Assignment 1 : Case Study Development and Theoretical Explanation
In today's world, stress is inescapable. Stress can be a major factor in physical and psychological illnesses. Stress is closely related to fear, panic, and anxiety. A number of relatively common psychological disturbances share symptoms that include anxiety as a central component. The somatic symptom disorders involve a preoccupation with the body or a medical illness. The dissociative disorders involve an alteration in consciousness or memory such as amnesia or, in an extreme case, the development of multiple personalities as in dissociative identity disorder.
Review the sample case. Download and study the guidelines for developing cases. Develop one original fictional case study that portrays a specific diagnosis within the categories of: anxiety, somatic symptom disorders, or dissociative disorders.
The case description must include all of the DSM criteria necessary to diagnose that disorder, but may also include additional symptoms not found within that diagnostic category. Include some demographic background of the fictional case subject. This portion of the assignment should be 1 to 1 ½ pages.
Mental health professionals are often trained in one or more theoretical orientations. Each theoretical orientation provides a specific insight into why a person acts the way he or she does. The theoretical orientation also guides the professional's choice of treatment options to address the symptoms presented by the individual to be treated. Several theoretical explanations of abnormal behavior have been described in your readings for this module. Some of these are biological, psychodynamic, behavioral, existential, cognitive, and sociocultural.
Identify the treatment approach for your case based upon the theory you have chosen to explain the disorder. Then in 2-3 pages, write your own theoretical analysis of case characteristics in relation to the disorder the case represents.
Write the case and theoretical analysis in a 3-4-page paper in Word format. Be sure to include an APA style title page and to cite the online course and the text applying APA standards. Use the following file naming convention: LastnameFirstInitial_M2_A2.doc. Use appropriate extensions for any other formats you use.
Assignment 2: Course Project Part I: Interview and Background Research
Refer to the Course Project Overview in Course Home. Early in the course, you have selected a specific disorder. Research it using your textbook and Argosy University online library resources. A minimum of 5 sources in addition to your textbook should be used. At least three of those sources should be peer-reviewed journal articles. The remaining 2 sources may be books, journal articles, or reputable web sites (like those from professional organizations or governmental agencies, not Wikipedia or similar sites).
Review the rubric, as it provides detailed instructions on how best to succeed on this assignment. In the rubric, you will find that you need to address the following in a paper:
Description of the selected disorder (Identify the DSM diagnostic category for the disorder and distinguish between diagnostic and commonly used terminology.)
Causative factors of the disorder
Diagnosis of the disorder
Treatment of the disorder
Survey of current research on the disorder
Write a 4-5-page paper in Word format. Remember to use the rubric as you write your paper. Apply APA standards to citation of sources, and include an APA style title/cover page and reference page.