Practicum Journal: Patient history

Practicum Journal
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Patient description
Patient history
P.M. is a 42-years old Hispanic male with depression and stress. The patient reports that he has lost interest in activities he once enjoyed, and he finds challenges thinking, concentrating, and making decisions. P.M. records that he has been struggling with depression and Acute Stress Disorder (ASD) for the last three months and that the conditions are getting out of control. The patient reports not being on medication for the last four months, but he wants to start using drugs. Previously, P.M. has used different types of medicines, which include Abilify, Aplenzin, and Sinequan. P.M. records to have been physically and emotionally abused by his father when he was a child. P.M. claims to have been sexually assaulted severally by a close family member.
P.M. explains that he has been married for twelve years, and they have three children. He explains having financial strains since he does not work and that his wife has been providing for the family while he stays with the children at home. P.M. clarifies that the lack of finances forced him to stop using medicines, which has made his condition worse. P.M. indicated that he has been drinking alcohol and smoking. He indicates that his sleep patterns have been disrupted and denies the use of illegal substances and no suicidal thoughts.
Patient Medications
The medication list includes Abilify 10mg tablet; he takes one tablet orally per day. He takes Aplenzin 348mg once daily as directed by the physician, Citalopram 40mg orally taken once every day. He used sertraline 50mg administered orally once a day, and Sinequan 100mg taken orally every day.
DSM-5 explanation and justification
Trauma is examined as the response to disturbing events that overwhelms a person's potential to deal with different types of emotions and experiences. It is critical to note that after experiencing a traumatic situation such as abuse, the victims may develop fears that can trigger split-second changes which help the body in defending itself from possible danger. Although people can recover naturally after trauma, some people can continue experiencing fear and may be diagnosed with Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The extreme stressful events are often stored in the brain, and people may experience triggers that would cause flashbacks of the traumatic memories (Wheeler, 2014). DSM-5 asserts that to diagnose an individual with PTSD, there should be a trigger that causes the flashbacks about undesirable instances such as sexual assault, serious injury, and direct exposure to death threatening experiences.
P.M. reports being sexually assaulted by a close family member during his childhood. Additionally, P.M. was also physically and emotionally abused by his father. DSM-5 provides different diagnostic criteria for PSTD; criterion A of DSM-5 asserts that people exposed to threatening sexual violation can be diagnosed with PTSD (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Violence and mistreatment of children by adults may have adverse implications among the victims during adulthood (Moffitt & Think Tank, 2013). Additionally, children who have been assaulted may experience brain circuitry changes as a result of...