Based on your course and text readings, provide an explanation why you would consider some of these cases to exhibit behaviors that may be associated with problems that occur in everyday life, while others could be associated with symptoms of a mental disorder. 

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Assignment 3: Case Study Analysis I

The first step in understanding the behaviors that are associated with mental disorders is to be able to differentiate the potential symptoms of a mental disorder from the everyday fluctuations or behaviors that we observe. Read the following brief case histories.

Case Study 1:

Bob is a very intelligent, 25-year-old member of a religious organization based on Buddhism. Bob’s working for this organization has caused considerable conflict between him and his parents, who are devout Baptists. Recently, Bob has experienced acute spells of nausea and fatigue that have prevented him from working and have forced him to return home to live with his parents. Various medical tests are being conducted, but as yet, no physical causes for his problems have been found.

Case Study 2:

Mary is a 30-year-old musician who is very dedicated and successful in her work as a teacher in a local high school and as a part-time member of local musical groups. Since her marriage five years ago, which ended in divorce after six months, she has dated very few men. She often worries about her time running out for establishing a good relationship with a man, getting married, and raising a family. Her friends tell her she gets way too anxious around men, and, in general, she needs to relax a little.

Case Study 3:

Jim was vice-president of the freshmen class at a local college and played on the school’s football team. Later that year, he dropped out of these activities and gradually became more and more withdrawn from friends and family. Neglecting to shave and shower, he began to look dirty and unhealthy. He spent most of his time alone in his room and sometimes complained to his parents that he heard voices in the curtains and in the closet. In his sophomore year, he dropped out of school entirely. With increasing anxiety and agitation, he began to worry that the Nazis were plotting to kill his family and kidnap him.

Case Study 4:

Larry, a 37-year-old gay man, has lived for three years with his partner, whom he met in graduate school. Larry works as a psychologist in a large hospital. Although competent in his work, he often feels strained by the pressures of his demanding position. An added source of tension on the job is his not being out with his co-workers, and, thus, he is not able to confide in anyone or talk about his private life. Most of his leisure activities are with good friends who are also part of the local gay community.

  1. For each case, identify the individual’s behaviors that seem to be problematic for the patient.
  2. For each case study, explain from the biological, psychological, or socio-cultural perspective your decision-making process for identifying the behaviors that may or may not have been associated with the symptoms of a mental disorder.
  3. Based on your course and text readings, provide an explanation why you would consider some of these cases to exhibit behaviors that may be associated with problems that occur in everyday life, while others could be associated with symptoms of a mental disorder.

Do not attempt to label or diagnose the mental disorder; there is not enough information in the case study. Just look at the behaviors presented.

Describe the behavioral, psychological, physical health, and social effects of psychoactive drugs, including alcohol and tobacco, on the consumer and significant others.

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In this course, you are required to complete a research paper about one of the topics of your choice discussed in the course.

Review the topics in the course and choose a topic to focus your research paper on. Some suggestions include:

  1. Pharmacological treatment for substance use disorders
  2. The history of the increase in opiate addiction
  3. Opiate replacement treatment approaches
  4. Detoxification from alcohol and opiates
  5. The psychopharmacology of methamphetamines

For this week, select a topic and compile a list of references that you will use to support the content of your “Research Paper” assignment due in Topic 7. A minimum of six scholarly sources are required.

In a Word document, list the sources you selected and provide a short description of 75-100 words for each source. Also, describe the relevance as to why you selected the source, and how it will support your paper.

While APA style is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and documentation of sources should be presented using APA formatting guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.

Refer to the resource, “Preparing Annotated Bibliographies,” located in the Student Success Center, for additional guidance on completing this assignment in the appropriate style.

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Refer to the LopesWrite Technical Support articles for assistance.

This assignment meets the following NASAC Standards:

3) Describe the behavioral, psychological, physical health, and social effects of psychoactive drugs, including alcohol and tobacco, on the consumer and significant others.

9) Understand the established diagnostic criteria for substance dependence and abuse, and describe treatment modalities and placement criteria within the continuum of care.

14) Be familiar with medical and pharmaceutical resources in the treatment of addictive disease and other substance-related disorders.

16) Recognize that crisis may indicate an underlying substance abuse problem, and may represent a window of opportunity for change.

103) Describe warning signs, symptoms, and the course of addictions.

Choose two theories from the following orientations: psychoanalytic (Freud), humanistic (Rogers), trait (Big 5), or social-cognitive (Bandura).

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In developing personality theories, psychologists seek to organize their understanding of a person.  When we can understand a person, we can then help them with their personality issues. Different theorists have different ideas in regards to understanding people; in this week’s prompt, I am asking you to show me that you can see how the theorists differ in their understanding of the same person.

Compare two of the personality theories discussed in Modules 38 & 39, and show how the theory would explain the personality described in the case study of 7-year old Johnny (below).

