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alexaalvarado77
Background Information Adam is a 51 year old widowed male with no…
Background Information
Adam is a 51 year old widowed male with no children. Adam shows no signs of physical ailments or other health problems. He does not have a history of drug or alcohol abuse. He presently works for the San Francisco Police Department as a consultant in homicide cases. Adam loves high levels of order and neatness and, therefore, has trouble functioning in the outside world. He also self-reports an extensive list of phobias. These symptoms were evident in childhood, but seem to have been exacerbated by the death of his wife. His goals are to extinguish the many phobias he suffers from and to experience some level of happiness. Adam’s social circle consists of a few co-workers who are familiar with his condition. According to Adam, his parents were highly strict and very over-protective when he was a child. Adam’s mother has been deceased since 1994. His father abandoned the family when Adam was 8 years old, and they have only recently begun communicating again. Mental history of the father and mother are unknown. Adam’s brother, Ambrose, suffers from agoraphobia. Ambrose has little social contact and fears leaving his home. Relationships with both his father and brother are strained, but otherwise healthy. No other family mental illness is known. Though not a family member, an important person in Adam’s life is his assistant. This person assists Adam in his professional life as well as his personal life. Adam has had two consecutive assistants that have filled this role for him. This assistant is aware of Adam’s many phobias and does her best to help him avoid stressful situations. For example, she is responsible for always having anti-bacterial hand wipes available to “protect” Adam from the germs he fears.
Description of the Problem
Adam was previously employed by theSFPD as a homicide detective but received a psychiatric discharge after the murder of his wife. Following his wife’s death, Adam retreated to his home and refused to leave for three years. With the help of his nurse/assistant, he has reluctantly entered out into the world again, but still suffers from extreme obsessions, compulsions, and fears. Adam has been unable to solve his wife’s homicide, and this causes great emotional distress to him. He often re-visits and obsesses over the case. Adam self-reports that he has 312 phobias and continues to accumulate more as time goes on. These phobias range from common fears such as heights or germs to unordinary fears such as, milk or mushrooms. Adam also suffers from phobias of dentists, sharp objects, vomiting, ladybugs, glaciers, death, snakes, crowds, fear and small spaces. These fears prohibit him from completing everyday tasks such as driving, shopping, and social interaction. Adam’s work as a consultant for the SFPD requires him to visit crime scenes and evaluate evidence. His photographic memory is especially helpful in his line of work. However, his anxiety often prevents him from being able to use his talents. For example, he arrived at a crime scene that had a burnt out bulb in a chandelier and was unable to work until the bulb had been changed. In another instance, he was unable to work because a police officer’s zipper was undone.
Balance and symmetry are also important. If travel is absolutely necessary, he goes to extreme lengths to pack. Everything must be kept in sealed plastic bags and he will often pack brand new, individually wrapped bedding so he does not have to use something that others have used.
Read the case study given by the professor based on a fictional patient describing the medical history
Assess symptoms
Assess other potential problematic areas of the person’s life, such as social, spiritual,
emotional, cognitive, work/education level, physical
Identify diagnostic criteria based on DSM
Identify stressors
Give recommendations for treatment
Assess prognosis
Summarize results in a written statement
