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.