Case Study - "Barbara"
Read the following vignette of a fictional patient and answer the questions after: "Barbara was generally a happy child and had many friends in high school. She made very good grades and decided to go on to college and then to law school. After her first year of law school, she began to notice periods of "feeling down." At first she ignored this, but after a year or so, these episodes began to get worse. When she started paying more attention, she noticed that the episodes usually began about a week before her period and ended a few days after her period began. In addition to feeling depressed during that time, she also was overly sensitive to criticism. Often, her appetite would increase, and she would especially crave sweets. Sometimes she found it difficult to concentrate on her studies during this time, and she often lacked the energy to do much of anything except watch television."
1) If Barbara's therapist adheres to the psychological approach, how would he/she explain Barbara's behaviour?
2) If Barbara's therapist adheres to the biological approach, how would he/she explain Barbara's behaviour?
3) If Barbara's therapist adheres to the sociocultural approach, how would he/she explain Barbara's behaviour?
150 words.