Question

Elise is a 35-year-old architect. She comes to you in great distress, feeling that she is unable to work, and generally unable to function. She says that she feels tired all the time, to the point of feeling completely exhausted. She says that she cries easily, and almost every day, is having difficulty sleeping, and has lost 20 pounds in the last 2 months without trying. She also describes herself as a "worrier" and tells you that she constantly feels restless, irritable and has difficulty concentrating. She can’t let her husband or children leave the house without making them call her regularly to reassure her that they are okay. Her husband is growing weary of her constant worry and distressed mood. Her children can’t understand what all the fuss is about. Their impatience with her only makes her feel worse.
She says that things have been "real bad" for the last 2 months; she doesn’t enjoy doing anything and thinks frequently of suicide. However, she also says that she has never been a very happy person. She says that things rarely go right for her, and she has given up on expecting good things to happen for her.

Based on the symptoms presented in Elise’s case and the four key criteria for determining whether behavior is abnormal, would you say that Elise has a psychological disorder? Why or why not?

Elise is exhibiting atypical behavior by crying every day, feeling tired all the time, and losing 20 pounds in two months. Other behaviors she is displaying that appear to be atypical are her feelings of restlessness and irritability. Elise is acting irrationally by calling her husband or children very often and constantly worrying about them. Her behavior is maladaptive in the way that she cannot work or function regularly. Her husband and children are likely very distressed by her behavior which is a good indicator that she is unwell. It is likely that Elise has a psychological disorder.

If you answered yes, what disorder(s) (if any) should be considered? Explain why you chose this disorder.

Answer 1

I think a disorder she might have is depression for multiple reasons.

1. she says that she's exhausted all the time and that's one of the symptoms of depression.

2. She's lost 20 pounds in the past 2 months. When you have depression you happen to lose appetite.

3. She often thinks of suicide. The passage does not say if she thinks of other people commiting suicide or herself commiting suicide, but I believe it may be saying that she's thinking of herself commiting suicide so...