McHugh and Slavney Methods of Reasoning - Case Study Example

McHugh and Slavney Methods of Reasoning Customer Inserts His/Her Name Customer Inserts Grade Course Customer Inserts Tutor’s Name Insert Date Here (Day, Month, Year) In the field of psychiatry, upcoming psychiatrists and students have at least two tasks to accomplish. Firstly they must make themselves familiar with many of the symptoms that show mental disorders among patients and the treatment of the same. At the same time, they should be able to easily grab the implications that may arise while adopting several methods that may involve while explaining about mental disorder. Looking at this concept in view, McHugh and Slaveny formulated four methods of reasoning that make psychiatrists arrive at diagnostic and therapeutic assertions. Many beginners find difficulty regarding which procedures they should adopt to understand mental disorder among the patient-whether they should adhere to the biological or psychodynamic approach towards psychiatric patients but whatever treatment is adopted, the success depends upon the correct diagnose of the problem and then proper treatment be it in the form of medicine or in the form of showing of compassion or gratitude. (McHugh & Slaveny, 4) McHugh and Slaveny fall back on the naturalistic view of health practice allowing for us to understand more on the emotional aspects of mental health problems. Their reasoning to understand the mental health diseases is from perspectives: Diseases Method, Dimensional Method, The Concept of Life Story and the Behavior method. The following essay will describe McHugh and Slaveny’s concepts to understand mental dogmas through the two case studies. For McHugh and Slaveny, these are termed as the perspectives of psychology aiming not at the biological but mental emotional aspect of human being from his life story towards his various behavioral-patterns and his relationship between himself, his family and friends and his surroundings. The Perspectives of Psychology or the Methods of Reasoning To deeply understand the patient and give him proper treatment, it is very imperative to use all the perspectives or methods of reasoning together. From the spheres of the law of the nature and the scientific paradigm, they deduced upon the fact that the ‘method of disease’ is adopted to understand his neurophysiologic functions. The basic assumptions underlying the biological psychiatry are heritability and temperament in the pathogenesis of personality disorder encouraging exploration of biological therapies. Many researchers are making efforts to test the utility of pharmcotherapies for personality disordered patients. These tests were deemed fruitless few decades ago. A more non specific effect on treatment taking into consideration biogenetic advance would probably be made available in the coming years. It would set up the space and make new waves for the treatment evaluations methodological way. (Gunderson, 2635) For the psychologists, ‘The Concept of Life Story’ has its own significance, as the mental disorders are more associated with the emotional stress and several anxiety-ridden problems; listening to the life story of the patients may reveal several layers to the causes that lay behind the patients’ current situation. A certain kind of bond is developed between the patient and practitioner and when it happens, patient never hesitates to reveal that part of his life, all his obsessions and preoccupations as well as his various precarious ways that otherwise he would keep hidden even from his friends and close relatives. When this hidden part of his life is revealed, root cause of the whole mental dilemma a patient is going through comes in front of the psychologists like an image in a mirror and he could better diagnose the problem and prescribe its treatment. In this method assumption can be made of Cognitive Therapy especially person suffering from personality disorder. This treatment is based on formation on certain believes patients carry themselves with which in the natural life is considered odd.. This treatment also shows the fact on the way that how believes get incorporated into the dysfunctional behavior of the patient. As opposed to the depressive disorders and anxiety disorder therapy for personality disorder needs a longer period of time and concentrates on exploring childhood patterns, and even reviving the experiences of childhood. In this aspect it coincides with the psychodynamic therapy. (Beck & Rush, 1854) Second method looks deeply into the mental frame of the patient while depicting his various traits with which he has been living his life all through. It is based on the basic assumption that every human being has different traits which are universal but the way these traits are used that depend on the patient to patient. For McHugh, it is also known as the ‘dimensional method’. Its logic lies in the fact that traits are measured attributes and the patients are more vulnerable in the situation of provocation and distressing cases. This perspective explains various disturbances that occur in mental state and behavior. This method follows on the assumptions like Temperament, Affective Dimensions, and Personality Disorders. This method observes closely on the patient’s temperament which has been deviated to an extreme. Patient find incapable to perform its routine task as he or she is