Psychological Disorder Analysis - Essay Example

? The paper is an effort to understand and analyze some of the traits of psychological disorders of humans with a particular case study and analysis of an individual, Marla who is affected with some of the symptoms of mental trauma and severe depression. Further it is an attempt to analyze and understand the reasons behind such mental imbalances for the individual to arrive at suitable conclusions to the concern. Study of both empirical and subjective theory of behavioral and psychological aspects has been undertaken to understand which of the particular psychological disorders the concern individual is affected so that such behavior could be avoided or controlled. To conclude, the paper tries to explore possible healing remedies that could help the individual to reach to a mental stability and avoid frequent relapses. Keywords: Psychological disorder, mental, health, relationships, Dysthymic Disorder, Cognitive therapy, mental health. One of the common issues of today’s fast paced mechanical life is loneliness. Despite the various developments of the means of communication and technology, surprisingly man has become more and more lonely and secluded. Human being is a social being and a human interaction does have some healing capabilities that could never be cured by external aids though in some cases it becomes an absolute necessity depending on the severity of the concerns. A psychological disorder can be defined as a certain kind of mental illness which can also be termed as a ‘trauma’ that severely affects the individual in their day to day activities across multiple spheres and has a negative effect on human health both physical and mental. A specific reason for such traits is unknown. However, to understand, evaluate and arrive at a proper conclusion in order to seek for a proper treatment a psychological disorder diagnosis might be very helpful. It is important to note that this analysis is not to attach any social stigma and label the individual as ‘abnormal’; but it is to discover and explore the areas of concern to arrive at a solution to such affected behaviors. There are various kinds of mental disorders and they are of various ranges from simple to complex. Approximately there are about 250 various mental disorders that have been discovered. Most of them also have some kind of connections with each other having related issues. (National Institute of Mental Health, 2008) Examples of such disorders may be sleeping disorders, eating disorders or problems interacting with people, feeling lonely and left out like personality disorder, frequent mood swings and so on. The earlier these issues are understood and addressed the faster one can start working on them and help the individual to come out of it as soon as possible. Of course, co-operation from both the parties –the individual facing the concern and the service provider plays a significant role. Marla, a middle aged Hispanic lady, visits a psychiatric specialist to discuss how her day to day personal as well as professional life was affected due to a couple of signs. She complains of “trouble sleeping, feeling jumpy all the time, and an inability to concentrate” (Axia College, 2007). Marla was aware that these symptoms are to be blamed for her imbalance in personal life but; she was more concerned about her professional life since her under performance will cost her the job. Hence in utter dismay Marla decides to contact a psychoanalyst for assistance. In order to understand Marla’s case let us first discuss in brief the different models which have been advocated by different psychoanalysts from time to time. Psychologists have worked very hard to explain the reasons for abnormalities in human being. Among the researchers who have tried to understand and explain the abnormal behaviors, there is a group of psychoanalyst, who believe that Biological factors play prominent role. They emphasize the role of Genes especially from family roots and they also linked unusual emission of Hormone as one the major causes of Psychological Disorder in a human being. However, the outcome of their research is still incomplete since the Protagonist of Biological Models failed to identify the genes responsible for a particular disorder. In the end they conclude that it is not possible for a single gene to affect a particular disorder rather a group of genes together influence disorders at any point of time. Again, we have another group of scientists led by Sigmund Freud who have attempted to explain the Abnormal psychology using Psychodynamic Model which is arguably one of the earliest theories dealing with psychology and psychological behaviors in human being. Freud has also dealt with different stages of growth and has made an effort to explain how psychological abnormality occurs during different stages of Developments. They also stress the role of Ego, Personality and interpersonal relationships in shaping an individual’s behavior .The Behavioral Model of abnormal Psychology was first introduced by Ivan Pavlov. Pavlov has elaborated that abnormal behavior can be due to factors relating to our Personal experiences in life and also due to environmental reasons especially how we acquire a Particular behavior. We can easily assess that Behavioral Model not free from limitations. Cognitive Model of abnormal psychology believes that we will have to understand the patient’s assumptions, attitude and thought process in order to identify the reasons of an abnormal behavior. They propose that our thought process decides our behavior. Marla took part in a comprehensive consultation and cooperated with the consultant to provide them an insight into her medical condition. The initial questionnaire was helpful for the therapist to reach a starting point for further analysis of her conditions. Marla disclosed to the analyst the length of the condition and also her family history of depression and related symptoms. These disclosures allowed the counselor to rule out the possibility of post traumatic stress disorder and the medical practitioner was able to diagnose Marla with Dysthymic Disorder. Dysthymic Disorder is a persistent disposition of mind characterized by mood swings and it goes along with at least two of the identified symptoms like eating disorders, insomnia, poor self esteem, fatigue, feeling of hopelessness, indecisiveness in making any plans and many more. In the given case Marla has already shown certain common traits of such disorders. For instance she has complained of “trouble sleeping, feeling jumpy all the time, and an inability to concentrate” which makes it very clear that she needs to be diagnosed for Dysthymic Disorder. (Medscape Reference, by Sarah C Langenfeld May 2009). From medical point of view psychological abnormality can be considered as an illness due to malfunctioning of nervous system or part of Brain (Comer, 