Diagnosing Mental Disorders
Instructions: For each of the following case studies, play the role of a clinical psychologists and make the most accurate diagnosis possible from the given information. Print out this page and write your response in the blank space beneath each description.
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1. If you interacted with Scott briefly, you might think that he is normal. However, once he told you about the government's plot against him and how he was going to be rescued by some alien friends, you would start to suspect that he is disordered.
2. Matthew, although a good-looking guy, is so preoccupied with what he thinks is his large, unsightly nose that he is unable to realistically evaluate his own looks and often talks with his hands in front of his face. He will likely have plastic surgery some day.
3. As a baby, Charlie resisted being held and showed no interest in human stimulation. Usually passive, he sometimes played with his wind-up toys but did not respond to his name being called and showed outbursts of temper if someone moved even one of his little cars from where he had placed it.
4. Shannon's moods seem to swing abruptly, and she often seems unable to control her impulses. She has had many sexual encounters and often complains of boredom, though she is seldom alone and often caught up in very intense, stormy relationships. Her friends are on edge around her because of her Jekyll-Hyde behavior.
5. Emmit, who has just suffered a serious knee injury, cannot undergo an MRI because he has an irrational fear of narrow, enclosed places.
6. Frank awoke one morning and suddenly realized that he had another name and a family in another state. He had no idea how he came to be living his present life.
7. Although Karina was not personally injured in the earthquake, the experience was a terrifying one and her house was badly damaged. She has frequent nightmares about earthquakes, and even when awake she sometimes gets flashes as if she's reliving the experience. The slightest noise or movement around her causes her heart to pound rapidly.
8. Roger loves to go to the mall on Saturdays, when it is most crowded, because there are lots of opportunities for him to rub up against women without them knowing it. Few activities make Roger as sexually aroused as this one.
9. Although Elaine is a kind, considerate person, she has trouble making decisions by herself. She leans heavily on her friends and family for advice, even for seemingly trivial decisions.
10. While teaching her class one day, Theresa suddenly begins having difficulty breathing. Her heart starts pounding wildly, and she feels weak and dizzy. She feels as if she's having a heart attack and is honestly afraid that she's going to die in the next minute or two. (Assume that Theresa is not having a heart attack).
11. Although Jack is enjoying watching the football game, he feels oddly detached, as though he is watching himself and his actions from outside of his own body. Because this has happened several times recently, Jack is startled for fear that he will totally lose control of his thoughts and behavior.
12. Sarah has an unrealistic fear of shopping in crowded stores and walking through crowded streets. She has begun to spend more and more time home alone in order to avoid the panicky feeling she gets when she goes out in public.
13. Sam's friends are starting to worry about him. Normally energetic and fun-loving, Sam has become withdrawn and sullen. He has lost weight, is constantly tired, and hasn't been showing up to lacrosse practice or to his fraternity meetings. In his conversations with others, he expresses feelings of doubt and unworthiness, and seems to be entertaining suicidal thoughts.
14. Because Amy feels "dirty" a lot of the time, she spends much of her day at the sink, washing and rewashing her hands hundreds of times until they are red and raw.
15. Joan has seen several specialists and undergone numerous diagnostic tests to determine the cause of her recurring headaches and episodes of dizziness. The doctors are perplexed and can seem to find no physiological cause for Joan's symptoms.
The link to the answers is provided below. However, it would be good practice (maybe even fun) to try your hand at diagnosing disorders before you check the answers.