Psychological Disorder Analysis - Essay Example

?Introduction Psychological case studies help in understanding how different mental disorders can be treated in different settings. The case study that is discussed in this paper is of a woman who came from a financially stable background and had a good social life. However, her childhood has had a great impact on her and she was still coping with the past. The case study reveals that the past of a person has a great impact on his future life. Hence, it is very necessary to look at the past if the present personality is to be changed. Case Study Reference Marla was referred to a psychological counselor as she had attempted to commit suicide 3 days back. Her mother and her younger sister, Whitney, had gone for a function where Whitney was going to be felicitated for her yearly performance. Marla was also invited by Whitney to attend the function but she refused to go saying that she was not feeling well. Marla’s mother also tried to make Marla to go with them but she refused to budge. Marla’s mother and Whitney realized that there is no point in asking her anymore so they left for the function at 5 pm in the evening. When they retuned, they found Marla lying on the sofa with a note on the side table. Marla had consumed 10 sleeping tablets and was unconscious. Emergency service was called and Marla was saved from getting harmed in any way. She was kept under observation in the hospital for two days and got a discharge on the third day. She was declared out of danger. Marla, in her suicide note, had written that she is not worth living. She should die so that her mother and her sister can live a happy life. This showed that Marla was feeling mentally low and was feeling worthless. What she needed was a professional help. Her medical doctor referred her to psychological counseling. Hence, Marla was brought to me for psychological counseling to help her with her weak personality. Case History Marla is a 28 year old woman from white ethnic background. She is living with her sister and her mother in a spacious four bedroom apartment. Her mother, Dianne, got divorced from her father ten years back and is a home maker. Marla’s sister, Whitney, is younger to her by 3 years and is working in a software industry. Dianne has inherited a lot of wealth and property from her own father. He was a businessman and had a flourishing business throughout his life. He had left all his wealth and property for his daughter, Dianne. Hence, Marla never suffered from any financial crunch or problem at home. In fact, she was pampered at home and was allowed to do whatever she wanted to do. Marla tried her hand at different professions like fashion designing, real estate, hair styling etc. Although she was good at it, she never continued with those professions. The moment it seemed that she was doing good and was going to settle with the profession, she used to do something or other to destroy the chances of that profession flourishing. Marla said that she never felt ‘good’ with success. She felt that the success was not real and was going to deceive her in the future. Hence, she never felt comfortable with success and appreciation. After talking to Marla, it was revealed that the roots of her feelings lie in her childhood. It was her father who was responsible for Marla being emotionally and mentally a negative person. Childhood Marla’s father was suffering from alcoholism. He was an irresponsible person and never cared to provide any security for his family. He used to leave his job often and demanded money from Dianne and her father. When Marla was six, Dianne came to stay with her father. However, after being coaxed by her husband, she again went and stayed with him. During this time, Whitney was left with her grandfather as it was not possible to bring up two daughters with what Marla’s father was earning. Hence, Marla was left alone and missed having a sibling with who she can share her sorrows. Marla’s father used to scold her a lot. He was a demanding person and never appreciated anything that Marla did. He used to criticize everything that she did and used to insult her everyday. Marla was good at her studies. However, after some time, her performance deteriorated and she started to lose concentration in her studies. The fights between her parents, her loneliness and her father’s poisonous attitude towards her made her feel very low and negative. Marla used to come back home to a drunken father and a frustrated and crying mother. She had lost all sense of joy and was continuously feeling hopeless. She longed to be with Whitney who was living a happy and safe life with her grandfather. One day, when Marla came home, she found her mother being beaten by her father. It was after this incident that she decided to take an action. She called her grandfather and told him everything. Dianne used to lie to her father about her husband. Dianne’s father was a strong man and she knew that he will take a strong action if he comes to know about the mental torture that she and Marla were going through at the hands of her husband. So she never told her father anything. However, Marla decided that it was high time to tell everything to her grandfather. Finally, Marla was moved to her grandfather’s place where she felt safe and secure. Later, her parents were divorced. However, by this time, the damage was done to Marla’s emotional and psychological core. Symptoms Marla showed signs of emotional and psychological weakness. After her parents divorce, she