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LEARNING DSM-5 BY CASE EXAMPLE by Michael B. First, Andrew E. Skodol

With at least one case presentation for each of the mental disorders catalogued in DSM-5 -- and multiple cases for nearly half of the disorders -- Learning DSM-5(R) by Case Example has been meticulously designed to aid practitioners and students of all levels in psychology, psychiatry, social work, counseling, and psychiatric nursing develop internalized prototypes of DSM-5 disorders by first describing each disorder in relatable terms and subsequently illustrating how these symptom constellations manifest in real-life settings using clinical case material.

The nearly 200 cases featured in this guide are drawn from the authors' own clinical experience, as well as that of well over 100 clinicians, many of whom are well-known experts in particular areas of diagnosis and treatment. Sensitive to the fact that one of the hallmarks of mental disorders is the wide range of presentations that are encountered in a real-world setting, many of the disorders described include multiple cases that vary in symptom presentation, gender, age, clinical course, associated impairment in psychosocial functioning, and developmental factors, thus giving readers an appreciation for the heterogeneity typical of these disorders. Each case is complemented by a discussion that elaborates the ways in which the case conforms to the DSM-5 prototype or highlights those features of the case that illustrate the heterogeneity.

With definitions of potentially unfamiliar medical and psychiatric terms, Learning DSM-5(R) by Case Example is an accessible resource for readers of all disciplines. And because it guides the reader through the organizational structure of DSM-5, it is also an ideal reference for courses on psychopathology or abnormal psychology. - Learning DSM-5 by Case Example 1st Edition

Contents

Introduction

Introduction

Purpose:

  • Helps students learn DSM-5 diagnoses using case examples
  • Accelerates development of clinical prototypes
  • Describes each disorder in prototype terms and illustrates presentations in real cases

Case Selection:

  • Includes cases from various disciplines: psychology, psychiatry, social work, counseling, nursing
  • Represents diagnostic heterogeneity for many disorders
  • Does not include separate cases for Mental Disorders Due to Another Medical Condition or Substance/Medication-Induced Mental Disorders, as their presentations are conceptually the same and differ only in terms of symptoms and causative agents. However, some representative cases are included: Catatonic Disorder Due to Another Medical Condition, Depressive Disorder Due to Another Medical Condition, Anxiety Disorder Due to Another Medical Condition, Major Neurocognitive Disorder Due to Another Medical Condition, Personality Change Due to Another Medical Condition, Methylphenidate-Induced Psychotic Disorder, Alcohol-Induced Psychotic Disorder, Ofloxacin-Induced Bipolar and Related Disorder, Caffeine/Aminophylline/Albuterol/Beclomethasone-Induced Sleep Disorder, Paroxetine-Induced Sexual Dysfunction, Alcohol Withdrawal Delirium, and Alcohol-Induced Major Neurocognitive Disorder.

Diagnostic Approach:

  • Clinicians often make diagnoses based on matching symptoms to internalized prototypes rather than applying diagnostic criteria systematically
  • This book aims to create these clinical prototypes by describing each DSM-5 disorder in prototype terms and illustrating presentations in real cases

Case Organization:

  • Cases are organized according to the order of diagnostic groupings as they appear in DSM-5
  • Some chapters rearrange the order for educational purposes.

Intended Audience:

  • Primarily designed for students, but also useful for experienced clinicians, other professionals, and historically interested readers
  • Includes an alphabetical index of diagnoses to help readers find cases based on DSM-5 diagnosis given.

Chapter 1. Neurodevelopmental Disorders.

INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES.

1.1 Intellectual Disability (Intellectual Developmental Disorder)

Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Intellectual Disabilities

Intellectual Disability (Intellectual Developmental Disorder)

  • Characterized by deficits in general mental abilities, such as reasoning, problem solving, planning, abstract thinking, judgment, academic learning, and learning from experience
  • Impairments of adaptive functioning, including personal independence and social responsibility in various aspects of daily life (communication, social participation, academic or occupational functioning, personal independence)
  • Diagnosis based on clinical assessment and individually administered, psychometrically valid IQ tests with scores approximately two standard deviations below the population mean
  • Adaptive functioning involves three domains: conceptual (academic), social, and practical

Characteristics of Intellectual Disability:

  • Deficits in intellectual functions
  • Difficulties in acquisition and use of language
  • Interference with speech intelligibility or prevention of verbal communication
  • Disturbance in normal fluency and time patterning of speech
  • Difficulties in social use of verbal and nonverbal communication
  • Restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities
  • Patterns of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity
  • Some symptoms present prior to age 12 years
  • Present in two or more settings (home, school, work, friends, relatives, other activities)
  • Difficulties learning and using academic skills
  • Acquisition and execution of coordinated motor skills substantially below expected age level
  • Repetitive, driven, and seemingly purposeless motor behavior
  • Sudden, rapid, recurrent, nonrhythmic motor movement or vocalization

Intellectual Disability:

