Diagnosing Mental Disorders, homework help

Diagnosing mental disorders can be difficult even with the aid of the DSM-5. Despite the determined symptoms for each of the recognized mental disorders, each person’s case is different. For example, a person’s symptoms might not all appear at the same time making diagnosis difficult.

In this assignment you will play the role of clinician and make the most accurate diagnosis possible from the given information. For each scenario, diagnose the individual’s mental disorder. Explain your answer using specific connections between the actions of the individual and the symptom of the disorders

1. If you interacted with Scott briefly, you might think he was normal. However, once he told you about the government’s plot to destroy him and how he was going to be rescued by some alien friends, you would start to suspect that he has a disorder.
2. Matthew, although a good-looking guy, is so preoccupied with what he thinks is his large, unsightly nose that he is unable to realistically evaluate his own looks and often talks with his hands in front of his face. He will likely have plastic surgery on his nose someday.
3. As a boy, Charlie resisted being help and showed no interest in human stimulation. Usually passive, he sometimes played with his wind-up toys but did not respond to his name being called and showed outbursts of temper if someone moved even one of his little cars from where he has placed it.
4. Shannon’s moods seem to swing abruptly, and she often seems unable to control her impulses. She has had many sexual encounters and often complains of boredom, though she is seldom alone and often caught up in very intense, stormy relationships. Her friends are on edge around her because of her Jekyll-Hyde behavior.
5. Emmit, who has just suffered a serious knee injury, cannot undergo an MRI because he has an irrational fear of narrow, enclosed places.
6. Frank awoke this morning and suddenly realized that he had another name and a family in another state. He had no idea how he came to be living his present life.
7. Although Karina was not personally injured in the earthquake, the experience was a terrifying one and her house was badly damaged. She frequently has nightmares about earthquakes, and even when awake, she sometimes gets flashes as if she’s reliving the experience. The slightest noise of movement around her causes her heart to pound rapidly.
8. Roger loves to go to the mall on Saturdays, when it is most crowded, because there are lots of opportunities for him to rub up against women without them knowing it. Few activities make Roger as sexually aroused as this one.
9. Although Elaine is a kind, considerate person, she has trouble making decisions by herself. She leans heavily oh her friends and family for advice, even for seemingly trivial decisions.
10. While teaching her class one day, Theresa suddenly begins to have difficulties breathing. Her heart starts pounding wildly, and she feels weak and dizzy. She feels as if she’s having a heart attack and is honestly afraid she is going to die in the next minute or two. (Please assume that Theresa is not having a heart attack.)
11. Although Jack is enjoying watching the football game, he feels oddly detached, as though he is watching himself and his actions from outside of his own body. Because that has happened several times recently, Jack is startled for fear that he will totally lose control of his thoughts and behavior.
12. Sarah has an unrealistic fear of shopping in crowded stores and walking through crowded streets. She has begun to spend more and more time home alone in order to avoid the panicky feign she gets when she goes out in public.
13. Sam’s friends are starting to worry about him. Normally energetic and fun-loving, Sam has become withdrawn and sullen. He has lost weight, is constantly tires, and hasn’t been showing up to lacrosse practice or to his fraternity meetings. In his conversations with others, he expresses feelings of doubt and unworthiness, and seems to be entertaining suicidal thoughts.
14. Because Amy feels “dirty” a lot of the time, she spends much of her day at the sink, washing and rewashing her hands hundreds of times until they are red and raw.
15. Joan has seen several specialists and undergone numerous diagnostic tests to determine the cause of her recurring headaches and episodes of dizziness. The doctors are perplexed and cannot seem to find a physiological cause for Joan’s symptoms.