Problem:
A differential diagnosis for Ethan would be panic disorder. He does experience physical symptoms when he becomes anxious. At this time, he reports experiencing only 2 physical symptoms. According to the DSM-5, to meet the criteria for panic disorder, an individual needs to experience 4 or more symptoms from criterion A. Ethan did not mention a fear of experiencing panic attacks. Another differential diagnosis would be avoidant personality disorder. In avoidant personality disorder, interpersonal relationships are avoided due to feelings of inadequacy and hypersensitivity to criticism (APA, 2022). A screening tool that I would administer to Ethan is the Mini-Social Phobia Inventory. This screening tool asks 3 simple questions to assess for social anxiety disorder (Schneier, 2025). Need Assignment Help?