completed her college and took a degree in arts. However, she never continued with any profession that she took up. She changed her mind often and displayed irritable moods. This behavior pattern increased with Whitney’s growing success. Marla found it difficult to digest her sister’s success and smooth sailing life. She hated the fact that while she was suffering the emotional torture at the hands of her father, Whitney was enjoying the loving relationship with her grandfather. With the growing age, Marla was becoming more and more frustrated. Marla was never into substance abuse but had more than 5 relationships since she was eighteen years old. Her relationships ended with fights and she blamed her boyfriends for not giving her enough space and support. By the time she was 27, she had tried her hands at 3 different business ventures and 5 relationships. She began blaming herself for all her failures and thought that she was not good enough to do anything. She stopped socializing and kept away from her friends. She also stopped going to beauty parlors where she was a regular customer. Marla was well known for being conscious about her physical appearance and her choice of clothes. However, lately, she had stopped grooming herself and spent most of the time alone. It was 2 months since she had attended gym or met with any of her friends. She was losing weight and her sleep pattern had become erratic. She was not able to sleep at night and hence, had consulted a doctor. The doctor had prescribed the medicine for her. Since two weeks, Marla had been having her dinner in her room and refused to come out of her room. She said that she likes being alone. Diagnosis Marla was diagnosed with major depressive disorder. According to DSM-IV, the symptoms of major depressive disorder were feeling of worthlessness, disturbed sleep pattern, disturbed physical functions, loss of interest in pleasurable activities and a tendency to shut oneself off from social interaction (Durand & Barlow, 2006, p. 210). Marla was suffering from the depression from long time and her symptoms had become consistent since 3-4 weeks. However, her mother failed to realize this and never sought any professional help. Finally, the suicide attempt by Marla woke her up to the reality. The root of Marla’s problem lies in the low self-esteem and feeling of worthlessness that she had developed in her childhood. She said that she was expecting to gain confidence and strength in self from the counseling sessions. Hence, the treatment plan designed for Marla was based on Cognitive therapy and Humanistic approach towards counseling. Cognitive Therapy Cognitive therapy is based on the belief that person’s mental health depends on his perception, thoughts and interpretation of the events and the world around him (Freeman, Pretzer, Fleming & Simon, 2004, p.4). Hence, if a person is harboring negative thoughts and ideas about self, then challenging person’s negative thoughts and feelings is very important. A twelve session treatment plan was designed for Marla. She was asked to attend one hour session every week. During counseling, her negative perceptions were challenged by asking her to think about her positive aspects. She was made to focus on her school performance and her business ventures that had a good start. She was also made to focus on her reputation as someone who cares about her physical appearance and has a good dressing sense. The negative perceptions that Marla had about herself were challenged by asking her to probe into the roots of her perception. She was challenged about the feeling of worthlessness by asking her questions like “why do you think that people hate you when there are so many friends calling you everyday and inviting you to their parties”, “how can you say you are good for nothing when you were successful in starting 3 businesses which were settled nicely” etc. Her negative perceptions were challenged and positive thoughts and interpretations were reinforced in her thinking pattern. In this way, her confidence in herself was boosted to a great level. Also, in combination of cognitive therapy, a humanistic approach was also added to the therapy. Humanistic approach During the counseling sessions, an unconditional positive regard was practiced (Russell & Jarvis, 2003, p.47). Marla was told that her growth and her self-esteem do not depend on the conditions set by people. She is free from conditional life and it is her own feeling about herself that matters. Person centered therapy was used while counseling Marla and she was encouraged to understand her own potential by slowly removing the negative layers of her personality. With every session, Marla realized that the root pf her problem was her own negative perception of self and to gain confidence and success in life, she will have to stick to her businesses and apply all her positive energy to it. Conclusion By the end of the therapy, Marla had developed a loving and positive bond with her mother and sister and was completely healed from her depression. Marla was advised to make monthly visits to her counselor to discuss her progress with him. Reference Durand, V.M. & Barlow, D.H. (2006). Essentials of Abnormal Psychology (4th ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth. Freeman, A., Pretzer, J., Fleming, B. & Simon, K.M. (2004). Clinical Applications of Cognitive Therapy. New York, NY: Kluwer Academic/ Plenum Publishers. Russell, J. & Jarvis, M. (2003). Angles on Applied Psychology. Cheltenham, UK: Nelson Thornes Ltd. Read More