  • Affects 1% of the general population
  • Males more likely to be affected than females
  • Deficits have an onset during the developmental period but may not be present at birth
  • Causes: genetic (Down syndrome), illnesses (meningitis, encephalitis, head trauma) or acquired
  • Levels of severity: mild, moderate, severe, or profound based on adaptive functioning in conceptual, social, and practical domains
  • Global Developmental Delay is a diagnosis for individuals under age 5 who cannot be reliably assessed for intellectual disability severity level.
Down Syndrome

Case Study: Eric's Behavioral Issues

Background:

  • Eric, a 15-year-old boy with Down Syndrome (DS)
  • Parents divorced for 4 years, father lives in another city
  • Previous residential placements since age 8 due to intellectual impairments and behavioral issues
  • Mother brought him home 6 months ago, but he was destructive and aggressive towards her during this time

Symptoms:

  • Destructive of property: breaking dishes, chair
  • Physically assaultive: hit mother during scuffles
  • Increasing behavior problems since birth
  • Signs of Down Syndrome: thick facial features, slightly protruding tongue, epicanthal fold, simian crease on palms
  • Indistinct and slurred speech
  • Insisted he "didn't mean to hurt anybody"

Diagnosis:

  1. Intellectual Disability (ID) due to Down Syndrome:
    • Significant deficits or impairments in adaptive functioning
    • IQ of 45 indicates general intellectual functioning deficits
    • Diagnose regardless of other diagnoses
  2. Down Syndrome:
    • Additional diagnosis alongside ID
    • Causes Intellectual Disability since birth
  3. Possible Diagnosis: Conduct Disorder (CD)
    • Not justified due to lack of characteristic features
  4. Presenting issue is destructive and aggressive behavior, not intellectual functioning impairment.
The Enigma

The Enigma

Psychiatrist's Consultation:

  • Psychiatrist received a call from a pediatric colleague about 17-year-old Libby
  • Described as "cured from depression" and needing only follow-up medication
  • Arrival at the clinic was marked by her agitated, restless behavior and high-pitched unintelligible screaming

Patient Profile:

  • Diagnosed with severe mental retardation under 1 year of age
  • Extensive diagnostic evaluations failed to determine the etiology of her intellectual deficits
  • Physically healthy, only child, reared at home, attended special classes in public schools
  • Cheerful, friendly, and affectionate, nonverbal but communicated through gestures and vocalizations
  • Learned household tasks, helped mother around the house
  • Previously cheerful demeanor changed 6 months ago when parents went on a weeklong vacation
  • Became agitated, unresponsive, cried frequently, slept poorly, ate little, spent time aimlessly roaming the house
  • Parents felt guilty and tried to make amends by spending all their time with her
  • Attempted to give her attention and affection, but this only made matters worse
  • Pediatrician gave her an antianxiety drug, which had no effect

Previous Treatments:

  • School psychologist thought her behavior was an attention-getting device, so referred the family to a child guidance clinic
  • Child psychiatrist suggested giving Libby unlimited attention and affection, but this also made matters worse
  • Another psychiatrist diagnosed her as depressed and prescribed antidepressant medication, which also did not improve her condition
  • Libby was hospitalized on a pediatric ward, where extensive medical evaluation failed to disclose the cause of her condition

Current Treatment:

  • Pediatrician treated Libby for "psychotic depression" and increased the antidepressant medication and added an antipsychotic drug
  • This led to some improvement, but she suffered a relapse and needed to be hospitalized again
  • Family history revealed that a maternal aunt suffered from depression and responded well to lithium treatment
  • Libby was started on lithium, which gradually improved her condition and allowed the antipsychotic medication to be discontinued

Discussion:

  • Difficulty in diagnosing people with Severe Intellectual Disability who are unable to describe their subjective experiences
  • Libby's behavior was dismissed as a "nonspecific behavior disorder" or "exhibition of attention-getting behaviors due to overprotection by parents"
  • Her clinical presentation was dominated by irritable mood, agitation, distractibility, and sleep disturbance - all of which are included in the diagnostic criteria for Manic Episode
  • Symptoms such as grandiosity, flight of ideas, and excessive involvement in pleasurable activity could not be described by a severely intellectually challenged and nonverbal person
  • The clinical presentation was cyclic, with periods of crying, decreased activities, loss of appetite, and insomnia - all suggestive of Major Depressive Disorder
  • Family history was positive for a lithium-responding "depression," suggesting Libby may have been in a Major Depressive Episode when put on the antidepressant medication, which then triggered manic symptoms

COMMUNICATION DISORDERS

1.2 Language Disorder

Language Disorder (LD)

  • Characterized by persistent difficulties in language acquisition and use across modalities due to deficits in comprehension or production (DSM-5, p. 42)

Symptoms:

  • Reduced vocabulary
  • Limited sentence structure
  • Impairment in discourse
  • Difficulties not age-appropriate
  • Interferes with social and academic functioning
  • Not due to hearing problems, motor dysfunctions, other medical or neurological conditions, or Intellectual Disability

Types:

  • Expressive abilities (production of verbal material)
  • Receptive abilities (understanding of language messages)
  • Both expressive and receptive abilities

Prognosis:

  • Language Disorder present at age 4 years likely to persist into adulthood
  • Children with receptive language impairments have a poorer prognosis than those with only expressive problems

