Application:
Case Study – Personality Disorders

Chaotic lifestyles,
chronic life interruptions, fractured support systems, and frayed identities
collectively describe some of the characteristics of individuals who suffer
with personality disorders. Individuals with personality disorders are similar
to children navigating through life confused and unsure. Even when surrounded
by family and friends, individuals who suffer with personality disorders may
feel isolated and alone. As a future professional in the field of psychology,
assigning a diagnosis of personality disorder may be very complex.

For this Application,
review the case study in the Learning Resources. Consider important client
characteristics for developing a personality disorder diagnosis. Think about
your rationale for assigning a particular diagnosis on the basis of the DSM.

The Assignment (3–4
pages)

• A DSM diagnosis of the client in
       the case study


• An explanation of your rationale
       for assigning the diagnosis on the basis of the DSM


• An explanation of what other
       information you may need about the client to make an accurate diagnosis
       based on the DSM diagnostic criteria

Support your
Application Assignment with specific references to all resources and current
literature used in its preparation. You are to provide a reference list for all
resources, including those in the Learning Resources for this course.

American Psychiatric
Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders
(5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing.

 
• Personality Disorders

Paris, J. (2013). The
intelligent clinician’s guide to the DSM-5. New York, NY: Oxford University
Press.

 
• Chapter 13, Personality Disorders

Case Study:

A male client is
speaking to a therapist at her office. He doesn’t want to be there but his 86
year old mother made him go get therapy. His mother nags him all the time. He
doesn’t have friends or a girlfriend. His place is a mess and he doesn’t take
care of himself. He says he has no interest in having a relationship with a
woman. He doesn’t want friends. His mother is the only person he associates
with. He has nothing to do with his sister or his father. When he was younger
his father would go outside and scream at him for no reason which chased off
his friends from playing with him. His father was verbally abusive. His
interest was an Electrical Engineer. However, he did not finish school. He felt
that his classmates were idiots. He taught himself everything he knows. He
loves playing World of Warcraft. He gets so excited when he speaks of it. He
loves the fantasy role play in the game. He imagines himself making a great
discovery. He said that the underworld in our oceans have not been discovered
yet.