Mental illness is a tricky thing. Our abnormal psych professor tried to illustrate this by dividing the class up into groups and having us go over a case sheet with each person's symptoms. We shot off automatic responses based on the information, but when we looked through the sheet again as a whole class, we all soon realized that things are not always as they seem, and a person's situation can warrant some strange behavior that's not really mental illness. And out of fifty or so supposedly intelligent college students, the vast majority of whom are planning on going into head-shrinking for themselves, only one actually got what was really going on (which that person wasn't me, although that would have been badass).
Here is the case sheet:
Case #1:
Sarah's husband of 3 years passed away suddenly one week ago. Since her husband's death, Sarah has cried several hours each day. She sleeps much of the day and has lost her appetite. All activities that Sarah typically found joy in seem completely unimportant. Sarah has not yet returned to work and doesn't feel she has the mental energy to focus on her work even if she were to return right now.
Diagnosis my group came up with: Depression
Actual diagnosis: Good, old fashioned grief. The man's barely in the ground, how is she supposed to act? Uh... yeah.
Case #2:
Jim is a happily married father of three. He is employed at a busy law firm where he makes approximately $200,000 per year. He enjoys his job and is on track to make partner at the law firm in record time. Jim, has, however, always struggled with difficulty focusing his attention. As a child, his mother described him as a very active boy. During elementary school, he was sent to the office man times for not staying in his seat during class assignments. Today, while he always makes his deadlines, he often switches rapidly from task to task.
Diagnosis my group came up with: ADHD.
Actual diagnosis: He might actually have that, but if it doesn't get in the way of his life, it's not really an "illness".
Case #3:
Jenny lives in an area of town that is very close to a federal prison that is not in good repair. Over the years, there have been several escaped convicts in the area. On one occasion, the convicts broke into a home and robbed an elderly neighbor. Jenny has often been afraid that would also happen to her. She recently purchased an expensive home alarm system. Jenny has an established routine each night before she goes to bed that includes setting the alarm, checking to make sure all the home doors are locked, and making sure the garage door is closed. Jenny's nightly routine takes approximately 3 minutes each night. If she does not complete the routine, she will get out of bed to make sure that all her doors are locked and the alarm is set.
Diagnosis my group came up with: Paranoia
Actual diagnosis: Survival instincts.
Case #4:
Aliah is a happily married 24-year-old woman with a 1-year-old child. Since childhood, Aliah has an extensive washing ritual that she participates in daily. This routine includes washing her hands and feet in clean water at least five times per day. Additionally, she only eats food with her right hand and never places food in her mouth with her left hand as she believes that no amount of washing could ever make her left hand clean enough to use to eat.
Diagnosis my group came up with: OCD. Severe OCD
Actual diagnosis: She's muslim. This is perfectly normal customary behavior.
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