Case Studies:

  1. Don:
    • Born 11 weeks premature with hyaline membrane disease
    • Complicated medical history including bilateral hernia repairs
    • Developmental milestones within normal limits until age 3 years and 7 months
    • Slow to warm up during examination
    • Extremely difficult to understand, had to use gestures for clarification
    • Most sentences consisted of single words or mispronounced speech (e.g., "dub" instead of "gun")
    • Limited vocabulary (e.g., "fish" = "pet")
    • Could follow commands and produce drawings sophisticated for age
    • No difficulty understanding language, suggestive of expressive type LD
  2. Zach:
    • Evaluated due to problems in school
    • Difficulties getting along with children and teacher throughout kindergarten
    • Improvement seen recently with play skills but still had trouble understanding instructions and expressing himself verbally
    • Quiet and shy during examination, mother had to remain in the room for support
    • Limited verbalizations (only told examiner his name)
    • Inappropriate responses during tasks, unclear grasp of task purpose
    • Absence of bizarre behavior rules out Autism Spectrum Disorder
    • Diagnosis: Language Disorder involving both reception and expression.

1.3 Speech Sound Disorder

Speech Sound Disorder (SSD)

  • Characteristic feature: persistent difficulty with speech sound production that interferes with intelligibility or prevents verbal communication
  • Interferes with social activities and academic achievement
  • Not caused by congenital or acquired conditions, such as cleft palate, cerebral palsy, hearing loss, or traumatic brain injury
  • Onset in early developmental period
  • Most children have intelligible speech by age 3 and speak most words correctly by age 7
  • Speech problems usually improve with treatment

Diagnosis of SSD:

  • André, a 6-year-old, exhibits difficulty articulating various sounds, particularly r, l, and th (among the later-acquired speech sounds)
  • Normal intelligence and social development rule out other disorders:
    • Language Disorder
    • Intellectual Disability (Down Syndrome)
    • Autism Spectrum Disorder

Additional Diagnosis:

  • Frequent letter reversals may raise question for an additional diagnosis of Specific Learning Disorder, With Impairment in Written Expression
  • However, some letter reversals are normal at age 6 and this diagnosis is given only if test reveals scores significantly below expected level.

1.4 Childhood-Onset Fluency Disorder (Stuttering)

Childhood-Onset Fluency Disorder (Stuttering)

  • Characterized by persistent disturbances in normal fluency and time patterning of speech for individuals' age and language skills (DSM-5, p. 45)
  • Hallmarks: sound and syllable repetitions, prolongations, pauses, circumlocutions, physical tension during speech, monosyllabic whole-word repetition
  • Severe enough to interfere with social or academic functioning
  • Not caused by speech-motor or sensory deficits or neurological problems
  • Commonly referred to as stuttering
  • Absent during activities like reading aloud, singing, talking to pets, or inanimate objects (DSM-5, p. 45)
  • Onset in childhood, with most cases developing by age 6; majority recover by age 8

Case Study: "Don't Worry"

  • Parents noticed Aaron's stuttering several months earlier
  • Initially rare occurrences became more frequent and caused frustration and anxiety for the child
  • Speech therapist suggested maintaining composure during episodes and not completing sentences
  • Over time, stuttering gradually resolved, leaving no permanent emotional scars or speech difficulties (DSM-5, p. 45)
  • Variable severity from situation to situation, more severe under pressure to communicate.

1.5 Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder

Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder

  • Defined as "persistent difficulties in the social use of verbal and nonverbal communication" (DSM-5, p. 47)
  • New diagnostic label added to describe individuals who have social communication component of Autism Spectrum Disorder but do not meet restricted behavior criterion
  • Social communication essential for social participation, development of relationships, academic achievement, occupational performance
  • Characteristic deficits: inability to share information appropriately; difficulty changing style of communication to match context or listener needs; trouble following conversation rules (taking turns); understanding idioms, humor, metaphors dependent on context
  • Problems interfere with social relationships or academic/occupational functioning
  • Not due to neurological conditions or other mental disorders (Intellectual Disability, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Global Developmental Delay)
  • Children ages 4-5 should participate in social communication appropriately; onset may not be apparent until early adolescence
  • Outcome variable; some improve significantly over time, others persist into adulthood

Case Study: Clifford's Social Communication Difficulties

  • Age 13, seventh-grade student with delayed language development
  • Late talker, received speech therapy from preschool to third grade for delayed use of language and difficulties with sibilant sounds
  • Continues to have some verbal communication difficulties: talks loudly despite reminders; talks over others in small groups; pedantic when excited about topics; difficulty following conversations
  • Favorite subjects are math and computer-related things; interests limit social interactions with peers
  • Has few close friends, considers online contacts as friends; difficult reading body language or nonverbal cues
  • Insensitive to feelings of peers, repeats hurtful behaviors without understanding impact
  • Persistent difficulties in the social use of verbal and nonverbal communication interfere with peer group interactions and cause impairment in social functioning.