suffering from serious emotional and behavioral problems. (McHugh & Slavney, pg. 127) ‘Behavior method’ is used with personality disorders for showing abnormal behavior of very unusual nature. Patient suffers from extreme emotional anxiety and pains. The therapy is adopted to change maladaptive reactions of persons like aggressiveness in their nature, disturbances in the complexities in their social life, cognitive beliefs and affects. The logic behind the method is that behavior is teleological and can be defined by its drive, intention, purpose and goal. Psychologists have laid the behavior therapy on the basis of learning theory, which is more applicable in the case of patients suffering from learning difficulty or facing inefficiency in social skills. In this method assumptions are that patient is suffering from personality disorder and there are certain maladaptive behaviors. Patients suffer from emotional pain due to the ego syntonic behavior adopted to show regression against the unforgiving world. It is also assumed that patient is suffering from sleeping, pacing here and there or even resorting to self-injury. (Perry & Flannery, 2649) I. First Vignette It was already known fact that 35-year-old man has been suffering from Down syndrome since child hood as his physical attributes reflect the same. This Down syndrome has been biggest cause of his introvert as well as self-reserved nature. Through the life story approach, it was found that patient was very close to his mother and when she died, he could not bear the shock. He withdrew himself into seclusion, often feeling sad and crying, listless, and impolite. He would also find difficulty in sleeping and even could not eat well resulting in deep weight loss. Maximum part of his life was spent with his mother who was his main caretaker, this closeness created deep bond between the two to the extent that when he had to be brought in the foster home, he could not find solace and went into depression. His depression worsened to the extent that one day he took many pills from the box and ate them in bid to kill himself. Caretaker of foster home happened to notice this and brought him to the emergency. Through the life story method, practitioner was able to judge his mental state and agony he had to go through; one as a down syndrome patient and added to it was death of his mother. The story method helps in understanding the human experience, the way problem developed and also shows the way for practical solution to the problem. The patient was also showing depressive disorders and it is assumed that the patient should get anxiety disorder therapy Following the dimensional method, psychologist assumed his temperament nature and through it came to develop the idea that he was always a self reserved man and introvert in nature though polite and courteous but this nature made the matter worsened making him all the more secluded, devastated, sad and weepy. At the foster care home also though he was isolated yet he had always showed politeness in his voice and courtesy towards his caretakers. By looking at the behavior method, patient’s moods and behavior pattern is detected. He would often try to withdraw himself from rest of his friends and social circle and often try to be isolated. He would wake up early in the morning feeling very agitated. He would not eat well and even found difficulty in sleeping. Before he was brought to the hospital, he had tried to kill himself by overdosing pills. From all these symptoms assumptions can be made that they suffer from personality disorder and there are certain maladaptive behaviors. Through the disease method it was found that the condition of patient had been reduced to lower than average cognitive capacity continuum. Hereby it was found that he was more vulnerable than any other ordinary human being. It was also noticed that he was suffering from acute depression resulting in his loss of appetite and considerable reduced weight that could lead to other ailments. Assumption can be made regarding this order that it is heritability and temperament in the pathogenesis of personality disorder. III. Second Vignette Patient here is sixty-year-old retired physician who appeared in the clinic citing the problem of failing memory. Through the disease method it was found that he was suffering from dementia, as his symptoms also suggested so. After thorough examination, it was found that his cognitive level deteriorated further but he was fully conscious. Moreover patient also was suffering from gastritis, pancreatitis and alcohol abuse but these problems might not be attributed to the much recent memory loss. The assumption can be made that he is showing temperament in the pathogenesis of personality disorder. Through the dimensional method it was found that the patient was alcoholic He started drinking when he was at school, though his drinking habit did not affect his studies. He was ambitious and a determined boy which helped him to attain success in school as well as a successful physician. He married woman whom he loved but his low self-esteem would make him feel insecure and anxious at the slightest movement. Even when he did well in the exams, he would show his results always in a state of anxiety. Besides, he would also seek many other abnormal ways to reduce his anxious level. Through observing with the dimensional method it was revealed he was not