PANGILINAN, Trish Lovill P.

PSY4B

CASE STUDY

Assignment Module 4: anxiety disorders

Below are case studies of two different anxiety disorders.

Read each case study. Identify the disorder. What are the symptoms based on the
story? What are the criteria of the disorder? If you are a psychologist what treatment/
intervention can you give for that kind of disorder?

Case No.1

“First time it happened to me, I was driving down the highway and I had a kind of a knot
in my chest. It felt like I had swallowed something and it got stuck, and it lasted pretty
much overnight… I felt like I was having a heart attack… I assumed that’s what was
happening. I felt very panicky. A flushed feeling came over my whole body. I felt as
though I was going to pass out.”

For case no. 1, the disorder is a Panic disorder because based on the case
above, it was stated that he felt a kind of a knot in his chest, a feeling like he was
having a heart attack and felt a flushed feeling all over his body—these are the
symptoms that we consider acute discomfort through physical symptoms. For
diagnostic criteria, he felt the feeling of choking, chest pain or discomfort, the feeling
like he’s going to faint or pass out If I’m a psychologist, the treatment or intervention
that I could offer is the cognitive behavioral therapy because this will help the patient to
overcome negative thinking patterns that could possibly cause panic disorder. To be
specific, what I can highly consider as best intervention is the Desensitization to unlearn
your fear and take on new ways of thinking and behaving.

Case No. 2

Mrs. Betty Cruz and her 4 children arrived at a farm to visit a friend. (Mr. Cruz was at
work). Jeff, the oldest child, was 8 years old, Marcie, Cathy, and Susan were 6, 4, and 2
years of age. Mrs. Cruz parked the car in the drive way, and they all started across the
yard to the front door. Suddenly Jeff hears growling somewhere near the house. Before
he could warn the others, a large German shepherd charged and leapt at Marcie, the 6
year old, knocking her to the ground and tearing viciously at her face. The family, too
stunned to move, watched the attack helplessly.

After what seemed like eternity, Jeff lunged at the dog and it moved away. The owner of
the dog, in a state of panic, run to a nearby house to get help. Mrs. Cruz immediately
put pressure on Marcie’s facial wounds in an attempt

to stop the bleeding. The owner had neglected to retrieve the dog and it stood a short
distance away, growling and barking at the frightened family. Eventually, the dog was
restrained and Marcie was rushed to the hospital. Marcie, who was hysterical had to be
restrained on a paddle board so that emergency room physicians could stitch her
wound.

For case no. 2, this could cause Marcie to have PTSD or Post-Traumatic Stress
Disorder because Marcie, being a dog attack victim, is exposed to a traumatic event of
her life that caused injury to her. Since Marcie is a 6-year old child, there is a strong
possibility that she’ll experience flashbacks as of what happened by either remembering
or nightmares. For the criteria for this disorder, this should have an exposure to actual
or threatened death, serious injury because she directly experienced the traumatic
scenario. Apart from this, Jeff, could develop PTSD as well as he witnessed the
traumatic scenario with his sibling. Other criteria for PTSD are: Recurrent, involuntary
and intrusive distressing memories of the traumatic event(s). Note: In young children,
repetitive play may occur in which themes or aspects of the traumatic event(s) are
expressed; Dissociate reactions, Persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with the
traumatic event(s), Negative alterations in cognitions and mood associated with the
traumatic event(s), Marked alterations in arousal and reactivity associated with the
traumatic event(s), beginning or worsening after the traumatic event(s) occurred, as
evidenced by two (or more), Sleep disturbance. If I am a psychologist, what I can highly
suggest to Marcie and Jeff is to face their trauma through Cognitive Therapy to correct
their negative assumptions about the trauma.