Social Gaffes Behavior

  • Difficulty communicating with friends in conversation; talks over them about irrelevant topics
  • Inability to modulate conversational tone (talks loudly, pedantically)
  • Talks on and on without regard for others in the conversation
  • Hurtful words or actions due to lack of understanding social cues and body language
  • Poor at interpreting jokes that depend on context.

AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER

1.6 Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

  • New diagnosis in DSM-5, characterized by:
    • Persistent deficits in social communication and interaction across multiple contexts
    • Restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities
  • Subsumes most cases of DSM-IV Autistic Disorder, Asperger’s Disorder, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDNOS)

Social Communication Deficits:

  1. Deficits in social-emotional reciprocity: Limited back-and-forth conversation or sharing of interests and feelings
  2. Deficits in nonverbal communication: Poor eye contact, lack of facial expression, misunderstanding or use of gestures
  3. Deficits in developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships: Difficulties adjusting behavior to social context, poor peer relations, lack of interest in peers

Restricted Patterns:

  1. Stereotyped motor movements, objects, or speech (e.g., lining up toys, flipping objects, echoing)
  2. Ineflexible adherence to daily routines
  3. Pathological resistance to change (distress at small changes)
  4. Ritualized behaviors (repetitive questioning, pacing)
  5. Highly restricted and fixated interests (e.g., strong attachment to objects, preoccupation with vacuums)
  6. Abnormal responses to sensory input: extreme reactions to sounds or textures, excessive smelling/touching, fascination with lights or spinning objects, indifference to pain, heat, or cold
  7. Savant abilities in areas like art, music, calendar calculation, math, and spatial skills (fewer than 10% of individuals have such abilities)

Diagnosis and Severity:

  • Signs typically become evident between ages 12-24 months but may not fully manifest until social demands exceed child’s capacities
  • Social, occupational functioning adversely affected
  • Severity level based on deficits in social communication and restricted behaviors:
    • Level 1: Requiring support
    • Level 2: Requiring substantial support
    • Level 3: Requiring very substantial support

Variability:

  • With or Without Accompanying Intellectual Impairment
  • With or Without Accompanying Language Impairment
  • Associated With a Known Medical or Genetic Condition or Environmental Factor
  • Associated With Another Neurodevelopmental, Mental, or Behavioral Disorder

Prevalence:

  • Estimated at 1% worldwide
  • Rates have risen due to expanded definitions, increased awareness, true increase in incidence, or a combination of factors
  • Diagnosed four times more often in boys than girls; girls may go unrecognized if without Intellectual Disability
  • Course is usually toward improvement over time, but only a minority live and work independently.
Echo

Reed's Developmental Delay and Abnormal Behavior

Background:

  • Firstborn child
  • Difficult delivery, needed oxygen at birth
  • Lack of response to social contact and baby games from infancy

Physical Development:

  • Age-appropriate in terms of appearance, motor skills, self-help skills

Concerns:

  • Self-absorbed and aloof from others
  • No interest in other children or communication with siblings
  • Lack of facial expressions, gestures, or mime to express needs
  • Intense attachment to a miniature car
  • Limited repertoire of spontaneous activities: collecting kitchen utensils, assembling puzzles, aimless running around

Behavioral Patterns:

  • Resistance to change or extension of interests
  • Tantrums during attempts to change routines
  • Effective coping mechanisms: playing favorite music or taking long car rides

Diagnostic Indications:

  • Possible deafness ruled out due to love of music and sensitivity to sounds
  • Psychological testing showed impairment in social interaction, communication, and restricted activities (DSM-5, p. 50)

Symptoms:

  • Marked impairment in reciprocal social interaction
  • Limited verbal communication with echoing words and phrases
  • Absence of imaginative play
  • Stereotyped motor mannerisms and interests.
The Roman

Ronald's Case Study

Background:

  • Roman, a 19-year-old man from London
  • Youngest of four children with older siblings who were intelligent and well-adjusted
  • Difficult birth and episodes of cyanosis in first 48 hours
  • Delayed motor and language development but not enough to warrant concern at the time
  • Quiet, self-contained baby and child, never initiated play but did as told
  • No apparent problems, but lacked imaginative pretend play

Developmental Milestones:

  • Poorly coordinated in gross motor movements (rolling over, sitting up)
  • Slow learner in dressing himself and performing other motor tasks
  • Spoke very little but responded to questioning with grammatical speech
  • Odd vocal intonation, spaced rises and falls in speech, avoided eye contact

Behavioral Patterns:

  • Walked the same school route daily, insisted on sitting in same seat
  • Organized desk and books precisely
  • Coped with schoolwork due to good rote memory and reading skills
  • Poor at arithmetic, did less well in all subjects as abstract ideas were demanded
  • Naive and immature, protected from bullying by older siblings
  • No real friends outside family

Interests:

  • Learned to read before school age through TV commercials
  • Began reading about ancient Romans and archaeological remains at around 7 years old
  • Amassed prodigious knowledge on ancient Rome but lacked deeper understanding of historical context
  • Spent all spare time pursuing Roman interests, alienating some peers

Diagnosis:

  • Autism Spectrum Disorder based on long history of odd social behaviors since early childhood
  • Social communication skills impairment at mildest level (requiring support)
  • Restricted patterns of interests and activities, suggesting diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder

Additional Information:

  • Diagnosis encompassed by DSM-5's Autism Spectrum Disorder instead of separate Asperger’s Syndrome diagnosis in prior edition.
Rocking and Reading

Betsy's Case

Background:

  • Betsy, 22 years old, referred for evaluation after "not fitting in" at group home
  • Placed in residential treatment at age 4, remained there since
  • Parents both deceased, no contact with sibling
  • Reported to have several abnormal electroencephalograms but no seizures or medical problems
  • IQ of 55, comparable deficits in adaptive behaviors

Evaluation Findings:

  • Spent time reading children's book, monotonic voice, unable to respond to questions about it
  • Repeated single phrase "Blum, blum" in a monotonic voice
  • Continuous rocking during interview, made eye contact initially but otherwise oblivious of surroundings
  • No initiation of activities, lack of response to examiner's attempts to interest her
  • Self-abusive behavior: repeated pounding of legs, biting hand
  • Physical examination revealed extensive bruises on lower extremities

Early Childhood History:

  • Delayed motor milestones, concerns about hearing
  • Unusual ability to memorize and fascination with reading despite lack of comprehension
  • Repetitive stereotyped behaviors: body rocking, head banging
  • Lack of attachments to parents, idiosyncratic responses to sounds
  • Extreme upset when there were changes in environment

Diagnosis:

  • Autism Spectrum Disorder (DSM-5): impairment in social interaction, abnormal speech, repetitive stereotyped behaviors, restricted range of interests
  • Stereotypic Movement Disorder: self-injurious behavior, severe enough to be a focus of treatment
  • Intellectual Disability (DSM-5): accompanying limitation to independent function
  • Previous diagnosis of Childhood Schizophrenosis not relevant due to lack of continuity with adult psychosis.
Reggie’s Regression

Reggie's Case

Reggie's Background:

  • Born to professional parents
  • Normally sociable baby, developed normally up to age 3
  • Enrolled in nursery school and toilet trained at that time
  • Parents had videotapes showing normal development

Regression:

  • Around the birth of a sibling, Reggie became anxious and agitated
  • Over several weeks, his behavior regressed markedly in:
    • Toilet training
    • Age-appropriate self-care activities
    • Social skills
    • Spending hours rocking back and forth
  • By age 4, Reggie was functioning at a 1-year level in cognitive and communicative abilities
  • Exhibited behavioral features suggestive of autism (lack of social responsivity, difficulties with transitions, stereotyped movements)

Evaluation Findings:

  • No specific medical condition identified from extensive medical evaluations
  • Reggie was enrolled in a special education program with full-time aide and educational supports by age 6
  • Despite the supports, Reggie made few developmental gains and remained almost entirely mute

Discussion:

  • Reggie's case is characterized by severe impairment in language and social reciprocity, and presence of stereotyped behavior
  • This suggests a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (DSM-5)
  • Regression after age 3 is very rare in autism, although loss of skills can occur between ages 12 and 24 months
  • The prognosis for such cases of regression is worse compared to early onset autism
  • Parents' reports of a psychosocial event (e.g., sibling birth) may be chance associations reflecting common life changes in preschool children.

ATTENTION-DEFICIT/ HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER

1.7 Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Definition:

  • Persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that interferes with functioning or development
  • Diagnosis requires onset before age 12, symptoms present for at least 6 months in multiple settings, and significant impairment to social, academic, or occupational functioning

Symptoms: *Inattention:

  • Not paying attention to details
  • Careless mistakes
  • Difficulty sustaining attention
  • Avoiding tasks requiring mental effort
  • Easily distracted
  • Forgetfulness *Hyperactivity-Impulsivity:
  • Fidgeting
  • Leaving seat when expected to remain seated
  • Running about or climbing inappropriately
  • Difficulty playing quietly
  • Talking excessively
  • Impulsive answers
  • Difficulty waiting turn
  • Interrupting others

Specifiers:

  • Predominantly Inattentive Presentation: multiple signs of inattention, few hyperactivity symptoms
  • Predominantly Hyperactive/Impulsive Presentation: many signs of hyperactivity or impulsivity, few inattention symptoms
  • Combined Presentation: many symptoms of both inattention and hyperactivity
  • In Partial Remission: some improvement but functional impairment persists

Diagnosis Considerations:

  • Rule out other conditions with similar symptoms (e.g., Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorders, Depression, Anxiety Disorders, Substance Abuse, Personality Disorders)

Prevalence:

  • Approximately 5% of children and 2.5% of adults affected
  • More common in males than females
  • Most often diagnosed during elementary school years
  • Persists into early adolescence; hyperactivity may improve but inattention and impulsivity often persist

Impact:

  • Affects academic achievement, social relationships, occupational potential
  • Increases risk for substance use problems, antisocial behavior, and incarceration
  • Traffic accidents and injuries common.
Daydreamer

Pavel's Case Study

Background:

