Developmental Psychopathology Assignment: Johnny Case Study

Developmental Psychopathology Case Study Essay
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November 27, 2016
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The DSM-5 Parent/Guardian Level 1 Cross-cutting Symptom Measure is designed to evaluate the mental and psychological health of a patient, in a more holistic manner than “traditional categorical schema” by other tests (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Each of the items in the 25-point questionnaire is designed “to give clinicians quantitative ratings that characterize patients in a way that is simple, useful, and clinically meaningful” (Berry, Heaton, & Kelton, 2011). More particularly, the higher the patient score is per item, the greater the frequency and the severity of that particular symptom is (Clarke & Kuhl, 2014), thus giving the clinician an idea if further treatment is still needed. However, Narrow, et al. (2013), noted that using this approach merely as “screeners” would defeat the primary purpose of using these evaluative measures.
The Case of Johnny
Johnny’s DSM-5 CC results, showed that the domain for Inattention (III) has a score of 3 (present and moderate), while Anger (V) and Irritability (VI) both gave the result of 2 (present but mild). These results show weak associations with any serious psychological problem, because irritation, anger, and irritability are very common among children of ages 6-17. Aside from this, other factors should be taken into consideration such as culture in assessing these variables, and planning further treatment once found positive for any psychological problems (Ortega & Garner, 2016). However, I believe that it would still be best to conduct a follow-up assessment after a week to determine if these symptoms persist since both of these three domains have crossed the “threshold for further inquiry” (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).
Based on these results, it is most possible that Johnny has Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD) if irritability lasts for an extended period. Despite a child’s inherent irritable nature, the persistent and chronic occurrence of tantrums is a most likely suspect for DMDD (Copeland, Angold, Costello, & Egger, 2013). As...