Mental Health Consultation
PSY645 Psychopathology
this assignment, you will take on the role of a mental health professional providing a consultation to a colleague. Your colleague in this case happens to be a licensed clinical psychologist. Carefully review the Fictional Mental Health Consultation Scenario which provides information on your colleague’s patient and specific questions your colleague has posed to you as a consultant. Once you have reviewed the scenario, research a minimum of two peer-reviewed articles in the Library related to the situation(s) presented in the scenario and how these have been approached and treated in previous cases.
Write an Assessment of the patient’s symptoms and presenting problems within the context of at least three theoretical orientation (e.g., cognitive, behavioral, humanistic, biological, sociocultural, evolutionary, psychoanalytic, integrative, etc.). NOTE: Be clear that you are writing about theoretical orientations and using the theoretical orientations to explain the client’s symptoms and presenting problems. Do not use the theoretical orientations to discuss any therapy or treatment approaches. Your application of the theoretical orientations should answer the question: How did this client develop the symptoms and current presenting problems? For example, “Based on the cognitive perspective, how did this client develop the symptoms and current presenting problem?” “Based on the humanisitic perspective, how did this client develop the symptoms and current presenting problem?” Etc. To conclude, justify the use of diagnostic manuals and handbooks besides the DSM-5 that might be used to assess this prospective patient.
The Mental Health Consultation:
Must be two to three double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and must be formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Writing Center Links to an external site..
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Bob’s case was forwarded to me from a colleague who needs to make a provisional
diagnosis. My colleague admitted the patient to the crisis house he works at and a diagnosis is
needed within 24 hours in order for him to continue to stay there. However, my colleague is at a
loss on how to diagnose him due to the lack of information and participation. Therefore, he
forwarded me the information and asked me to Help with the diagnosis. I will do my best to
assess and diagnose the patient with the limited information given.
Patient Background Information
A 38 year old male named Bob appeared at the crisis house late last night. He was not
well groomed and very disordered. He stated repeatedly that “the police are after me” but he
couldn’t explain why they might be looking for him. He was indirect with his speech and
seemed to have an elevated body temperature while obviously being agitated. He mentioned that
“for years” he had been in psychiatric treatment; however, he would not disclose any of his past
diagnoses. He also refused to complete a release of information form so his medical history
couldn’t be accessed. It was explained to Bob that in order for him to receive help, it was
essential to know his medical history. He then went on to scream “you work for the police, don’t
you? I bet you’re a cop”. Due to him being at risk for decompensation, he was allowed to stay
at the crisis house until further notice.
Assessment
Since Bob will not sign a release of information form it can make it difficult to diagnose
him with no access to his medical records. He also will not inform anyone of what his previous
diagnoses are so it is challenging trying to understand what may be going on with him with such
little information.
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Symptoms and Presenting Problems
Based on the information provided about Bob, one of his symptoms include delusions
which can be a sign of a psychotic disorder. He mentioned that “the police are after me” but
couldn’t give a logical explanation as to what would make him believe they were indeed
following him. Of the many types of delusions, he may be experiencing a form of persecution
delusions in which he believes he is “being hounded, followed, or otherwise interfered with”
(Morrison, J., 2014). Other symptoms that he exhibited included increased body temperature,
psychomotor agitation, disordered speech, and he was not groomed. Unfortunately because he
will not complete a release of information form that would disclose his medical records to be
certain of this, there is no way to know for sure if or what psychotic disorder he may suffer from.
Theoretical Orientation. These symptoms displayed are related to one of the four major
schools of psychological therapy. Based on the symptoms and behavior being shown, Bob’s
problems seem to stem from a behavioral approach. According to the text, behavioral approach
theories can be determined by external events and past learning experiences can drive a person’s
present behavior (Bennett, P., 2011). Therefore, with the information presented, it is in my
opinion that Bob had a previous experience with the police which has him experiences delusions
about police being after him.
Other Perspectives and Theoretical Orientations
When looking at Bob’s scenario from an alternate viewpoint, I would say that a psychoanalytic or
cognitive behavioral approach could apply to his case. A psychoanalytic approach “views childhood
trauma and the unconscious as the causes of problems in adulthood” (Bennett, P., 2011). Bob could be
experiencing delusions about cops being after him due to a previous encounter with the police as a child
or young adult, which could be causing some unwanted memories bringing about delusions. Cognitive
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behavioral approaches “assumes that the critical element of psychopathology is inappropriate,
dysfunctional, cognitions” (Bennett, P., 2011). With cognitive approaches, there tend to be a phobia or
phobias in which individuals have troubles getting past them. It is possible for Bob to have a phobia of
police officers in which he has begun to think that everyone is working for the cops or that the cops are
following him around.
Conclusion
The DSM-5 is probably the most frequently used book to diagnose individuals of certain
conditions. Another book that is similar to the DSM-5 that could be used to assess the patient is the
Psychodynamic Diagnostic Manual (PDM). It is a manual that focuses on various treatments and mental
disorders. The PDM is a “collaborative project of Div. 39, the American Psychoanalytic Association, the
International Psychoanalytical Association, the American Academy of Psychoanalysis and the National
Membership Committee on Psychoanalysis in Clinical Social Work” (Packard, E., 2007). Both the DSM5 and the PDM could Help with assessing this patient to discuss and discover and diagnosis he may have.
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References
Bennett, P. (2011). Abnormal and clinical psychology : An introductory textbook (3rd ed.).
Berkshire, England: Open University Press. Retrieved from http://www.ebrary.com
Morrison, J. (2014). DSM-5 made easy: The clinician’s guide to diagnosis. New York, NY: The
Guilford Press. Retrieved from https://redshelf.com
Packard, E. (2007, January). A new tool for psychotherapists. Retrieved March 9, 2020, from
https://www.apa.org/monitor/jan07/tool
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