Question

John is a 15 year old young man who is struggling in school, smoking pot, and rebelling pretty strongly against his parents. He tells the therapist that his parents are "devils from hell" and he hates them. He also seems to be depressed and not wanting to do much of anything but smoke. Give 3 possible diagnoses for John and explain why you selected each one.

Answer 1

Answer: Despite his hatred towards his parents, I would definitely suggest to John that it would be probably a good idea to take some time out of your day and talk to his parents, let them know how he truly feels. Why? Because if he does, maybe his parents will realize the bad things they have done to make John feel the way he feels, and change the way they act.

Another suggestion that I would provide John would be to stay calm, and avoid anything negative. Why? If he does this, over-time, his depression would get better, instead of the negative things in his life making it worse.

Lastly, another suggestion I would provide John includes medical attention. Depression can’t be cured just with avoiding problems. You need to take medicine as well. So, what I would suggest is for John to go see a doctor who is familiar with depression, anxiety, and all that Jazz, so that the doctor can provide John a few medicines he should take daily.