Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Scenario 1
Crystal is a 48-year-old woman from a large city. She lives in a resource-constrained area with marked levels of continuous gang violence and inadequate social services, such as insufficient policing. At the time of treatment, she is married with two school-age children. Crystal was referred for treatment after witnessing a gang-related killing of a 23-year-old male in front of her house. Crystal reported that she knew the young man who was shot, as he lived in the same neighborhood as Crystal. Since the event, Crystal has been feeling scared and does not want to leave her house. She has also felt anger and shame for not having the courage to prevent the shooting. She avoided talking about the event and could not walk past or look at the location of the killing, which was near her front gate. She has had trouble concentrating and sleeping, so she took an over-the-counter sleep aid to help her fall asleep at night. In addition, Crystal described that she struggled to understand why people could be so cruel to each other and reported distress related to her marriage. On assessment, Crystal reported only verbal and emotional abuse, but it later became apparent that she had also experienced physical abuse in her marriage. Crystal is also going through an intake after being arrested for drug possession.
Primary Diagnosis:
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). DSM-5 300.02, ICD-10 (F41.1)
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). DSM-5 309.81, ICD-10 (F43.10)
Relationship Distress with Spouse or Intimate Partner. DSM-5 V61.10, ICD-10 (Z63.0)
Assume you are a human services professional working at a psychological treatment center in a local correctional facility.
Your team meets weekly to review the clients and share perspectives to ensure appropriate care is being given. Since this will be your first meeting, your supervisor has asked you to prepare a summary of the client in the selected case, including theoretical perspectives and research regarding the client’s disorder. You will share this summary with your teammates in the meeting.
Write a 700 word summary of the symptomology presented by the client in which you:
Explain the behavioral symptoms presented by the client.
Explain how the behavioral symptoms exhibited by the client are either typical or atypical with the provided diagnosis, based on your research.
Describe the client’s diagnosis through the lens of 2 theoretical perspectives. Include details to explain how the theoretical perspectives provide a deeper understanding of the behavioral symptoms and possible causes.
If necessary details are missing from the case study, fill in the gaps with information for your research.
Sample Solution
Summary of Client Case
Client: Crystal, 48-year-old woman Primary Diagnosis: Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Relationship Distress with Spouse or Intimate Partner
Behavioral Symptoms
- Anxiety: Crystal reported feeling scared and anxious, especially since witnessing the gang-related killing. She had difficulty concentrating and sleeping, and she took an over-the-counter sleep aid to help her fall asleep at night.
Full Answer Section
- Avoidance: Crystal avoided talking about the killing and could not walk past or look at the location of the killing. This avoidance behavior is typical of PTSD.
- Hypervigilance: Crystal was hypervigilant and on edge, expecting that something bad could happen at any time. This is another common symptom of PTSD.
- Anger and shame: Crystal also felt anger and shame for not having the courage to prevent the shooting. These emotions are common in people who have witnessed violence.
- Relationship distress: Crystal reported that she struggled to understand why people could be so cruel to each other and reported distress related to her marriage. This relationship distress is likely related to the trauma she has experienced, as well as the physical and emotional abuse she has endured in her relationship.