Case Study Diagnosis
Case Study Diagnosis
PCN 445
December 01, 2013
George comes in for treatment. George is an upper middle aged man with support from his wife. George has been having problems for years but either was ashamed of them or did not know where to go. Many people self-diagnose or tell themselves that it is not as bad as they think it is. Or perhaps it will go away in time. Those days turn into months and then years and before you know it you have spent your whole life avoiding certain situations or people and have suffered immensely due to your problems. Ego is perhaps one of the worst enemies of the person. George suffers daily and he has tried for years to drink his mental health problems away but rather than extinguish his mental health issues, he has created a dependence to alcohol. Now it is to the point that he is unable to function in day to day life and is now unable to do anything with his wife. Although his wife appears to be the lead in getting George into therapy, George has a long road ahead of him and it all begins with the assessment and multi-axial diagnosis. The DSM is a multi-axial system that is used for assessment and diagnosis. In order for George to have a comprehensive diagnosis that includes every part of his presenting issues is vital for the success of the process itself. In order to diagnose on a multi-axial level, one must fully understand what each of the levels consist of. The multi-axial model is designed to provide not only acute symptoms but the entire scope of presenting factors in mental health. There are 5 subcategories or axes in the DSM and each axis relates to a different part of the mental health disorder realm. Axis I is the top-level diagnosis that usually represents the acute symptoms that need treatment. Axis 1 diagnoses are the most familiar and widely
recognized such as; major depressive, schizophrenia, panic attacks, and so forth. Axis II is the assessment of personality disorders and intellectual
PCN 445
December 01, 2013
George comes in for treatment. George is an upper middle aged man with support from his wife. George has been having problems for years but either was ashamed of them or did not know where to go. Many people self-diagnose or tell themselves that it is not as bad as they think it is. Or perhaps it will go away in time. Those days turn into months and then years and before you know it you have spent your whole life avoiding certain situations or people and have suffered immensely due to your problems. Ego is perhaps one of the worst enemies of the person. George suffers daily and he has tried for years to drink his mental health problems away but rather than extinguish his mental health issues, he has created a dependence to alcohol. Now it is to the point that he is unable to function in day to day life and is now unable to do anything with his wife. Although his wife appears to be the lead in getting George into therapy, George has a long road ahead of him and it all begins with the assessment and multi-axial diagnosis. The DSM is a multi-axial system that is used for assessment and diagnosis. In order for George to have a comprehensive diagnosis that includes every part of his presenting issues is vital for the success of the process itself. In order to diagnose on a multi-axial level, one must fully understand what each of the levels consist of. The multi-axial model is designed to provide not only acute symptoms but the entire scope of presenting factors in mental health. There are 5 subcategories or axes in the DSM and each axis relates to a different part of the mental health disorder realm. Axis I is the top-level diagnosis that usually represents the acute symptoms that need treatment. Axis 1 diagnoses are the most familiar and widely
recognized such as; major depressive, schizophrenia, panic attacks, and so forth. Axis II is the assessment of personality disorders and intellectual