Case Study Anxiety

  Order Description     Part 1 – Mini Case Studies 1) Case Study: Amy, age 38, is a worrier. She is restless, irritable and has difficulty concentrating. She worries that she worries so much and isn't always sure what it is that she is worried about. She can't let her husband or children leave the house without making them call her regularly to reassure her that they are okay. Her husband is growing weary of her fretting. Her children can't understand what all the fuss is about. Their impatience with her only makes her worry more. Amy may suffer from ___. 2) Case Study: George is a 20 year-old student at a local community college. On several occasions recently, she has experienced sudden, absolute panic. During these episodes, her heart pounds; she trembles; her mouth gets dry and it feels as if the walls are caving in. The feelings only last a few minutes but, when they occur, the only thing that seems to relieve her fear is walking around her apartment and reminding herself that she is in control. He won't ride in cars now, unless she is driving so she is sure that she can stop if necessary. She will only go to class if she can find an aisle seat in the back row so that she can leave quietly should she have another attack. He avoids any situation in which she might feel out of control or embarrassed by her own terror. In fact, she often times feels an attack come on by just worrying about having one. George may suffer from ___. 3) Case Study: Hannah, age 55, was in a major car accident 20 years ago during a cross-country trip. Ever since, she has been unable to drive on major highways. Although she does drive, she goes to great lengths to travel only on back roads and scenic routes. She is able to go where she wants to go but it often takes much longer to get there than it should. Hannah may have developed ___. 4) Case Study: Bert is 40 years-old and works on an assembly line in a Scranton, Pennsylvania factory. He is terribly afraid of being contaminated by germs. He avoids shaking hands with others. He won't eat in the cafeteria. He has trouble leaving the bathroom because he isn't sure he has washed his hands well enough. As a result, he has become isolated from his coworkers. Bert may suffer from ___. 5) Case Study: Joanne, age 32 and newly married. As the couple has become more intimate, Joanne has started to have flashbacks about an uncle who touched her inappropriately when she was eight-years-old. She is distressed to find that she is shutting down feelings about her husband and distancing herself from him. She says that she can't stand to let herself be physically intimate with someone she loves and trusts. She startles easily and reports a general increase in anxiety. She is very angry that she has to deal with the feelings about the incidents with her uncle that happened so long ago. She says that she thought she had gotten beyond all that. Joanne may suffer from ___.   6) Case Study: Maurice, a 20 year-old college student, is worried that his family members may be hurt at any moment. He thinks, all the time, about the possibility that they might get injured. He is convinced that if he does things in sevens, he can avoid anyone getting hurt. So, if he opens his wallet, he has to do it seven times. When he locks the door in the morning, he has to do it seven times. He is convinced that as long as he does this, people around him will be safe. He is terrified that if he ever forgets to do it, someone will get hurt. Maurice may suffer from ___. 7) Case Study: Tori, a 23 year-old, is unemployed and afraid to leave her house. She has only left her house once in the past year. Her fear of leaving the house started about a year ago when she was in the supermarket and suddenly experienced a feeling of sheer terror. She felt like she was totally out of control and might die. She had two subsequent attacks, both when she was out of her house, and since then she has been afraid to go out. On the one occasion when she left her house in the past year, she insisted that her best friend accompany her and stay by her side until she returned home. Tori may suffer from ___. 8) Case Study: Randy, an unemployed 30 year-old job seeker, says that he feels nervous all the time. He does not know what he is worried about, but he feels like he worries constantly. He complains that he often feels dizzy and short of breath, and he says he feels like he sweats constantly. He appears apprehensive during job interviews, and during your first meeting…he even startles easily. Randy may suffer from ___. 9) Case Study: Louise, a 29 year-old architect, has a fear of public speaking, to the point where she is even afraid to speak up at a business meeting. This is causing her problems at work because she avoids situations where she will have to speak in front of other people. She is afraid that she will appear stupid and that other people will make fun of her. Louise may suffer from ___.   10) Case Study: Kathy, a 27 year-old, is in the process of obtaining a divorce. She is having a lot of financial problems and finds herself worrying about finances almost all the time. She feels generally nervous and shaky and has felt this way for approximately the past month. Kathy may suffer from ___. Part 2. After you have completed part I choose one of these mini-case studies to fully expand on it by responding to the following questions. 70 points. Note: In order to address the second part of this case study, please speculate (add to) on any information not given in the case. 1. State the typical symptoms; 10 points 2. State the duration of these symptoms; 10 points 3. Describe at least two different pathways that can lead to the specific anxiety disorder in the case chosen (equifinality); 10 points each 4. Describe the multidimensionality of the possible causes of this anxiety d/o including any developmental issues (eg., diathesis-stress, cross-fostering, etc.); 10 points 5. Describe two typical treatment approaches (one each from a different theoretical approach, eg., one from the biological approach and one from the cognitive approach) and explain how effective the two approaches you chose are for treating this specific d/o). 10 points each