Social Anxiety Disorders Case Study Essay

1. What diagnosis does the client have? You must state what you see in the case study that is leading you to believe the client has a particular diagnosis.
Diagnosis: Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia) (F40.10)
According to the DSM-5 (2013), the characteristic symptoms of social anxiety disorder are marked, or intense, fear or anxiety of social situations in which the individual may be scrutinized by others. When exposed to such social situations, the individual fears that he or she will be negatively evaluated and become concerned that he or she will be judged as anxious, boring, or unlikable. Marked fear or anxiety about one or more social situations occurs in social interactions, when observed by others, and performing in front of others.
For Leon’s case, he is a 45-year-old man who has felt constantly depressed since the
His depression has been accompanied by lethargy; little or no interest or pleasure in anything; trouble concentrating, and feelings of inadequacy, pessimism, and resentfulness. His only periods of normal mood occur when he is home alone, listening to music or watching television. In general, the individual with social anxiety disorder fears that he or she will show anxiety symptoms that will be negatively evaluated by others (Criterion B). For example, Leon never had a best friend, as he grew up. He suffered when oral classroom participation was expected. As a teenager, he was terrified of girls, and to this day he has never gone on a date or even asked a girl for a date. This bothers him, although he is so often depressed that he feels he has little energy or interest