Running head: MENTAL DISORDERS 1

Mental Disorders

[Full Name]

[Institutional Affiliation]

MENTAL DISORDERS 2

Mental Disorders

Case Study 1

Michael is suffering from an adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressive

mood. When initially making a diagnosis, the key aspects one must observe are the cause of

the disorder and the symptoms associated with this disorder (Psychiatric disorders, n.d).

Michaels disorder began when he had just entered a new educational environment. The

cause of this disorder appears to be his confrontation or uneasiness with his peers, which led

him to spending time alone. Michaels suspicion of murder plots against him could be

attributed to anxiety after confrontation with his peers. This could also be a sign of

depression, as his feelings about his confrontation with his friends are exaggerated and

processed in his sub conscious mind as a plot to kill him. Mood disorders, which are a sign of

depression, are also present in Michaels behavior as he is moody, irritable and sometimes

abusive. Michael is also a drug user, however, this was ruled out as a cause of his problems,

hence, it can be viewed as a symptom of his condition.

Nothing drastic is mentioned about Michaels physical appearance though signs of

self neglect are clearly visible in his reckless driving. Michaels attitude is suspicious and

sometimes aggressive as mentioned by his parents. Michael is said to appear restless as if on

a mission, this is a sign of psychomotor agitation. He appears to have an angry mood with an

exaggerated affect. Michaels thought content is delusional as he talks to himself and

mentions events of people plotting to kill him.

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In addition, this is a sign of a perceptional disturbance known as hallucination. He currently

has a very low cognitive level, which is evidenced in his poor performance in his studies.

As the suspected cause of Michaels mental disorder is his conflict with his peers,

closer analysis should be undertaken as to what actually started the conflict. Michael received

no psychological assistance after his uneasiness with his peers, which caused him to be more

conservative and spend time alone. As Michael is engaging in drug abuse, and driving

recklessly, one psychological aspect that needs to be assessed is family history and suicide.

Michaels current status makes him potentially suicidal. Family history of drug abuse should

be assessed. Rehabilitation could help Michael alleviate his drug problem. Mental health

history in Michaels family could help give an insight on his condition, and how previous

cases in his family were handled.

As Michael is of Sudanese ethnicity, how his peers relate to him because of his race

needs to be taken into consideration. The psychiatrist needs to consider Michaels family

traditions and cultural background in order to avoid ethnic bias. Religious beliefs need to also

be analyzed on whether or not the family believes in God. Do they believe in supernatural

forces? Do they indulge in certain rituals for treatment of various disorders? These are all

questions that need to be answered. In addition, the psychiatrist needs t assess how Michael

feels about being a minority and whether or not he feels like an outsider. The psychiatrist

may also assess Michaels history in terms of his relationship with his peers and whether or

not this uneasiness has occurred before.

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Case study 2

Ms Boon is suffering from post traumatic stress disorder following her traumatic childhood

and the constant abuse she received from her stepfather. She is suffering from the chronic

state of this disease as throughout her life she has shown signs and symptoms of traumatic

disorder. She is reported to have attempted suicide twice in the past two years. She is also

reported to have run away from home and engaged in numerous relationships with violent

men, which could also be the etiology of her traumatic disorder. She is also suffering from a

personality disorder as she engages in self mutilation and is said to be verbally abusive at

times. She also has a low sense of self as she feels annihilated, self hatred, disparity and guilt.

Ms Boon has 2 young children and I feel this is a major area of concern as they are at

risk of suffering from post traumatic disorders due to the life they live with their mother. The

relationship between the children and the mother should also be assessed and a mental status

evaluation must be performed on the children. Detailed analysis should be conducted on the

precise events that led Ms Boon to attempt suicide the previous two times. An analysis should

also be made to see if Ms Boon is fit to be in the company of young children and whether or

not the childrens lives are at risk. Ms Boons relationship with other members of her family

should also be analyzed. Her Centre link benefits should be evaluated to see they are

sufficient to take care of her family. Her psychotherapy history should also be analyzed.

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Ms Boons therapy should start by assessing issues that occurred in her childhood as they are

the cause of her disorder. Firstly, Ms Boon should be educated about the traumatic events that

occurred in her childhood. She must be made aware of the amount of situations similar to

hers so that she does not feel like she is the only person who went through such trauma. If

possible she can be introduced to other individuals who suffered from the same situation and

they could help each other and discuss different methods of handling their trauma.

As people who have gone through the same pain can empathize with Ms. Boon, they

can serve as a support group as Ms. Boon seems to be lacking this in her life. The therapy

could also aid her in reconnecting with her family, and maybe forgiving her stepfather for the

pain he caused her. As she has many negative emotions about herself and her life, cognitive

behavioral therapy could assist her in building self confidence. These emotions can be

substituted with positive thoughts, which include the fact that she was able to go through so

much pain and managed to run away at such a young age and overcome all the obstacles she

faced. In addition, she has two children which could serve as a source of joy and hope in her

life. They could also give her a reason to live as she can create a life for them that she

personally was unable to live. The psychiatrist must exercise a great deal of patience with

Ms. Boon as she has undergone many tragedies throughout her life.