the person who could easily get succumbed to drinking problem; there was something else he was keeping in his heart that made him alcoholic. He even believed that alcohol would not only give him mental peace but also take him through in all his examinations. Through this we can assume that it is assumed that patient’s temperament and its full knowledge can only make it grow. Through the Life story method approach there was a revelation of a very heart rendering events of his life, which through close scrutiny and peeling showed complete picture that slowly and slowly led to his short memory. His childhood itself was spent in a family where his father himself and his paternal uncle was drunkard. Over and above, he never got affection from his father who was quite often belittling him at every moment. This attitude on part of his father had a deep impact on the psychology of a child who began to feel insecure and always anxious, but nobody took any notice of his changed behavior. But he was fortunate enough that the love he missed from his father he got from his mother who would shower all her affections on him. In school, he would put all his efforts to get good grades and please his father but father would be never satisfied. More and more he tried to make his father satisfied through his results and please him, more and more he would found himself recluse from outside world. He would study alone leaving hardly any time for play or enjoy social life. Whenever there would be exams, he would put himself into extreme pressure. It was at this juncture he took to drinking. He began to have allusion that more he would drink, more he would become socialized and more he had chances to succeed in exams which fortunately for him came out to be true. He continued to study hard and brought laurels academically at both college and medical school and later was accepted in a capacity of surgical residency. Later in his life, he met a nurse whom he found very caring and nurturing like his mother. He married her and in her he found emotional companion who would always encourage him and give him complete support. But his drinking did not stop though he reduced it, as now he was not drinking to overcome his anxiety, as his wife was there to support him. He gave birth to two children to whom he never forced any compulsion to get good marks or whatsoever, as a result they became somewhat less than overall achievers. When he reached the age of 52, his wife met with an accident through which she could not come back alive. After her death, he began to drink more than before as he lost his soul soother and soul companion. Her death made him disillusioned and he became irresponsible towards his work too. He even began to drink before surgeries. This went on for several years and the day arrived when his colleagues persuaded him to take retirement, as now he was not deemed capable enough for his profession. He began to drink even more to get relief from this disgusted state of affairs. Soon he began to suffer from other medical ailments like gastritis and pancreatitis followed by the recent memory failure. To this memory failure, he now wanted to get cured. This approach helped psychologist to better determine the cause and then prescribe adequate treatment and hope for a better future. Psychologists can assume that patient can be given Cognitive Therapy especially those suffering from personality disorder. Through the behavioral approach the behavior patterns of the patient can be understood. Patient became drunkard and only drinks would give him emotional satisfaction. He was craving for emotional love from his parents which he could not get. This was the biggest reason why he adopted drinking. He also loved his wife deeply. He would get devastated when his ego and self-respect would hurt on account of his father’s impertinent attitude towards him. The dichotomous nature of the attitudes of both his mother and father made him more insecure and anxious as a child. His marriage changed his behavior because he had found love he was long craving for. Through this method assumption can be presumed to be from patients suffer from emotional pain due to the ego syntonic behavior adopted to show regression against the unforgiving world. The adoption of the behavior approach enabled psychologists to go into the roots of his problem, which was the emotional vacuity he felt all his life and drinking would fill this emotional vacuity in him. Works Cited Beck, Aaron T. and Rush, A. John “Cognitive Therapy. Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry Harold I. Kaplan and Benjamin J. Sadock, 1995. Cutcliffe, John R. & Ward, Martin F. “Key Debates in Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing”. Elsevier Health Sciences, 2006. Gunderson, John G. “Personality Disorders: Introduction. Treatments of Psychiatric Disorders”, American Psychiatric Association Task Force on Treatments of Psychiatric Disorders. 1989 Lyketsos, Constantine G. “Neuropsychiatry”. Psychosomatics (41), pp 1-4, 2000. McHugh, Paul R. & Slaveny, Philip. R. “The Perspectives of Psychiatry”. Baltimore, Maryland: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998 Perry, J. Christopher and Flannery, Raymond B. “Personality Disorders: Behavior Therapy. Treatments of Psychiatric Disorders” American Psychiatric Association. Task Force on Treatments of Psychiatric Disorders. 1989. Read More