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5 pages/β‰ˆ1375 words
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Check Instructions
Style:
APA
Subject:
Psychology
Type:
Essay
Language:
English (U.S.)
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Topic:

Case Study: Thoughts about Best Diagnosis

Essay Instructions:

Overview:
Diagnosing can be difficult because people rarely look exactly the way they do in the
DSM-5. The following case is about a 31-year old man who has many symptoms
common in a disorder discussed this term. Please read the case and answer the
questions to illustrate that you understand how to recognize and apply diagnostic
criteria to a person and can offer possible treatments that might be available to him.
Instructions:
Read the following case study:
Marco is a 31-year-old male who is a marketing executive for a large
fortune 500 marketing firm. His job allows him the flexibility to work from home,
but he also has the option of working with his team, in person, when he can.
Marco started feeling sad about seven months ago. Along with a persistent
feeling of what he calls “blah.. everything seems dull and uninteresting,” he finds
himself as frequently irritable (at even the smallest things) and sensitive to bright
colors and loud noises.
Marco reports negative thoughts about himself, including the idea that he
“isn’t smart enough” for this company and other people are going to realize that
he is an “imposter.” He feels great guilt over taking such a large paycheck,
especially because he does not feel entitled to work there. He has started
second-guessing his previous work and cannot believe that others would be
fooled by such “amateur ideas.” A recurrent thought is that his boss is going to
finally realize that they made a mistake in hiring him and will instantly get rid of
him.
Because of these thoughts and feelings of constant fatigue, Marco
complains that he no longer has the motivation to do the things that he used to
like to do and finds difficulty sustaining motivation through his work tasks. Marco
complains that the “days are too long” as he has no trouble falling asleep but
awakens hours before he has to get up, oftentimes complaining that he cannot
“turn off” his thoughts when he awakens. Instead of work, he plays video games
most of the day to block out the negative monologue in his head, and even that is becoming “boring” to him. To add insult to injury, playing video games all the time
makes him feel “like a loser.” He reports his appetite as “OK”, though he also
laments the fact that his clothes don’t fit because he has lost 10lbs over the past
month.
Marco smokes half a pack of cigarettes a day and does not exercise. He
has friends but has taken to the habit of turning down his friends’ requests that
he go out with them. In this, he has become quite isolated over the past seven
months. He does not even take walks, an activity that used to bring him joy. He
has become quite isolated.
Marco has a history of thyroid disorder. He also reports a family history of
psychological disturbance- specifically two aunts who suffered from bipolar
disorder many years ago. One of them, he reports, committed suicide.
Answer the following questions in 5 pages:
• What are your thoughts regarding the best diagnosis to give Marco?
• What symptoms and aspects of his thoughts, feelings, and behaviors do you
focus on to illustrate the logic of your diagnosis (be very specific)?
• Discuss some biopsychosocial and sociocultural considerations (at least one
from each category) that might be important for understanding Marco.
• Recommend a treatment that you believe would be most effective in helping him
through this difficult time. Would your chosen treatment be to address the
biological, psychological or social/sociocultural (or some combination of these
elements)? Explain.
• Find and read at least one peer-reviewed scholarly article that discusses
effectiveness in treating this type of problem. Discuss how this treatment might
help Marco.
Requirements:
• Submit a Word document in APA format.
• Five pages in length, excluding the Title and Reference pages.
• At least one peer-reviewed scholarly article that discusses effectiveness in
treating this type of problem.

(Note: do not just list the name of the article but discuss a little of the article
in the answer, including what type of treatment and how it works.)

Essay Sample Content Preview:

Case Study Analysis
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Case Study Analysis
Thoughts about Best Diagnosis
A diagnostic criterion is critical in addressing psychological issues that are common in society. In my opinion, Marco suffers from low-self esteem issues based on his low confidence level and feelings of worthlessness. In the case, the victim has self-doubts about himself that can influence his overall wellbeing. Self-esteem draws on the beliefs that people have about themselves and their progress in life. In the case study, Marco has negative thoughts about himself, including the perception that he is not smart enough to work at the Fortune 500 marketing firm. For that reason, he feels guilt for taking a large paycheck, especially now that he doubts his qualifications to work at the organization. Therefore, Marco finds it difficult to deal with self-esteem issues. He is demoralized about his position at the workplace, which affects his self-esteem. Although low self-esteem is a common disorder, cognitive behavioral therapy can be an effective treatment to help the victims improve their wellbeing.
Marco needed to seek assistance regarding his negative perceptions and major depressive disorder. Notably, the victim portrayed symptoms of loss of interest, low mood, and feelings of worthlessness. In the case, it is possible that Marco had negative beliefs about himself and, thus, being subthreshold for negative life experience. He was mindful of his appearance to others, thus making him avoidant of situations at the workplace. According to Keane and Loades (2017), the behavior is likely to have resulted from low self-esteem and depression. Therefore, Marco had met the criteria of low self-esteem, which made him feel worthless. For that reason, he was susceptible to suffer from further feelings of depression and anxiety. Therefore, the best diagnosis for Marco would be low self-esteem and depressive conditions.
The symptoms and aspects of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors for the diagnosis
Marco portrayed aspects of behaviors, thoughts, and feelings that illustrate the logic of suffering from low self-esteem issues. Prolonged feelings of low self-esteem can result in negative implications on an individual’s quality of life. As a result, the victim can suffer from more severe issues, such as feelings of hopelessness or depression (Keane & Loades, 2017). The fact that Marco had started second-guessing his work is a clear indicator that other people would not be intimidated by other people’s amateur ideas. In this case, the victim reported having difficulties sustaining motivation in the various tasks. As a result, he preferred playing video games during working hours, which is a clear indicator that he suffered from self-esteem issues. The behaviors could have influenced him to indulge in the abuse of drugs, such as smoking cigarettes.
Self-esteem issues can affect an individual’s happiness and restrain them from living a life they deserve. In the case study, Marco reported feeling sad while everything to him seems uninteresting and dull. For that reason, the victim is sensitive to even the smallest things and highly sensitive to loud noise and bright color. Equally, Marco has ne...
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