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Case study 3

As Simon is an Aborigine, his ethnicity and cultural beliefs are key in his treatment

method. The symptoms he expresses of hearing voices and being visited by spirits of his

dead parents are a sign that he has certain cultural beliefs that differ from those of the west.

As Simon appears to be suffering from depression, the western ideologies of treating this

disorder differ to those of the Aborigines The actual cause of Simons condition must be

diagnosed as people of this culture are reported to undergo numerous cases child abuse in

their youth, Simon should be evaluated on the traumas he went through in his childhood and

throughout his life. In additions, due to colonization aborigines go through a lot of hate and

discrimination. Simon might have experienced numerous societal oppression and neglect,

which should also be taken into consideration when evaluating him. Family history is also

another factor in Simons situations. Aborigines have a history of being separated from their

families. A similar situation I Simons past could have also influenced his current mental

status.

Due to different cultural beliefs, Simons treatment history is also an area that needs

evaluation as he could have undergone several rituals. These rituals in turn may not be the

appropriate mode of treatment and may have even worsened his mental condition. Specific

cultural illnesses exist in different societies hence the psychiatrist should take into

consideration Simons cultural beliefs as some might also aid in the mode of treatment. In

addition, Simons personal beliefs should be examined as they are key in his treatment. His

relationship with his extended family should also be evaluated in order to gain insight on how

they relate to him and help him in his recovery.

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The ideal mode of treatment for Simon would be a combination of western

psychological treatment and his own cultural remedies.

Case study 4

This paper evaluates societys interrelation with women who suffer from various

mental disorders. These also include disorders in emotions and behavior. The way women are

treated in society and its link to medicinal practice gives a broad perspective on the viewpoint

of a social worker. In the past, women with mental health illness have always been described

less favorably than their male counterparts. Even healthy women were described as inferior

to healthy males. They were always described as dependent and subjective. Women have

always been observed to be weak and too connected. These characteristics of woman

however, have now been found to be attributes to their way of life. As women lead different

lifestyles to men, their reasoning and emotions are also different. A woman who tries to

avoid her female qualities and chooses to adapt those of men puts herself at risk of various

mental disorders. In past this was not fully understood, which led to the false impression that

woman were inferior to men due to their emotional attributes.

Women were previously excluded from drug trials and clinical research. This however

has been changed as research on women allows scientists to understand womens

psychopharmacology, which in turn helps when particular diagnoses are made for women.

Women in the mental health system have also been victims of diagnosis and labeling with

diagnostic classifications being sexist and biased. Women have also gone through a lot of job

discrimination due to their mental and biological differences to men.

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Professionals should treat women as equals to man and at the same time facilitate for

their different emotional and biological characteristics. They should learn from the

shortcoming of psychiatry in the past. There are some disorders which are more common in

women than in men and they could be thoroughly researched without any gender

discrimination. Professionals could keep records of every female patient and use these in

building the confidence of their current female patients. As women were previously

mistreated, they should be allowed greater treatment options.

More women should be incorporated mental health system, and bias should be

avoided in the employment process. They should also receive a fair chance at the leadership

roles in this field. More programs should be initiated that cater for womens unique needs and

new treatment schemes should be specifically created for women. More research should also

be funded on understanding the needs of the different subcategories of women, for example,

grandmothers, lesbians, and so on. More efforts should be undertaken in the fight for gender

equality in families. The family is the first place where societal values are built; instilling

values at this stage would gradually change the view point of society. In drug trials women of

all ages should be considered and evaluated as women undergo more diverse situations than

men, for example, child birth and menopause. As women have a more complicated hormonal

cycle than men, the drug effects on different hormones and on the menstrual cycle. Hormone

replacement can also be researched.

Research on women in the mental health system is currently at its highest levels. More

women are being in cooperated into the system and efforts have to be made to assist them and

held fight gender discrimination. Female victims should receive full support and assistance

from the society.

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References

Horwitz, A. & Wakefield, J. 2007. The concept of Depressin, in the loss of sadness. How

Psychiatric transformed normal sorrow into depressive disorder. Oxford University

Press, UK pp. 3-14

Mendelson, G & Jablensky, A (2001), What does psychiatry encompass?

Mental health (n.d) Retrieved from

http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/Mental+Health+and+

Wellbeing-1

Singh, BS & Kirkby, K (2001) The psychiatric interview, mental state examination and

formulation

Psychiatric disorders. (n.d) Retrieved from

http://allpsych.com/disorders/adjustment/index.html

Vicary, D & Westerman (2004), Thats just the way he is: Some implications of Aboriginal

mental health beliefs.

Westerman, T (2004), Engagement of Indigenous clients in mental health services: What role

do cultural differences play?.