Problem: Danny is the younger of two kids from his mother and father. In his eyes, he has always lived a "normal" life with his mom, a middle-aged Hispanic woman who stayed home to take care of him and his brother, and his father, a middle-aged Hispanic man with a medical degree. Danny has always seen his dad as the provider of the house, as he is always busy and "on the run."
However, over time, Danny has noticed other characteristics that make his dad "different." Dad always has a new project in mind. He is full of ideas, and no matter what people say, he starts his projects from scratch. In less than 5 years he's started several businesses. His short-lived businesses included selling tractors, then a travel agency. When he got bored with the travel agency, he decided to create a dating and matchmaking website. During all of these business ventures, he held a full-time job at a hospital and coached Little League. His interest in these new business projects would usually last a week or two.
Danny's dad would also come back home late, usually very irritated, and would rarely go to sleep. In conversations with Danny's mom, he would say that sleeping was a waste of time. Danny remembers hearing them arguing for hours because all these ideas were expensive, and they were on the verge of losing the house. Mom also learned that Danny's dad got in trouble at work for making "inappropriate" comments to colleagues. He was recently suspended for "false allegations" of sexual harassment.
After a week or two of seeing his dad being "on the top of the world," Danny remembers not seeing his dad for a while. Danny's dad was not working, and he would not leave his room, talk to anyone, or eat for several days. One day his mom called a friend as she was worried about him making "serious" comments about not having a purpose in life. Dad was gone for over a week, and mom told them that they were just making sure he was safe and healthy. After this, mom told the kids that dad was going to be in "treatment." Danny is still wondering what was happening to his dad.
1. What is Danny's dad's diagnosis?
2. What are the causes of diagnosis?
3. What are the symptoms (including those shown in your case study)
4. What are the biology/physiology aspects of the diagnosed disorder?
5. What are possible treatment options?