  • Choose one behavior in Johnny to explain.
  • Choose two theories from the following orientations: psychoanalytic (Freud), humanistic (Rogers), trait (Big 5), or social-cognitive (Bandura).
  • Using your two theorists, explain they would explain Johnny’s behavior.
    • You are using the same behavior in Johnny; your job is to show how different theorists would explain the same behavior differently.
      • be sure to describe the concepts correctly
      • be sure to describe the behavior (Johnny’s behavior) you are applying the theory to

Remember that I am not asking you for your personal opinion about the case, nor am I asking you to “help” Johnny; do not discuss any techniques that might describe how to “treat” Johnny.

Case Study

Johnny is a 7 year old second grader who has two siblings: a younger brother in first grade and a newborn sister. He lives with his mother and father. His father is employed in a low skilled job and his mother stays at home to care for the newborn. Johnny can be extremely argumentative and short tempered with the other students. He doesn’t complete class work or homework. The few instances he did complete some work, it was very sloppy. His 2nd grade teacher, Miss Jones, reports that Johnny has the potential to do much better in class; she is impressed by his oral responses, which shows her that Johnny understands the daily lesson; however, he fails the written work. He has difficulty remaining in his seat, doing independent work, and he lacks organizational skills. Even after conferencing with Johnny’s parents, Johnny’s academic performance did not improve. Miss Jones is also concerned about his temper and his interactions with other children. He has problems on the playground. Other students are complaining he is calling them names; these names usually involve curse words. Johnny is in a constant bad mood. Johnny’s mother said she is concerned with his behavior and recognizes that he is struggling in school. In addition, she says she rarely sees his homework and he doesn’t seem to be bringing any home. He is receiving below average grades in reading and language. His grades in math are worse.

Choose and focus on one of the anxiety disorders, e.g., generalized anxiety disorder or social anxiety disorder.

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This assignment is an analysis of a selected neuropsychological disorder. This topic choice will be used to complete the Week One Assignment (Topic Selection), Week Two Assignment (Outline of Final Project), and the Week Five Assignment (Final Project).  Select a neuropsychological disorder for comprehensive analysis from the following list, based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5 (DSM-5):

  1. Schizophrenia
  2. Major depressive disorder
  3. Bipolar disorder
  4. Anxiety
    • Choose and focus on one of the anxiety disorders, e.g., generalized anxiety disorder or social anxiety disorder.
  5. Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
  6. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
  7. Substance use disorder (substance abuse and addiction)
    • Provide both an overview of this topic plus a focus on a single drug of your choice.
  8. Neurodevelopmental disorder (autism spectrum disorder or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder)
  9. Neurocognitive disorder
    • Choose and focus on one of the neurocognitive disorders, e.g., one of the dementias.
  10. Neurological disorder
    • Choose and focus on one neurological disorder, e.g., multiple sclerosis, spinal bifida.
  11. Sleep-wake disorder
    • Choose and focus on one of the sleep-wake disorders.
  12. Feeding and eating disorder
    • Choose and focus on one of the feeding and eating disorders.
  13. Sexual dysfunction or gender dysphoria
    • Choose and focus on one of the conditions in these categories.
  14. Other neuropsychosocial disorder
    • This option must be approved in advance by the instructor before your assignment is submitted.

In keeping with the focus of this class, the emphasis of your paper will be on the neuroscience aspects of the disorder, to include:

  • Theories of etiology (causes)
  • Associated factors in development of the disorder (genetic, environmental, familial, lifestyle)
  • Pathology (abnormalities of physical structure and function, including genetic and biochemical aspects)
  • Treatment options (pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic, with rationales for use based on current understanding of the disorder)
  • Diagnostic and research technologies employed in clinical diagnosis, care, and basic science research

Your research will include two to three peer-reviewed sources that provide evidence-based information regarding the biologic and psychological features of the disorder. Refer to the Final Project guidelines, which can be found in Week Five of your online course or in the “Components of Course Evaluation” section of this guide, for more details on the components that should be included in this analysis

Writing the Selection of Final Project Topic

The Assignment:

  1. Must be two to three double-spaced pages in length, and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
  2. Must include a title page with the following:
    1. Title of paper
    2. Student’s name
    3. Course name and number
    4. Instructor’s name
    5. Date submitted
  3. Must describe the key aspects of the disorder that will be elaborated on in your Final Project.
  4. Must state why you have chosen to critique this disorder.
  5. Must incorporate in-text citations from your sources to support your discussion.
  6. You may reference your textbook and other required materials from the course; however, these will not fulfill the resource requirements.
  7. Must use at least two to three scholarly sources that were published within the last five years and retrieved from the Ashford University Library.
  8. Must document all sources in APA style, as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
  9. Must include a separate reference page, formatted according to APA style