  • 11 years old, brought for psychiatric consultation by parents
  • Described as:
    • Socially immature
    • Difficulty making friends
    • Unhappy/unfocused
    • Lazy
  • Current school year was particularly hard
  • Parents report:
    • Pavel gets picked on, says the wrong things
    • Demanding baby, never sleeps, cries a lot
    • Quiet toddler
    • B average in elementary school, grades dropped in 7th grade
    • Absent-minded behavior, daydreams instead of focusing on homework
    • Difficulty following instructions during basketball team
    • Disorganized at school, trouble keeping attention on work
    • Trouble understanding complex conversations
    • Preferentially spends time on sports activities
    • Has never developed a social network at camp
  • Parents have "excellent" marriage, only conflict over Pavel
  • Two younger brothers with no emotional problems

Psychiatric Evaluation:

  • Coerced by mother to attend evaluation
  • Admits trouble making friends, poor school performance
  • Favorite subjects: math and English, does poorly in both
  • Fights with father, criticisms can make him cry
  • Afraid of being labeled "crazy"
  • No problem sleeping, excellent appetite
  • Spends hours watching TV, prefers tennis over team sports
  • Wishes to become a professional basketball player
  • Consistently reported poor organizational skills
  • No disciplinary problems at school

Diagnosis and Treatment:

  • Diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), predominantly inattentive presentation
  • Began taking methylphenidate, a stimulant, 2 months after evaluation
  • Improved academic performance, social skills, and relationships with parents
Into Everything

Evan's Behavior Characteristics:

  • Referred to a child psychiatrist due to difficulties at school
  • Suspended twice for disruptive behavior
  • Restless and unable to concentrate, roams around class
  • Fidgets with hands and feet, drops things on the floor
  • Difficult to manage in class: impulsive, lacks patience
  • Previous treatment with stimulants (amphetamine/dextromethamphetamine)

Symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD):

  • Inattention: difficulty sustaining attention, seems unaware of surroundings
  • Impulsivity: acts before thinking, unable to wait for turn
  • Hyperactivity: restlessness, fidgeting, difficulty remaining seated

Evan's Symptoms:

  • Primary symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsivity
  • Inattention also present but less dominant
  • Diagnosis requires symptoms in multiple situations (school and home)
  • Onset before age 12: Evan's symptoms started at 3 years old
  • Predominantly Hyperactive/Impulsive Presentation.
A Wandering Mind

Patient Profile: Noreen Hamilton

Background:

  • Applied for treatment at a mental health clinic
  • Complained of wandering mind, difficulty focusing, easily distracted
  • Disorganized, restless, irritable, bad-tempered
  • Overreacts emotionally, often depressed
  • Relationship with long-time lover strained
  • Frequent arguments due to temper and inability to solve problems
  • Difficulty handling two young boys, described as "hyperactive"

Childhood History:

  • Placed in 95th percentile for childhood "hyperactivity"
  • Disciplinary problem in elementary school
  • Dropped out of high school
  • No treatment as a child
  • Saw counselor twice: once at age 20 and again at age 23
  • Marriage ended after birth of third child, briefly went to counseling
  • Received antidepressant medication without improvement

Diagnosis:

  • ADHD in Partial Remission (DSM-5, p. 59)
  • Long-term problems with mood lability, interpersonal relationships, difficulty controlling anger
  • No other characteristic features of Borderline Personality Disorder: identity issues, intense relationships, suicidal behavior, emptiness.

Symptoms:

  • Difficulty sustaining attention
  • Trouble organizing tasks
  • Easily distracted
  • As a child: failing to attend to details, problems following through on instructions.

Additional Information:

  • Ms. Hamilton's memory of childhood was sketchy
  • Her energy level was not unusually high.

SPECIFIC LEARNING DISORDER

1.8 Specific Learning Disorder

Specific Learning Disorder (SLD)

Definition: Difficulties learning and using academic skills despite interventions, affecting reading, writing, math, or other areas (DSM-5).

Types of SLD:

  • With Impairment in Reading: problems with word recognition, decoding, spelling, reading fluency, or comprehension. Dyslexia may be present.
  • With Impairment in Written Expression: difficulties in spelling accuracy, grammar, punctuation, organization.
  • With Impairment in Mathematics: issues with number sense, arithmetic facts, calculation, mathematical reasoning. Dyscalculia may be present.

Symptoms:

  • Manifest during school age when academic demands exceed abilities
  • Below expected levels for age on diagnostic tests
  • Severe enough to impact daily life negatively
  • Not explained by intellectual disabilities, sensory issues, mental disorders, or inadequate instruction.

Prevalence: 5% to 15% in children worldwide; 4% in adults.

Case Studies:

Janet's Case:

  • Struggling with learning and memory problems
  • Failing or barely passing some subjects (reading, English, arithmetic, spelling)
  • Average intelligence
  • No diagnosis of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), Conduct Disorder, or Intellectual Disability based on history and testing results.
  • Possible Specific Learning Disorder with Impairment in Reading.

Ed's Case:

  • Failing in school across multiple subjects: arithmetic, spelling, science
  • Average to high average intelligence
  • No diagnosis of ADHD, ODD, Conduct Disorder, or Intellectual Disability based on history and testing results.
  • Possible Specific Learning Disorder with Impairment in Mathematics.

