Handout 14-F
Diagnosing Disorders
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Instructions: For each of the following cases, first identifythe general category of each disorder (e.g., anxiety disorder, mooddisorder, personality disorder, dissociative disorder,schizophrenia), and then indicate what the specific diagnosis wouldbe.
Reggie is a college freshman who has registered for fourclasses, but cannot get himself up and out of bed to go to any ofthem. He feels like a complete failure. He believes he is toostupid to get a college degree, but he does not want to disappointhis family by letting them see what a loser he is. Instead, he juststays in bed all day with the shades drawn. He doesn’t even haveenough energy to make himself something to eat, so he is rapidlylosing weight.
Disorder:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Specificdiagnosis:
Anastasia, well-prepared for a scheduled quiz, is getting readyto leave her dorm and walk to one of her classes, when she suddenlybreaks out in a cold sweat and becomes weak and shaky. She realizesher heart is racing, and is afraid she might be having a heartattack.
Category:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Specificdiagnosis:
Naseem reads the book “Lolita†and suddenly starts havingnightmares and flashbacks about her own sexual abuse as achild.
Category:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Specificdiagnosis:
Fourteen-year-old Jarrod has been getting in trouble ever sincehe was a small child. He has been a petty thief since the age ofnine, has been drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana since he wastwelve and now goes to school only long enough to bully otherstudents and steal their lunch money.
Category:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Specificdiagnosis:
Walking home after work one night, Gina chanced upon a drug dealturning sour. Guns were drawn and shots were fired. She heard theexplosions and the whiz of bullets, saw a man fall bleeding to theground, and watched a car race away with squealing tires. She wasso shaken after this incident that she quit her job so that shewould not have to go to that section of town. She refused to takeanother night job because she did not want to go out at night.Finally, she found that she could not bear the idea of getting anyjob because she did not feel safe leaving her apartment at all.
Category:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Specificdiagnosis:
Handout 14-F (Continued)
Rafael, one of your new college dorm mates, appeared to be veryshy and withdrawn at the beginning of the semester. He seemed sadand lonely but kept to himself and he seemed also to spend a lot oftime sleeping. Now, suddenly, he has been transformed. He is thelife of the party, carousing all night then dashing off to hisclasses, with no need at all for sleep. He claims to have a systemfor “aceing†his classes without doing any studying, but is notable to give any coherent explanation of his system.
Category:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Specificdiagnosis:
You are walking downtown one day, when you see a homeless mansitting on the street with a cup next to him and a sign that says,“I’m Joe. I’m homeless and hungry. Please help.†You put some coinsin his cup and continue on your way. Several weeks later, at thesame location, you see a man that looks like Joe, but younger andmore energetic, hurrying up and down the block saying, “I’m Henryand I’ve been saved. Bless the Lord. Thank you, Jesus.†You realizeit is the same man you saw before, but even his voice soundsdifferent.
Category:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Specificdiagnosis:
Sitting in a hospital emergency room to have a cut on your handstitched, you see a wild, disheveled looking man shoutingdisjointed words and phrases like, “I am the king…the Lord…. Amen….Women…. Sex….sextets….sextuplets….â€
Category:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Specificdiagnosis:
One of your friends is consistently late for every class, everyappointment, even every social get-together, because he cannotleave home without taking an hour-long shower, washing his handsten times, changing his shirt three times, and locking, unlocking,and relocking the door five times.
Category:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Specificdiagnosis:
Michael is just a mass of symptoms and complaints. Ask him howhe is, and he will describe unbearable pain in various parts of hisbody. He can show you small bruises that he is sure will prove tobe cancerous. He will cough lightly and ask if he could possiblyhave developed lung cancer by inhaling second-hand smoke. He willwonder if you’ve heard anything about this strange new symptom heseems to have whenever he drinks fluids of any sort.
Category:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Specificdiagnosis:
