DISSOCIATIVE
MOOD
POTPOURRI
ANXIETY
THERAPY
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Stella is a 44 year old female who reports that she
has periods of time she cannot remember what she
has done. She reports that after one such period
she received a telephone call from a man who
claimed to have met her in a bar where she was
“the life of the party.” She had also told the man
her name was Starlight. Stella thinks that this is
odd because she doesn’t drink and she’s shy.
However, the man had her correct phone number
and gave an accurate physical description of her.
What is the specific diagnosis?
Specific Diagnosis: Dissociative Identity Disorder
Frank was attending college in San Francisco during the most recent
earthquake. He lived in the area that was hardest hit by the
earthquake. Frank was not home when the earthquake hit and was
not injured in any way, but he returned home to find his building
demolished and his two roommates crushed to death. Frank
immediately drove himself to the airport, bought a ticket to Boston,
and got on a plane. His parents found him on their doorstep in
Boston the next morning. Frank remembers nothing about the
earthquake and nothing about going to college and living with his
parents in Boston.
What is the specific diagnosis?
Specific Diagnosis: Dissociative Amnesia
Mario was previously diagnosised with dissociative disorder and
experienced short term memory loss due to dissociative amnesia
after a traumatic experience. Gradually he got his memory back
and felt strong enough to return to his studies in Biochemistry.
After spending one semester at school he suddenly disappeared.
His parents ran into him a couple months after his disappearance.
When they saw him they said, “Mario, Mario what are you doing?”
Mario replied, “Who’s Mario? I’m Jack Straw and this is my wife
Scarlet Begonias.”
What is the name of the condition that accounts for his unexpected
travel and loss of his previous identity? ___________________
Condition: Dissociative Fugue
Susie has been acting very bizarre lately and
her family is very concerned. Sometimes
she acts normal; however, at other times she
only responds to the name Lyla and claims
that she has no idea who her family is, and
acts like a totally different person.
What disorder does it appear that poor Susie
is suffering from?
Specific Diagnosis: Dissociative Identity Disorder
(MPD)
What are the two contrasting theories
regarding Dissociative Disorder?
1.) It is a real disorder usually caused by
some extreme trauma and “splitting” or
consciousness
2.) It is not a real disorder but is
“constructed” by therapists “looking for it”
Tony sometimes seems to be a little “wound up.” At those
times he appears to be full of energy, talks very rapidly,
and makes very grandiose plans (like he thought he could
beat Tiger Woods at golf). At these times he also seems to
need no sleep. During other times he doesn’t take care of
himself. He seems to want to sleep all the time, and he
often makes suggestions about suicide.
What is the specific diagnosis?
Specific Diagnosis: Bipolar Disorder
Kara has stopped seeing friends whom she
used to see often, and turns people down
when they invite her out. Her usual answer
is “I just don’t feel like it.” She looks sad all
of the time and does not seem to take
pleasure in everyday activities. This has
been going on for the past two months.
What is the specific diagnosis?
Specific Diagnosis: Major Depression
Lionel was previously diagnosed with
Seasonal Affective Disorder. However,
Lionel still feels “off” even though spring
has come, all the birds and flowers are back
and it’s getting brighter every day. He goes
back to his doctor who tells him that he
actually is suffering from a chronic
condition.
What is the specific diagnosis?
Specific Diagnosis: Dysthymia
Since about the beginning of December
Teddy has been feeling like a bear, his general
mood is “off.” In January he went to a doctor
who told him that his sadness was mild and
that he was suffering from:
___________________.
Seasonal Affective Disorder
Michael has been suffering from severe depression.
He has tried several drugs but none of them have
worked. Last month his doctor scheduled him for a
treatment where he was given large amounts of
electricity.
That didn’t seem to help either, so his doctor has
scheduled him for a radical psychosurgery. The
surgery involves an operation that will create a
lesion in one part of his brain to help reduce his
emotionality without reducing his intellectual
abilities.
What are the two procedures called?
1.) ECT
2.) Prefrontal Lobotomy
Marianne is a 34 year old woman who shows signs
of little emotion and she has trouble thinking
through a simple idea. She says that people reading
the news on the radio are telling her to do things.
She also says that she is sometimes controlled by
other people and that all of the people at
McDonald’s, where she used to work, had formed a
conspiracy to get her fired. She also does certain
activities in a repetitive, highly ritualized fashion,
like smoking a lot of cigarettes.
What is the general class of diagnosis and what is
the specific diagnosis?
General Class: Schizophrenia
Specific Diagnosis: Paranoid Schizophrenia
Freddy has desires to do things that most people would
not want to do. He wears socks outside in the winter
without shoes because he says that he wants to feel the
road to be sure that he is on the right path. Sometimes he
stops in his tracks standing still for hours. People often
think that he is a statue until he starts rambling on about
the red water that he parted once, asking passers-by if
they want him to do it again so they can return home.
What is the name of the condition that he has when he
acts like a statue? ___________________ What is the
general diagnosis of his overall condition?
__________________
Statue Condition: Catatonic Stupor
General Diagnosis: Schizophrenia
Zach is a 17 year old male who appears
boastful, conceited, and arrogant. When
someone accuses him of being that way, he
flips into a rage. He shows little care for
others and is often envious when others are
recognized for their achievements. He is
also prone to daydreaming and fantasizing
about the success that awaits him.
What is the general class of diagnosis and
what is the specific diagnosis?
