitive disorder

Peeping Tom loves to look through Susie's bedroom window and watch her undress. He gets extremely excited as she disrobes. He is practicing:

voyeuristic disorder