Part 1 :

Case 1: Kristin
Symptoms:

Excessive worry about her family

Trouble concentrating on studies
Complaints of various physical problems
Sudden, unexplained attacks of fear
Heart racing, chest pains, sweating, nausea, dizziness
Medical exam found heart to be fine
Diagnosis: Panic Disorder

Rationale:
Kristin has sudden, very great fear with associated physical symptoms of panic attack: racing
heartbeat, chest pains, sweating, nausea, and dizziness. Thus, they are sudden panic attacks
with no previous history or concern for undervalued medical conditions. Also, her excessive
worrying about her family and concentration difficulties may point toward some underlying
anxiety disorder, but the primary diagnostic feature is that of panic attacks.

Case 2: Shelby
Symptoms:

Rigid bedtime routine

Spends exactly one hour daily writing, in detail, all the daily events
Picks hair and lint off the bed, folds the sheets "just right"
Spends 10 to 30 minutes brushing and flossing teeth
Calls out to each family member, must have responses to be able to sleep
Repeats above "call out" ritual if she happens to wake up in the middle of the night
Diagnosis: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Rationale:
Shelby's very rigid bedtime routine, with all the specifics and rituals to be conducted, like
checking on family members, is indicative of obsessive-compulsive behavior. The excessive
amount of time it consumes and the distress and disruption it causes are that which defines
OCD.

Case 3: Carl
Symptoms:

Experiencing blackouts over the past six months

First blackout after experiencing severe personal and professional stress
Doesn't remember what happens or what occurs during blackouts
"Comes to" in different locations
Diagnosis: Dissociative Amnesia

Rationale:
Clearly, Carl's blackouts, especially after a traumatic event, and an inability to remember
anything about such periods clearly point toward dissociative amnesia. The stress of his wife's
affair and insistence on divorce probably actuated this dissociative reaction. The recurrent
blackouts point to a chronic dissociative condition.

Case 4: Lyndsi
Symptoms:

Found attempting to cut wrists with a plastic knife

Rocking back and forth, nonresponsive
Screamed about "people in the hamburgers" telling her to cut
Continued to talk about "them"
Diagnosis: Schizophrenia

Rationale:
Lyndsi presented with some auditory hallucinations ("people in the hamburgers"), delusional
thoughts, and suicidal behavior, which are some features of schizophrenia. Her
non-responsiveness, her agitation, led to a diagnosis of a severe psychotic disorder, although
schizophrenia was the most likely.

Case 5: Becky
Symptoms:

Running naked through the park, feeling "good to be free"

Combative when police approached her
Excitable but pleasant
Feeling "great" for two weeks, after two weeks of being down; Diagnosis: Bipolar Disorder
(Manic Episode)

Rationale:
Becky expresses an extremely elated behavior, euphoria, and other erratic actions like running
naked and combative behavior that point out a manic episode. This is coupled with a history of
feeling down followed by a sudden period of elated mood thus meeting the criteria for bipolar
disorder. The sudden shift in mood and behavior is typical of manic episodes.

Part 2:
1.

Benefits:

Clearness and Communication: Diagnostic labels provide a clear, common language through
which mental health professionals convey the condition to a patient. This would ensure that
everyone knows what kind of disorder is in question and hence can plan effective treatment and
coordinate care.

Guidance for Treatment: Labels facilitate the identification of the most appropriate and
evidence-based treatment options. For instance, knowing that a patient actually has a major
depressive disorder will facilitate focusing on a more specialized level, say, on antidepressants
and cognitive-behavioral therapy.

Validation and Understanding: For many, diagnosis provides an element of confirmation or

empowerment of one's experiences. In most cases, it allows them to make sense that their
symptoms are the result of something identifiable, hence helping to reduce feelings of isolation
and stigma.

Disadvantages:

Stigmatization: Diagnostic labels perpetrate stigmatization and discrimination. This is whereby,

in some cases, people are judged or treated differently based on the nature of the condition they
have been diagnosed with, affecting personal and professional life.

