Disorder case studies This is practice for application (AO2) questions!

OCD Jaz suffers from OCD. She described her condition as follows: I’m constantly anxious about catching diseases from other people. I can’t get thoughts and pictures of dirt out of my mind, Every day I clean my whole house and wash my hands hundreds of times every day. When anyone comes to the house I make them wash their hands before I can go near them. I know this is ridiculous but I can’t help it- it makes me feel better, but only for a little while. 1. identify the behavioural, emotional and cognitive aspects of Jaz’s state. 2. OCD is illustrated as a cycle- use this cycle to describe Jaz’s OCD. Obsessive thought anxiety Compulsive behaviour Temporary relief

OCD Jaz suffers from OCD. She described her condition as follows: I’m constantly anxious about catching diseases from other people. I can’t get thoughts and pictures of dirt out of my mind, Every day I clean my whole house and wash my hands hundreds of times every day. When anyone comes to the house I make them wash their hands before I can go near them. I know this is ridiculous but I can’t help it- it makes me feel better, but only for a little while. 1. identify the behavioural, emotional and cognitive aspects of Jaz’s state. 2. OCD is illustrated as a cycle- use this cycle to describe Jaz’s OCD. Obsessive thought anxiety Compulsive behaviour Temporary relief

depression Jessica is a 20 year old university student. Her parents have been very worried since she returned home for a holiday. They hear Jessica up late at night and also notice that she appears to have lost quite a bit of weight. Jessica is very sensitive when asked about this and snaps at her parents. In one argument she says that she hates her parents and herself. In another argument she says that she did not enjoy being at uni and hates visiting her family. She shows no enthusiasm about returning to uni after the holiday and has been unable to concentrate on a piece of coursework she has brought home to work on. 1.identify the behavioural, emotional and cognitive aspects of Jessica’s state. 2.Based on these characteristics, should Jessica’s parents be concerned that she may be suffering from depression? Explain your answer.

depression Jessica is a 20 year old university student. Her parents have been very worried since she returned home for a holiday. They hear Jessica up late at night and also notice that she appears to have lost quite a bit of weight. Jessica is very sensitive when asked about this and snaps at her parents. In one argument she says that she hates her parents and herself. In another argument she says that she did not enjoy being at uni and hates visiting her family. She shows no enthusiasm about returning to uni after the holiday and has been unable to concentrate on a piece of coursework she has brought home to work on. 1.identify the behavioural, emotional and cognitive aspects of Jessica’s state. 2.Based on these characteristics, should Jessica’s parents be concerned that she may be suffering from depression? Explain your answer.

phobias Children are prone to phobias, including some that may appear downright odd to us as adults. One phobic stimulus is buttons. Eloise has a phobia of buttons. She refuses to wear anything with buttons and she even refuses to go into clothes shops where there are likely to be clothes with buttons. When questioned, Eloise says that this is because of the extreme anxiety that buttons cause her. She also says that she believes that buttons will always pinch her skin and that this will leave a bruise. 1.identify the behavioural, emotional and cognitive aspects of Eloise’s fear. 2.Conduct your own research and find another specific phobia. What behaviours, emotions and cognitions characterise it?

phobias Children are prone to phobias, including some that may appear downright odd to us as adults. One phobic stimulus is buttons. Eloise has a phobia of buttons. She refuses to wear anything with buttons and she even refuses to go into clothes shops where there are likely to be clothes with buttons. When questioned, Eloise says that this is because of the extreme anxiety that buttons cause her. She also says that she believes that buttons will always pinch her skin and that this will leave a bruise. 1.identify the behavioural, emotional and cognitive aspects of Eloise’s fear. 2.Conduct your own research and find another specific phobia. What behaviours, emotions and cognitions characterise it?

Worksheet 81 Working on your own: Highlight the emotional, behavioural and cognitive characteristics in different colours. If you feel confident after completing the first one, go straight to the ‘Revision Opportunity’ wheel. If you still feel you need some practice identifying the characteristics complete the other boxes.

Which characteristics do you feel are most challenging for the patient? Which characteristics are most noticeable to others? How would you define the terms ‘emotional’, ‘behavioural’, and ‘cognitive’ characteristics?

Exam practice!

answer Cognitive: OCD sufferers experience catastrophic thoughts about the worst case scenarios that might result if their anxieties were justified. For example, “steven thinks he might catch something and die.” They tend to be hyper vigilant i.e. maintain constant alertness and attentions focused on potential hazards. “steven always looks out for being who might be ill” Behavioural: The behaviour of OCD sufferers may also be characterised by their avoidance as they attempt to reduce anxiety by keeping away from situations that trigger it. For example, “steven has to get away quickly if he sees someone sneeze” Compulsions are repetitive. Typically sufferers feel compelled to repeat a behaviour e.g. “steven has to clean himself”

Identify one emotional characteristic of: Depression OCD Phobias (3 marks)

Answer: Depression:Constant lowered mood- ever present and overwhelming feelings of sadness/negativity, sometimes described as feelings of ‘emptiness’. OCD: excessive anxiety and distress that accompanies both obsessions and compulsions. Phobia: Fear from exposure to phobic stimulus- Phobias can produce an immediate fear response, even panic attacks, due to the presentation of the phobic object or situation.