MOTOR DISORDERS.

1.9 Developmental Coordination Disorder

Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD)

Characteristics:

  • Acquisition and execution of coordinated motor skills below expected level for age
  • Manifestations include clumsiness, slow or inaccurate performance of motor skills
  • Affects daily living activities and academic/occupational functioning
  • Not the result of visual problems or neurological conditions

Prevalence:

  • 5%-6% in children ages 5-11 years
  • More common in boys than girls

Onset:

  • Early childhood onset
  • Relatively stable course with persistence into adolescence for most children

Case Study: Juan

Background:

  • Late motor milestones (standing, sitting, walking)
  • History of bruises and falls
  • Difficulty with fine motor coordination (buttoning clothes, tying shoelaces, handwriting)
  • Avoidance of physical activities and team sports
  • Stomachaches as a way to avoid challenges
  • Above-average intelligence and academic performance, but below average on motor skills assessment

Manifestations:

  • Clumsiness: dropping things, bumping into objects
  • Slow or inaccurate performance: unable to catch ball, ride bike, complete puzzles, use utensils, write
  • Irritability and avoidance behavior due to motor difficulties

Diagnostic Criteria:

  • Substantially below expected level for age in motor skill acquisition and execution
  • Severe enough to impact daily living activities and academic/occupational functioning
  • Not the result of visual problems or neurological conditions.

1.10 Stereotypic Movement Disorder

Stereotypic Movement Disorder

Characteristics:

  • Repetitive, seemingly driven, and purposeless motor behavior (DSM-5, p. 77)
  • Hand shaking or waving, body rocking, head banging, self-biting, self-hitting
  • Maladaptive behaviors interfering with social and academic functioning
  • May result in self-injury and medical emergencies
  • Specifiers: With Self-Injurious Behavior, Associated With a Known Medical or Genetic Condition, Neurodevelopmental Disorder, or Environmental Factor

Prevalence:

  • Up to 3%—4% of the population (complex stereotypic movements)
  • Up to 16% of individuals with Intellectual Disability

Onset and Course:

  • Repetitive behaviors typically begin within first 3 years of life
  • Most children outgrow or improve with intervention
  • Persists more in individuals with Intellectual Disability

Case Study: "The Pretzel"

  • 14-year-old boy with Severe Intellectual Disability and Blindness
  • Premature birth, retinopathy of prematurity, and cerebral dysfunction diagnosis
  • Self-injurious behaviors since early life, difficult to manage at home
  • Transferred to a new residential school for children with multiple disabilities
  • Stereotypic self-injurious and self-restraining behaviors interfered with daily activities and education
  • Focus of behavior modification program and antipsychotic medication treatment
  • Improvement when engaging in tasks with trusted teacher, regression upon departure
  • Lack of communicative language prevented assessment for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder or Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis
  • Diagnosis: Stereotypic Movement Disorder With Self-Injurious Behavior (DSM-5, p. 77)

TIC DISORDERS

1.11 Tic Disorders

Tic Disorders

Definition:

  • A tic is a sudden, rapid, recurrent nonrhythmic motor movement or vocalization (DSM-5, p. 81)
  • Can be either simple or complex

Types of Tics:

  • Simple Motor Tics: Short duration, include eye blinking, shoulder shrugging, extension of extremities (DSM-5, p. 82)
  • Complex Motor Tics: Longer duration, can include a combination of simple tics, appear purposeful or imitate others' movements (DSM-5, p. 82)
  • Simple Vocal Tics: Throat clearing, sniffing, grunting (DSM-5, p. 82)
  • Complex Vocal Tics: Repeating one's own sounds or words, repeating last heard word/phrase, uttering socially unacceptable words (DSM-5, p. 82)

Tic Disorders in DSM-5:

  • Tourette’s Disorder: Multiple motor and one or more vocal tics, persistent for over 1 year, not caused by substances or medical conditions (DSM-5, p. 83)
  • Persistent (Chronic) Motor or Vocal Tic Disorder: Exclusively motor or vocal tics, persisting for over 1 year, no history of Tourette’s Disorder (DSM-5, p. 83)
  • Provisional Tic Disorder: Single or multiple motor and/or vocal tics, persisting less than 1 year (DSM-5, p. 84)

Prevalence and Characteristics of Tourette’s Disorder:

  • Rare disorder, prevalence in school-age children estimated at 0.3%-0.8% (DSM-5, p. 81)
  • More common in males than females
  • Onset typically between ages 4 and 6 years
  • Symptoms most severe around age 10 or 12
  • Often improves during adolescence but can persist into adulthood

Case Study: Embarrassed Sal Borelli

  • Diagnosis: Tourette’s Disorder (DSM-5, p. 83)
  • Onset at age 13, multiple motor and vocal tics
  • Functioned well academically despite tics
  • Military service led to temporary improvement but symptoms returned after discharge
  • Social life increasingly constricted due to tics
  • Treated with antipsychotic medication (pimozide), which eliminated 99% of symptoms

Case Study: Alan

  • Diagnosis: Tourette’s Disorder (DSM-5, p. 83)
  • Complex motor and vocal tics, onset at age 10
  • Obsessions and compulsions also present but not impairing enough to warrant additional diagnosis of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
  • Difficulty distinguishing complex motor tics from compulsions.

