Thando’s daily experiences
Feelings
-Anxiety, tension, uncertainty, and difficulty concentrating
-Experiences doubts and feelings of fear
-Finds it difficult to put aside his doubts
Frequency
-He checks appliances several times and will restart if he is interrupted
-checking photographs does not provide long term certainty resulting in him doubting his actions and photographs
Applying treatment
-could be applied gradually and collaboratively with Thando by identifying situations that trigger his anxiety and arranging them from easier to more difficult
-could begin by leaving his residence after checking an appliance only once, rather than several times
-he could progress to leaving without taking photographs, resisting reassurance from others and submitting academic work without repeatedly checking it
Comic book movie
Which comic book movie has is now the fourth highest grossing movie of all time?
Thoughts
-Repeated thoughts about making a mistake that could have consequences
-Worries that he could be responsible for the harm of others
-Ruminates about whether he submitted the correct document or unplugged appliances
-Thinks about his marks and finances and wonders whether they are correct
Duration
-takes him 45 minutes to an hour in the morning to check appliances
-repeatedly contacts his roommate for reassurance
How exposure helps
-allows him to face situations that cause anxiety and uncertainty to break the feedback loop that checking has created
Finish the lyric
Tell me you got something to give, I want it
Behaviours
-repeated checks appliances, restarts checks if interrupted, asks roommate for reassurance, mentally reviews what he has done, takes photographs to reduce doubt
-does not leave the residence if he is not reassured
-has withdrawn from social activities
Significant distress and impairment
-unable to control his behaviours, thoughts, and feelings
-started impacting his relationships and he has withdrawn socially
-arrives late to class and missed a test because of time spent checking appliances
-sometimes avoids leaving residence entirely
How ritual prevention helps
-involves resisting the urge to check, recheck and seek reassurance
-he can learn that he can tolerate uncertainty without checking and that anxiety can decrease without relying on compulsive behaviours
-provides reality testing that over time helps him understand that no harm will come whether he performs the compulsion ritual or not.
Celebrity birthday
Which famous person celebrated their 30th birthday yesterday?