General Class: Personality Disorders
Specific Diagnosis: Narcissistic Personality Disorder
William recently drove his girlfriend Sarah to
break up with him because he was always
bugging her about who she was with and
what she was doing. Last week, he followed
her when she went out with her girlfriends to
study for their psychology exam. The week
before he accused her of having made plans
to uncover his research into alien abductions.
What is the general class of diagnosis and
what is the specific diagnosis?
General Class: Personality Disorders
Specific Diagnosis: Paranoid Personality Disorder
Gina often drinks too much, especially at
parties. She ha gotten two impaired
charges in the last year. After nearly
losing her job as she “calls in sick”
nearly every Monday because of her
heavy partying every weekend.
What is the general class of diagnosis
and what is the specific diagnosis?
General Class: Substance Use Disorder
Specific Diagnosis: Alcohol Abuse
Sandy feels dirty unless she bathes and
changes her clothes at least four times a day,
and she is a real “neat freak.” She scrubs
floors and walls of every room once a week
and the bathroom gets cleaned every day.
What is the specific diagnosis?
Specific Diagnosis: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Larry has not left his house in several months. When he
tries to get out of the house he experiences great fear that
he will be trapped and unable to return back home. Prior to
his inability to leave the house Larry was driving his Civic
and his hear started pounding, he started sweating a lot and
he felt extreme fear and apprehension to keep driving. He
pulled over and called 911. The ambulance attendant told
him that he had experienced a _________________.
Later his psychologist told him that he was suffering from
__________________ that was triggered by his fear that
this experience in the car would happen again.
What did the ambulance attendant tell Larry he had
experienced and what did his psychologist tell him he was
suffering from?
Ambulance Attendant: Panic Attack
Psychologist: Agoraphobia
BONUS
BONUS
After 2 months of therapy it came out that
there was a DSM axis III condition that was
the actual cause of his initial experience in
the car. It turns out that he was hiding this
from everyone around him. What was the
new diagnosis?
Substance Use Disorder or
Amphetamine Abuse
Although he was not personally injured,
Harry has had problems since the earthquake
in Taiwan. At first he seemed to be fine, but
recently, he is listless and quarrelsome and
sleeps on and off, reliving the earthquake in
bad dreams.
What is the specific diagnosis?
Specific Diagnosis: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Almost every day Dan has feelings of
intense restlessness and muscular
tension. He often feels “jittery” and
easily gets tired. While he used to drink
12 cups of coffee a day he hasn’t had any
stimulant in over a year. His
psychologist told him that he is suffering
from ______________________.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Simon has had a tremendous fear of snakes
for as long as he can remember. His
therapist tells him that he is suffering from
________________ .
Specific Diagnosis: Zoophobia
BONUS
BONUS
Identify and Describe two possible
treatments for phobias. One from a
Behavioural perspective and one from a
Psychodynamic perspective.
1.) Systematic Desensitization
2.) Free Association
Dr. Jenny is someone who believes strongly
in the ability of people to “cure” themselves
with a little non-directive discussion.
She adopts a model of therapy called
_______________ which involves the
recognition of
__________________________.
1.) Humanistic Model
2.) Unconditional Positive Regard
Dr. Blue has been a therapist for many years.
He has tried various models of therapy;
however, his favourite is a form of therapy
that focuses on helping clients find meaning
in their lives.
What is this form of therapy called?
Existential Psychotherapy
Dr. Bob Hartley is a very popular therapist.
He tells all of his patients that they need to
talk to the people around them, those that
they live with and have lived with, in order to
work out their problems.
What type of therapy does he advocate?
Family Therapy
(multidimensional family therapy)
BONUS
BONUS
Dr. Phil works from a Family Therapy
approach. Currently he has two clients that
are seeking his help. One is an adolescent
female and the other is a married middle-age
man.
Describe the four targets for an adolescent
and for someone who is married?
Adolescent:
1.) The Adolescent
2.) The Parent
3.) The interaction between them
4.) Other influences
Someone who is married:
1.) The client
2.) The Partner/Spouse
3.) The interaction between them
4.) Other influences
Over the last five years Jimmy has been
severely depressed and has attempted suicide
twenty times. His doctor has tried giving him
three different classes of drugs. Even though
they are supposed to work differently, they do
not work very well for poor Jimmy.
What are the three classes of drugs that
Jimmy’s doctor probably gave him and
describe how each drug is supposed to work?
1.) MAO inhibitors (Nardil)
– elevates Ne & Se
2.) Tricyclic Antidepressants (Elavil)
– blocks reuptake of Ne & Se
3.) SSRI (Prozac)
– increases Se only
What approach of therapy would T. Szasz or
R.D. Lang recommend for a patient
diagnosed with schizophrenia?
T. Szasz:
Szasz argued that psychiatric patients are not ill, but rather individuals with
unconventional thoughts and behavior that make society uncomfortable. He argues that
society unjustly seeks to control them by classifying their behavior as an illness and
forcibly treating them as a method of social control. According to this view,
"schizophrenia" does not actually exist but is merely a form of social construction,
created by society's concept of what constitutes normality and abnormality. He believes
that treatment should be conducted between consenting adults, rather than imposed
upon anyone against his or her will
R.D. Laing:
He argued that the symptoms of what is called mental illness are
comprehensible reactions to impossible demands that society and particularly family
life places on some sensitive individuals. He valued the content of psychotic experience
as worthy of interpretation, rather than considering it simply as a secondary but
essentially meaningless marker of underlying psychological or neurological distress.
Laing described eleven case studies of people diagnosed with schizophrenia and argued
that the content of their actions and statements was meaningful and logical in the
context of their family and life situations.