Case Study 6: A 28-year-old woman was walking through her local shopping mall when she began to feel intensely anxious. The anxiety was accompanied by sensations of choking, smothering, and a sudden sense that the people and stores around her were unreal. She began to fear that she was going crazy and the more she worried about this the more anxious she became. A guard, seeing that she was in distress, brought her to the mall office where she was able to lie down. A few minutes later the symptoms began to subside. She went home after leaving the mall but she did not tell her husband what happened. A week later she had a similar attack while she was walking down the street. She was able to reach her house where she lay down until the attack ended. In the following three weeks she had two or more attacks. Between attacks she was constantly worried about having another attack. The patient was finally forced to tell her husband about the problem because she was so fearful of not being able to get help if an attack occurred that she would not leave her house alone or travel on public transportation.
This patient would be diagnosed with Panic Disorder with Agoraphobia.
The patient suffers from recurrent and unexpected panic attacks, whose symptoms include sensations of choking, shortness of breath, and derealization. She also suffers from agoraphobia, where the patient fears being outside her home alone and several modes of public transportation. Her persistant concern about having additional attacks has led to a significant change in behavior. Moreover, these panic attacks are not the result of substance abuse or a mental disorder. Because of all of these symptoms, the patient can be diagnosed with Panic Disorder with Agoraphobia.
A recommended mode of therapy for the patient would be the behavioral therapy of gradual systematic desensitization. In this process, the patient would be taught relaxation skills in order to help her control her fear and anxiety. Once these skills are learned, the patient would use them in order to cope with her panic attacks. With enough practice, the patient would hopefully have created a resistance to her panic disorder.
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7 comments:
Great Blog!
That's kinda scary to know that an attack can just happen out of the blue, but great job. You covered everything and gave good therapy.
Good job. Short, sweet and to the point. :)
I think you did a fantastic job! I had the same case study, and I didn't think she had agoraphobia, but who knows! I liked how you were concise and to the point instead of drawn-out and boring. Good job! :D
I agree with all the other comments, you did a great job :) Good evaluation and therapy!
Scared of being in public? Your person probably needs therapy. Good job, well written!
It seems very scary always anticipating an attack. I can't imagine what intense fear the patient must experience. Good post!
2 types of disorders s pretty intense. good job on the blog
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