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: Sometimes, the labeling of mental disorder provides the client with an
ascribed identity internalized by the individual, culminating in effects on self-esteem and
consequent behavior. This fulfils the prophecy in a self-supporting cycle where he starts living
by the expectations of others under the label attached.

Oversimplification: A diagnostic label oversimplifies the complexity of the mental condition. All
individuals who experience a disorder do so differently, and no label would ever be able enough
to account for all the fine lines of a condition; hence, it may amount to inappropriate or
insufficient treatment.

2.

The biopsychosocial perspective postulates that the development of depression is

explained through an integration of biological, psychological, and sociological factors.

Biological Factors:
Genetics: Evidence for heritability exists in family studies and twin studies. Individuals
whose family history includes depression are at an increased risk.

Neurotransmitters: it has been related to an imbalance of chemicals in the brain, like

serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. Most antidepressant medications act on these
neurotransmitters to alleviate symptoms.

Brain Structure and Function: Changes in brain structure, for example, reduced
hippocampal volume, and malfunctioning in other areas, such as the prefrontal cortex
and amygdala, have been observed in people with depression.

Psychiological Factors:

Cognitive Patterns: Negative thinking styles characterized by pessimism, negative

self-evaluation, and obsessive ruminations over difficulties are believed to contribute to
depression's origination and maintenance. The cognitive-behavioral approach aims at
changing such dysfunctional thoughts.

Trauma and Stress: Experiences of trauma, abuse, or major life stressors like the loss of
a loved one or loss of job can precipitate depression. The way one perceives and
handles these events influences mental health.

Personality Traits: Individuals who have high levels of neuroticism or perfectionism

usually become victims of depression.

Social factors :

Social Support: Isolation or lack of support may increase vulnerability to states of

depression. Social connections and community ties aid in providing resistance capacity
against the impact of stressors and in improving mental well-being.

Socioeconomic Status: Poverty, unemployment, and low SES are related to high levels
of depression resulting from increased stress and decreased resources.

Cultural Factors: The attitude one holds toward mental illness and the social
expectancies can influence the degree and expression of depression. Stigma and
discrimination may impede the search for help, arising from feelings of stigmatization
and discrimination.
3.

Genetic Factors:

Heritability: Very high degree of heritability. Having a first-degree relative with schizophrenia
Diagnosis increases the risk of developing schizophrenia. In the twin studies, there is higher
Concordance rate in monozygotic twins as compared to Dizygotic twins .

Neurobiological Factors:

Imbalances in Neurotransmitters: It is an established fact that dopamine is one of the most

important factors in the physiology of schizophrenia, and the hypothesis regarding dopamine
suggests that certain brain regions are overactive in regard to dopamine transmission, which
gives rise to symptoms. Other neurotransmitters that have also been implicated include
glutamate and serotonin.

Brain Structure Abnormalities: The common structural brain abnormalities found among
schizophrenic patients include enlarged ventricles, reduced volume of self-defined areas of the
brain, eg. the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus.

Environmental factors include prenatal and perinatal complications along with childhood trauma.
Known contributions to risk include prenatal stress, infections, malnutrition, and birth
complications such as hypoxia, which are precursors to schizophrenia.

Childhood trauma: An increased risk for predisposition to schizophrenia is associated with the
experience of abuse, neglect, and severe distressing events in childhood. These are some key
environmental factors that may aggravate genetic vulnerability in precipitating the disorder.

Psychosocial factors:

Stress and Coping: Extreme stress and poor adaptation to that stress may worsen the
symptoms and lead to the development of schizophrenia. The diathesis-stress model states that
individuals with a genetic risk may become schizophrenic from extreme stress.

Urbanicity and Social Environment: Urban upbringing and social adversity, such as social
isolation, discrimination, or unemployment, increase the risk of schizophrenic illness. In addition
to this, the social defeat hypothesis suggests that chronic social adversity helps contribute to the
development of the disorder.
Biological, psychological, and social elements interact in complex ways to facilitate being able to
diagnose and treat mental illness. Integrating the valuable insights from each of these
perspectives contributes to a comprehensive approach to mental health care.