Treatment of Anxiety Disorders - Essay Example

Client Profile

First Visit

Patient and family data

Ethan Leakey is an African American gentleman. The second name came as a result of the nurse's name, who assisted the mum when she was delivering him. Since the nurse was friendly to her and took good care of the baby when she was unconscious, she opted to name her son after her as a sign of appreciation. Ethan is working as an accountant in one of the manufacturing firms in the country. He has been working with them for close to fifteen years, and he has been working with them for close to fifteen years. Ethan is married to Winnie Rose. Winnie, his wife, is a business lady who runs several shops where she sells clothes and footwear. The two have worked together to raise their two daughters, who are still in junior school. Tecra and Anerlisa are the daughters of Ethan, and Winnie has been married for the past twenty years, and their girls are twelve and six, respectively.

Trauma that happened to the family

The trauma that the family faced is the loss of their loved ones. Ethan’s parents passed on after a being ran over by a vehicle that had lost control. The parents' loss was massive since they were very friendly to their children, and in the early days when Ethan and Winnie were not stable enough, it is the parents that stayed with the children when they were out working.

Type of attachment

I believe that the family has a secure attachment because they can trust fairly and efficiently. This family trusts one another since it is a skill that they instilled in them at an early stage, and they have grown to practice it up to this stage. Another reason as to why I believe that they have a secure attachment is because they freely communicate about their upsets directly. According to this family, talking out issues is the only way in which they can handle it and remain in good terms since they will be able to discuss it and reach a conclusion. Now.

Analytical Process

Psychological influences

Some of the psychological challenges that the patient is experiencing include depression, panic attacks, headaches, irritability, and breathing problems. Other influences include muscle aches, feeling a sense of doom, and high blood pressure. These are as a result of the current worries and stress that the patient experiences.

Biological influences

The condition leads to a decrease in the serotonin level in the body, which affects the patient's mood, appetite, and sleep. This implies that the patient is experiencing mood swings as they cannot stay happy or sad. Besides, they have insomnia as they are likely to fail to fall asleep after retiring to bed or may take long before they sleep. Eating is a problem since they do not feel like making anything. Generally, a decrease in the levels of serotonin is a result of the condition.

Social-cultural effects

Social norms and embarrassment. The patient is a constant fear of violating social rules. This is because of the social rules that exist in the countries. This makes the patient opt to stay alone such that they do not have to break the rules—societies' attitudes towards shyness and avoidance (Schäfer et al., 2017). The people of the community are likely to take it negatively on the patient since they are not in a position to interact with them, and it may be viewed differently. For instance, it may be considered as a way of ignoring people rather seen as a condition that they are suffering from. Interferes with the patients' ability to form relationships or the ability to access education or employment. The fact that the patient fears associating with people makes it difficult to be in a place where there are people. Therefore, they tend to hold back, which makes it difficult for them to access the essential amenities.

Situational factors that led to the condition

Lack of people around to keep them the company is one of the reasons that led to the behaviors. This is because they ended up being isolated with no one to comfort them during their difficult moments. Under normal circumstances, people who suffer the loss of their close people are supposed to be consoled as they heal from their trauma.

Personal risk factors

The patients are likely to suffer from adverse symptoms of the condition if not taken care of early enough. Besides, they are likely to develop other diseases that e associated with the condition that they are suffering from.

Safety

Techniques to calm the patient

Some of the techniques that I would use to make the patient comfortable during their visit is being mindful. This implies that I have to be very keen on my words so that I do not say anything likely to offend them. This is because a lack of understanding or one wrong word is expected to make the patient uncomfortable, and they may think of ending their visit. Another aspect that I would use is ensuring that I learn more about the condition the patient is suffering from such that I get to understand the best ways that I can implement to handle the patient. Knowledge is essential as it also directs on the best actions to take in case the patient gets an attack.

Behaviors the patient is known for

The patient likes solitude, and they would rather spend time alone than going to places where people are. According to the patient, people do not understand and do not give room for an individual to express themselves (Bandelow, Michaelis, & Wedekind, 2017). Therefore, he always believes that staying alone and spending most of the time alone is way better than being in a place where he would be judged. Fear of sharing what is bothering him is another behavior that the patient is known of. This means that the patient chooses to die of some problems deep inside instead of sharing and getting advice from friends or family.

Condition the patient is suffering from

I think that anxiety is what is troubling the patient. Some of the symptoms of fear that the patient portrays include the desire to avoid all the things that are likely to remind him of his trauma, nausea, he suffers chest problems aa well as detaching himself from his realities (Schäfer et al., 2017). Therefore, I think that the patient is suffering from anxiety after experiencing the loss of his loved one; therefore, he must get help before the patient losses it.

Brain information related to the condition

The condition is in relation to the brain's memories since it involves fears. Besides, it interferes with the hippocampus, which is the part of the brain that stores are threatening events and memories. This explains the reason as to why the patient had held the minds of the pain that he suffered when he lost his loved ones.

Hierarchy of Needs

Belongingness and love needs are the essential needs that the patient requires at this stage of his life. The patient needs intimate relationships and friends. He needs people to be there with him, those who will encourage him and walk him through the difficulties that he is currently facing.

Therapies

• Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
• Exposure therapy

Treatments

I would use cognitive behavioral therapy because it has been used on many occasions on previous occasions, and it has led to positive results. The aim of the treatment method is to ensure the mental health of the patient is improved. This is achieved through the improvement of emotional regulation as well as developing coping strategies, which will help the patient to overcome the challenges that they are currently going through (Hofmann & Otto, 2017). Another method used by the CBT is getting rid of behaviors and cognitive distortions that are unhelpful to the patient.

Second Visit

During the second visit, I ensured that I do not initiate conversations that are likely to offend the patient. This is one of the techniques that I used to ensure safety. This is because he would go wild when he is intrigued by questions about his situation. During this time, the patient was in a low amplitude head state.

From the therapies conducted, it is evident that the patient was suffering from anxiety, and he was responding positively to the medication. Some of the needs that were meant include convincing the patient to confide and trust his family (Hofmann & Otto, 2017). This means that the patient could at least stay with people for a short period. Another need that was met is having the patient share his problems such that it could be easy to guide him through the healing process.

Generally, based on the information gathered concerning the patient. The loss of the loved one has led the person into anxiety, which is why he has been withdrawn. However, the therapies are likely to help him heal from the condition since he is responding positively.