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tyfogleman
Lars is a 27-year-old male who presented with what appeared to be…
Lars is a 27-year-old male who presented with what appeared to be social anxiety, frequent conflicts with coworkers, paranoia, and what others described as “eccentric” behaviors. He had no close friends, and his roommate called the therapist and stated he was concerned about some of Lars’s strange ideas. The therapist asked for examples, and roommate stated, “Lars really believes in astrology, talking non-stop about planetary alignment, astrological signs (he’s a Pisces), and how special medicines from special plants can cure all of the world’s problems.”
Lars has never been actively psychotic, but some of his behaviors and ideas do appear bizarre and far-fetched. He stated the only true friend he ever had was Landon, a former roommate who shared his love of astrology and natural medicines. When asked why he never had other close friends, Lars stated that others commonly called him “weird” and that they complained about his inability to get along well with others. Lars stated this didn’t really bother him, since he didn’t enjoy their company most of the time and preferred to find new friends who might be more “on my level.” Lars exhibited little or no empathy or concern for others, but also did not seem inclined to be alone all the time. However he stated that when he did socialize, he sometimes felt as though they were analyzing him all the time – he didn’t think he was being paranoid, since they actually did make comments about his strangeness on a regular basis.
Lars had an employment history marked by short-term jobs that seemed promising at first; however, after only a few weeks his strange behaviors or inability to relate to others caused his supervisors to limit his interactions with others and, ultimately, he would be fired for his inability to maintain positive workplace relations. One supervisor allegedly fired him just because he insisted on wearing a winter coat each day “just in case a surprise cold front” came through. His supervisor thought this behavior was very strange, especially in June. Lars believed the supervisor really liked him and would’ve kept him on, except that other employees constantly complained to the supervisor and he felt a lot of pressure to let Lars go.
Select one:
a. Schizoaffective Disorder
b. Generalized Anxiety Disorder
c. Schizotypal Personality Disorder
d. Major Depressive Disorder
e. Schizophrenia
