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Case Study Format

The document outlines the format and requirements for case study assignments in a psychology class. It details 13 sections that must be included in each case study analysis, from describing the case to applying diagnostic criteria and models of abnormality. Medical conditions, psychosocial factors, treatment, and a prognosis must also be discussed based on information from the case and textbook.

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13 views

Case Study Format

The document outlines the format and requirements for case study assignments in a psychology class. It details 13 sections that must be included in each case study analysis, from describing the case to applying diagnostic criteria and models of abnormality. Medical conditions, psychosocial factors, treatment, and a prognosis must also be discussed based on information from the case and textbook.

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PS401

CASE STUDY FORMAT


for Group Case Study assignments week 3-7

The format below is for use for the case studies from the second text required for this class—

Case Studies in Abnormal Psychology

Ethan E. Gorenstein; Ronald J. Comer

©2015 | Second Edition

ISBN-13: 9780716772736

 Case Study assignment needs to be kept in the order listed below.


 At the top of the page list only the names of the students who participated in that case
study assignment.
 All work on the Case Study for each week needs to be done in the thread that was
created for your group so there can be a record of participation. If a group
member’s work is not posted in your group’s thread, they will not receive credit for the
assignment.
 It is helpful to post a draft of the case study before the final draft is actually posted in the
week's thread for everyone to read so that group members can make corrections,
suggestions and comments.
 Do not post the final case study assignment as an attachment.

INCORPORATION OF INFORMATION:

 Case study discussions need to reference the text, the information in margins of
case study your are using, and the textbook website information where applicable.
Each of the areas below need to be well developed.

EVALUATE THE INFORMATION IN THE CASE STUDIES FOLLOWING THE


FOLLOWING FORMAT:
1. CASE: Describe the salient features of the case. Sufficient information needs to be provided
so others can understand the case study.

2. DIAGNOSIS: What is the diagnosis for the person in the case study? The diagnosis needs
to be clearly stated. Provide the diagnostic criteria for the diagnosis identified and describe
the behaviors from the case study that support each of the diagnostic criteria that apply to the
person in the case study.

3. MEDICAL CONDITIONS: Are there any medical conditions that are important to the
understanding or management of the individual's mental disorder? If so, please identify and
discuss how it is important. If not, then indicate that there are no medical conditions that would
apply.
4. PSYCHOSOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS. List the titles of the areas that
apply and support your observations with information from the case study.

 Problems with primary support group including family circumstances


 Problems related to the social environment
 Problems related to life management difficulty
 Problems relating to lifestyle
 Problems related to education and literacy
 Problems related to employment and unemployment
 Problems related to housing and economic circumstances
 Problems with access to health care services
 Problems related to interaction with the legal system/crime
 Problems related to other psychosocial and environmental problems
 Problems related to negative events in childhood

5. MODEL: Discuss what Model of Abnormality best explains the causes (etiology) of the
disorder in this case? What information supports your answer? The model needs to be identified
and detailed information needs to be discussed in support for the model(s) as to how and why
it best explains the etiology of the disorder. It is possible to use more than one model, but solid
information needs to be provided for each model. Discuss the specifics of the model and the
specifics of the case study that support the model. Do not discuss treatments in this section.
Keep in mind that the treatments for a particular disorder are not necessarily the same Model that
explains the etiology.

6. CULTURAL ASPECTS: Were there any cultural aspects of this case that were relevant? Be
creative about this area and don't limit your thinking to only ethnic culture. Identify and discuss
the information that supports your observations? Information needs to be discussed in terms of
how the cultural aspects identified have influenced and/or contributed to the development of the
particular disorder.

7. MEDICATION: Was medication prescribed? If so, what were the medications, why were
these prescribed and were they consistent with text information? Discuss their effectiveness.

8. TREATMENT: Is the treatment described in the case study consistent with the recommended
treatment in the text (length of time, meds and/or therapy, etc)? What are the challenges of the
treatment?
Hospitalization. Was hospitalization necessary and what were the circumstances that
necessitated this?
Therapy. If therapy was included in treatment, discuss the type of therapy and if this
approach was consistent with what is recommended in the text.

9. CHALLENGES: According to the case study and the information in the text for this diagnosis
what are the challenges of this particular disorder and discuss the challenges of the particular
problems of the person in the case study?

10. PROGNOSIS: A prognosis is the likely course of a disorder into the future. It is like a
"forecast" of the likely course the person with this disorder will take through their life. Analyze the
information below and provide a specific prognosis such as "poor", "guarded", "good", etc. The
prognosis needs to be specifically identified. The prognosis needs to be discussed in the
context for how the person compares with others with the same diagnosis--will the person do
better or worse and why. Information needs to be provided from the text and the case study to
support the prognosis.

The prognosis is based on the following:


 the disorder as described in the text
 the symptoms described
 the severity of the symptoms
 how compliant the person was with the treatment--therapy and/or medication
 how this person compares to others with the same diagnosis

The Prognosis needs to include the following:

1. What is the prognosis?


2. What information from the text supports this prognosis?
3. How does the prognosis that you have identified compare with others with the same
diagnosis? Is the person from the case study going to do better or worse and why?

11. CLINICAL OBSERVATIONS: What would you add to the case study? Suggestions,
concerns, observations, inconsistencies, or challenges. What other information would have been
helpful to know about this person?

12. APPLY THE 4 D'S: Apply the criteria from the text of the 4 D's--Deviance, Distress,
Dysfunction and Danger. Information from the case study is needed to support each of
the 4 Ds. Each of the 4 Ds need to be listed and discussed separately.

13. FOUR-FRONT APPROACH TO FUNCTIONING (Beatrice Wright's four-front approach 1991;


Wright and Lopez, 2002). Considering all parts of this format assess the person from a
dimensional perspective using the following criteria. Specific references/examples to the case
study need to be cited to support your observations.

1. Deficiencies and undermining characteristics of the person.

2. Strengths and assets of the person

3. Lacks and destructive factors in the environment

4. Resources and opportunities in the environment

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