2008). In Marla’s case as evident she has been suffering for recurring psychological disorders for the last few years as the feeling of hopelessness, depression has been lasting for quite some time. It is important to note that when an individual is suffering from Dysthymic Disorder these symptoms, some of which has already been confirmed by Marla like sleeping disorders, change in eating habits, lower level of self –esteem are common. Also most of the patients suffering from this disorder also face some additional challenges like anxiety disorders or some double depressions. Also frequent relapses and mood swings are common. Interestingly the statistics shows that Dysthymic Disorder mostly affects the range of 3-5% of the overall population of a country. This report is as per the general survey that had been made to arrive at a statistics to analyze the root cause and effect of psychological mal functioning. Also it is worth mentioning that this disrupter of psychological behavior is most common among the women and Marla falls within the particular age group that is commonly affected with psychological imbalances. It is understandable that certain biological factors might also have an effect to cause this condition and it is our effort to analyze some of the factors that are responsible for Dysthymic Disorders amongst women in particular with a special analysis on Marla’s case history. If one tries to explore the cause of Marla’s frequent relapse of Psychological disorders in the light of diagnosed Dysthymic Disorder one would reach at various theoretical and biological factors that are responsible for the occurrence of ‘unipolar depression.’ Marla’s family history as disclosed during clinical tests supports the fact that certain genetic factors and family history of illness are also some of the vital inputs to such depressive behavioral traits. (Comer, 2008). Further lack of proper social support and human touch might be a contributing factor to affect Marla’s mental health. Above all, human interaction has a healing effect on people’s mental and physical developments. For instance human brain is considered as ‘the most social organ.’ When there is a positive human interaction there is a healthy development of brain cells and membranes that leads towards a healthy life style of an individual. Negatively lack of proper social relationship may lead to severe depression. (Cazolino, Louis, “The Neuroscience of human relationships,” 2006). To add more to this there has been growing evidence that this kind of depressive behaviour is common among Hispanic ethnic group that Marla comes from and more so it is very common amongst women population.Hense it can be concluded that the depressive behaviour of Marla could be diagnosed as Dysthymic Disorder. If one has to explore the various treatments that is available for Dysthymia which is a common term for Dysthymic Disorder, the best healing treatment that could perhaps be suggested to be more effective would be a combination of both psychological as well as medicinal help. Some of the basic treatment that is offered to such patients would be cognitive –behavioral therapy which is known as CBT program or intake of anti depressant known as nefazodone or a combination of both. As evident the combination of the two is more effective than the application of any one of the treatment. Positively, there are various psychotherapies that are available today to combat the relapse of psychological disorders. First an evaluation is conducted to check the severity of the condition on the concerned individual as it has been done in Marla’s case. Next the cognitive behavioral therapy is conducted to provide unconditional mental support to the client (in this case Marla). Moreover, therapies are suggested to the patient depending on individual acceptance and mental capabilities of adaption. In the recent time, group therapy has become very popular to effectively address the need of the individual as the client/patient feels more secured in a group environment having other fellow members in a similar situation. In this case it becomes easier for the person to relate to other group members and develop social skills to address and support each other at times of necessity. One can say that the separate objective of each of these approaches might be different; however, the main goal is common. That is, to help the individual to come out of the depression in the most effective manner in order to prevent relapses. The cognitive therapy for example would have the main focus to help the individual to prevent distorted thoughts within one self as well as ones understanding with ‘the rest of the world’. The inter-personal therapy on the other hand would mainly focus to develop inter personal skill and behavior. There is a solution focus treatment that targets a particular cause and arrives at a particular solution to address that need. Sometimes there are various social skill development skill classes that are organized for the particular client/ patient who needs to work on communication skills which would help them to function well in their personal and professional spheres. In the current case study, Marla has explained her concerns and anxiety in the job front as an accountant as she is facing some problems due to her current psychological condition. Hence in this case one can suggest this treatment as well in order to get a customized solution to an individual need. (Grohol, 2008) To conclude it could further be suggested that one of the most effective way to fight and combat any psychological disorder be it acute depression or dysthymic disorder is self help. Human mind has the capacity to self heal –if only one knows how to control it in the right direction. Patients like Marla can be encouraged and supported to develop new skills like cognitive restructuring, skills to cope with changes, social behavioral and anxiety. Also since in Marla’s case there has been a frequent relapse of such symptoms, care should be taken so that the previous treatment that is proved to be in effective should be avoided. Works Cited: 1) National Institute of Mental Health. (2008). “The numbers count: Mental disorders in America”. Web, n.p. Link: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/the- numbers-count-mental-disorders-in-america/index.shtml#Intro. 2) “Fundamentals of Abnormal Psychology” by - Chapter-2 (Comer, 2008). 3) Medscape Reference, “Dysthymic Disorder”, by Sarah C Langenfeld, MD, Rebecca S Lundquist, MD, Brian R Szetela, MD, web, May, 2009. http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/290686-overview. 4) The neuroscience of human relationships: Attachment and the developing social brain. By Cozolino, Louis. New York, NY, US: W W Norton & Co. (2006). X 447 pp. 5) “Dysthymia Treatment “by John M. Grohol, Psy. D.web, July 2011. http://psychcentral.com/lib/2008/dysthymia-treatment/ Read More