CPSY6103 Depressive Case Study

CPSY6103 Depressive Case Study

Use the following case study to answer your Topic of Discussion.

Felicia:

“I know it was a mistake to come here.” For the third time, Felicia got out of her chair and walked to the window. A wiry 5 ft 2 in, this former Marine master sergeant (she had supervised a steno pool) weighed a scant 100 lbs. Through the slats of the Venetian blinds, she peered longingly at freedom in the parking lot below. “I just don’t know whatever made me come.”

“You came because I asked you to,” her clinician explained. “Your nephew called and said you were getting depressed again. It’s just like last time.”

“No, I don’t think so. I was just upset,” she explained patiently. “I just had a little cold for a few days and couldn’t play tennis. I’ll be fine if I can just get back to my little apartment.”

CPSY6103 Depressive Case Study

“Have you been hearing voices or seeing things this time?”

“Well, of course not.” She seemed rather offended. “You might as well ask if I’ve been drinking.”

After her last hospitalization, Felicia had been well for about 10 mis. Although she had taken her medicine for only a few weeks, she had remained active until 3 weeks ago. Then she stopped seeing her friends, refused to play tennis because she “just didn’t enjoy it.” She worried constantly about her health and had been unable to sleep. Although she didn’t complain of decreased appetite, she had lost about 10 lbs.

“Well who wouldn’t have trouble? I’ve just been too tired to get my regular exercise.” She tried to smile, but it came off crooked and forced.

“Miss Parmeter, what about the suicidal thoughts?”

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“I don’t know what you mean.”

“I mean, each time you’ve been here–last year, and 2 years before that–you were admitted because you tried to kill yourself.”

“I’m going to be fine now. Just let me go home.”

But her therapist, whose memory was long, had ordered Felicia held for her own protection in a private room where she could be observed one-on-one.

Sleepless still at 3 am, Felicia got up, smiled wanly at the attendant, and went in to use the bathroom. Looping a strip she had torn from her sweatshirt over the top of the door, she tried to hang herself. As the silence lengthened, the attendant called out softly, then tapped on the door, then opened it and sounded the alarm. The code team responded with no time to spare.

CPSY6103 Depressive Case Study

The following morning, the therapist was back at her bedside. “What led you to attempt suicide, Ms. Parmeter?”

“I didn’t try to do anything. I must have been confused.” She gingerly touched the purple bruises that lined her neck. “This sure hurts. I know I would feel better if you could just let me go home.”

Felicia remained hospitalized for 10 days. Once her sore neck would allow, she began to take her antidepressant medication again. Soon she was sleeping and eating normally, and she made a perfect score on the MMSE. She was released to go home to her apartment and her tennis, still uncertain why everyone had made such a fuss about her.

Questions

In this short synopsis/client case, what are your clinical impressions of the case presented?

What diagnosis do you think best fits

1. Provide quick (bullet points are fine) notes on what symptoms are consistent with the disorder and what helps you rule out the other disorders.

Feel free to share reactions with each other so we can strengthen risk assessment skills and diagnostic skills.