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tyfogleman
Sheila is a 35-year-old attorney who was considered one of the…
Sheila is a 35-year-old attorney who was considered one of the brightest graduates of Harvard Law School in many years at the time of her graduation 10 years ago. Since that time, she has quickly risen in the ranks at the law firm where she works, until she made partner at age 34 – very early by the firm’s usual standards.
Despite all of her success, Sheila became plagued by doubts of her own abilities and became convinced that she did not deserve the promotion to partner. She reports she began to feel numb, and no longer enjoyed socializing with her friends or colleagues. She was easily fatigued – stating that she was tired throughout the day and never felt like she got enough sleep (even after sleeping 8-9 hours). Her colleagues reported that for several months she was very irritable and most of them decided to avoid her whenever possible because of “her moods.”
When one of Sheila’s clients left the law firm and took his business elsewhere, Sheila blamed herself immediately and took this loss very hard – this happened despite the senior partner telling her the client left for other reasons and it was not her fault. She believed the loss of this client was a direct reflection on her skills as an attorney, and she no longer believed she was good at her job. As a result, she began calling in sick frequently, coming in late, and isolating herself even further by staying in her office with the door closed. She stated she could not focus or concentrate on anything anymore, and she spent a lot of time brooding about her problems. She spent hours at a time lying on the sofa at home, staring at the TV screen but not really having any interest in what she was watching. She eventually began to sleep more and more, and eat less and less – losing ten pounds in less than a month. She stopped returning friends’ phone calls, and refused to see a doctor or talk to someone about her problems. She told one friend that she felt completely hopeless and did not think her life would ever get any better. Eventually, one of her best friends made an appointment at a mental health clinic, tricked Sheila into getting into her car, and took her to an appointment.
Select one:
a.Generalized Anxiety Disorder
b.Dysthymia
c.Bipolar Disorder
d.Seasonal Affective Disorder
e. Major Depression
