Case Studies
Quintus is having difficulty with his sexual fantasies. He has a reoccurring fantasy of standing on his second-floor balcony and flashing unsuspecting drivers on the busy main street below. His girlfriend Hannah does not like that he has this reoccurring fantasy, and keeps haranguing him to go to a psychologist to be 'fixed' before he does something that will get him arrested, but he doesn't want to because he doesn't think there is anything wrong with a mere sexual fantasy.
What disorder would you most likely diagnose Quintus with?
Trick question! If Quintus were to engage in his problematic sexual fantasy, it could be labeled as exhibitionistic disorder. But, because he has not, he's only having thoughts of engaging in problematic behavior, not actually doing it, or becoming upset or distressed by it.
Which disorder is known as the mildest and most transient neurocognitive disorder?
Delirium.
Alcohol use disorder (AUD).
Which group of disorders that are characterized by:
1. biological changes in the brain.
2. impairments in cognition
3. found particularly in older adults
Neurocognitive disorders (NCD).
Which neurocognitive disorder (NCD) is most preventable as of right now?
Traumatic brain injury.
Alice has been out of work for three months due to a complicated spinal surgery which she was prescribed the painkiller oxycontin for her pain. She has been diligently attending her doctor's appointments to get a refill on the prescription, but her doctor has now decided she should be healed enough that she does not need the oxycontin prescription anymore. Alice has become upset, nervous, and shaky about tackling her everyday like without the aid of the oxycontin, because she found it exceptionally helpful in dealing with her everyday, chronic pain.
Alice is likely to be diagnosed with what disorder?
Substance use disorder (opioids).
Which personality disorder cluster would you find a disorder characterized by suspicious, chronically hostile, envious, or tense behavior?
Cluster A: Odd/Eccentric
Which disorder is treated by identifying and correcting underlying causes?
Delirium.
Name the disorder + personality cluster it belongs to:
1. odd mannerisms, appearances, and experiences, pervasively detached from others
2. often comorbid with major depressive disorder
3. believed to be on the schizophrenia spectrum
4. increased rates among first-degree relatives of individuals with schizophrenia.
Schizotypal PD, Cluster A: Odd/Eccentric.
What is the difference between a paraphilia and a paraphilic disorder?
Paraphilia: intense/persistent sexual interest in fantasies/actions involving 'anomalous' or 'unusual' stimuli.
Paraphilic Disorder: when paraphilic fantasies, urges or behaviors cause distress or impairment or harm or risk of harm to others.
Sloan is an eighteen-year-old girl who is pregnant and has gone in search for her biological father for the first time in her life. Her father's friends are disgruntled when she behaves oddly to them. They perceive her as attention-seeking, reacting very exaggeratedly to any push-back to her requests, and even going so far as to behave seductively toward her father's 40-year-old friend because he was busy at his job in an effort to regain his attention.
Which disorder would Sloan most likely to be diagnosed with?
Cluster B: Dramatic/Erratic, Histrionic Personality Disorder.
Which drug may produce relaxation and mild euphoria at low levels that is often prescribed for insomnia?
Barbiturates.
What is the most commonly known treatment program for alcohol use disorders?
Alcoholics anonymous (AA).
The disorder is characterized by:
1. sexual arousal achieved through the stealthy observation of others who are naked, disrobing, or engaging in sexual activity without their knowledge.
2. typically begins in adolescence but is only diagnosed in adults.
3. behavior often occurs with a non-consenting person (someone who does not know that they are being observed in this way).
Voyeuristic Disorder.
What is one common cause of delirium?
Head trauma, postoperative states, the effects of using/withdrawing from drugs, exposure to toxins, epilepsy, metabolic disturbances, dehydration, infections.
Carson's 85-year-old grandpa Yosef has begun forgetting where he has put his keys or if he ate breakfast that morning or not. Carson's sister Miranda wanted to teach their grandpa how to use the computer to Zoom with them when they couldn't visit, but Grandpa Yosef cannot retain the information that Miranda is teaching him. Carson's grandma Rebecca has recently begun complaining to his mother that Grandpa Yosef cannot seem to motivate himself to begin his chores like normal.
Which disorder would Grandpa Yosef most likely be diagnosed with?
NCD due to Alzheimer's disease.
Which disorder is characterized by:
1. feeling inadequate, needing constant reassurance, behaving timidly and cautiously.
Avoidant personality disorder, Cluster C: Anxious/Fearful
What is the ultimate goal of the Minnesota treatment model?
Total abstinence from drinking alcohol; disease model of substance use disorders.
A disorder characterized by use of a drug that causes the following symptoms:
1. excitatory effects on the CNS.
2. can cause dangerous physical changes in the brain/cardiovascular system
3. can produce psychological/physiological dependence
Stimulant use disorder.
Nicotine.
Camilla has found that her new girlfriend, Gabby, has low-self esteem and high anxiety. Gabby is a high achiever academically, but seeks Camilla's reassurance that she is indeed smart. When Camilla is very focused on her schoolwork, Gabby often takes that as a sign that Camilla is angry with her, and Gabby becomes upset and seeks Camilla's assurance that she is not angry with her. When Gabby notices that Camilla is a little more grumpy that usual, Gabby tip-toes around Camilla like she is waiting for Camilla to explode, even though Camilla does not have anger issues or has ever been unkind to Gabby. Camilla would like to better support Gabby because she is concerned that Gabby seems so anxious that she is doing something 'wrong' all the time.
Which disorder would Gabby be most likely diagnosed with?
Avoidant personality disorder, Cluster C: Anxious/Fearful
Which disorder is characterized by forgetfulness and memory loss and neurofibrillary tangles?
NCD due to Alzheimer's disease.
Which kind of therapy is the best for difficult-to-treat personality disorders?
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT).
Which disorder is characterized by:
1. requiring excessive advice and guidance
2. excessive submissiveness
3. low self-esteem
Dependent personality disorder, Cluster C: Anxious/Fearful
Which disorder is difficult to distinguish from social anxiety disorder?
Avoidant Personality Disorder.