CHAPTER 2 Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders

Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders

Overview:

  • Diagnostic class in DSM-5 that includes a range of disorders characterized by impaired thinking, behavior, and emotions indicative of loss of contact with reality
  • Psychosis: broadly defined term for impaired functioning in one or more domains

Domains of Symptoms:

  • Hallucinations: false sensory perceptions in the absence of external stimuli
    • Auditory, visual, olfactory, gustatory, tactile, somatic hallucinations
    • Distinguished from illusions, dreams, and imagery
  • Delusions: fixed, falsely held beliefs despite contradictory evidence
    • Belief in supernatural or subcultural tenets not considered delusional
    • Only when belief deviates markedly from framework is it considered delusional
  • Disorganized thinking or speech
    • Fragmented, loosely associated thoughts and statements
    • Difficulty maintaining train of thought
    • Use of neologisms, perseveration, clanging
  • Grossly disorganized or abnormal motor behavior (including catatonia)
    • Extremely abnormal behaviors not goal-directed
    • Catatonic behaviors: dramatic decrease or increase in activity, decreased awareness of environment
  • Negative symptoms: deficits in normal mental functioning that impair functioning
    • Diminished emotional expression (flattened affect)
    • Avolition: lack of motivation to initiate and perform activities
    • Diminished ability to experience pleasure, diminished speech output

Disorders in this Chapter:

  • Schizophrenia: persistent psychotic disorder with various types of symptoms and functional decline
  • Schizophreniform Disorder: briefer psychotic disorder that often progresses to Schizophrenia
  • Schizoaffective Disorder: persistent psychotic disorder with mixture of psychotic and mood symptoms
  • Delusional Disorder: persistent delusions without other psychotic symptoms
  • Brief Psychotic Disorder: psychotic symptoms resolving within 1 month
  • Catatonia: syndrome of catatonic symptoms
  • Substance / Medication-Induced Psychotic Disorder: hallucinations or delusions due to substance or medication use
  • Other Specified Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders: psychotic presentations not meeting criteria for specific disorders
  • Psychotic Disorder Due to Another Medical Condition: hallucinations or delusions due to direct effects on the central nervous system
  • Schizotypal Personality Disorder: genetically related to Schizophrenia, discussed in DSM-5's Personality Disorders chapter.

Characteristic Features of Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders

Disorder:

  • Schizophrenia

    • Key characteristics:
      • Active-phase symptoms (delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, grossly disorganized or catatonic behavior, negative symptoms) lasting at least 1 month
      • Duration of symptoms: 6 months or more
      • Level of functioning significantly impaired in major life areas
  • Schizophreniform Disorder

    • Key characteristics:
      • Active-phase symptoms similar to Schizophrenia
      • Duration of symptoms: less than 6 months
      • Some degree of impairment, but not severe enough to interfere with major life areas
  • Schizoaffective Disorder

    • Key characteristics:
      • Active-phase symptoms of Schizophrenia and Affective Disorder (e.g., Major Depressive Disorder or Bipolar Disorder)
      • Duration of symptoms: 6 months or more
      • Degree of impairment varies depending on the dominant symptom type
  • Delusional Disorder

    • Key characteristics:
      • Persistent delusions without other psychotic symptoms
      • Duration: longer than 1 month
  • Brief Psychotic Disorder

    • Key characteristics:
      • Active-phase symptoms of Schizophrenia or another psychotic disorder
      • Duration less than 6 months
      • Less severe than Schizophrenia
  • Catatonia

    • Key characteristics:
      • Psychomotor disturbance with varying motor activity and engagement levels
      • May be associated with other psychiatric or medical conditions
  • Substance/Medication-Induced Psychotic Disorder

    • Key characteristics:
      • Active-phase symptoms of psychosis (delusions, hallucinations) due to substance or medication use
      • Duration depends on the length of substance use
  • Other Specified Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders

    • Key characteristics:
      • Symptoms characteristic of a psychotic disorder
      • Do not meet full criteria for any specific psychotic disorder in this chapter
      • Cause clinically significant distress or impairment.

2.1 Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia

Definition:

  • Severe and debilitating mental disorder in DSM-5's Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders
  • Characterized by cognitive, behavioral, emotional dysfunctions
  • Impairments in perception, inferential thinking, fluency and productivity of thought and speech, behavioral monitoring, cognition, emotional expression
  • Persists for at least 6 months with a significant impact on psychosocial functioning

Symptoms: Positive symptoms:

  • Delusions: distortion or exaggeration of inferential thinking
  • Hallucinations: distortions in perception
  • Disorganized speech: distortions in language, communication, and thought processes
  • Grossly disorganized or catatonic behavior: distortions in behavioral monitoring

Negative symptoms:

  • Avolition: restrictions in initiating goal-directed behavior
  • Diminished emotional expression: restrictions on range and intensity of emotions

Diagnosis:

  • At least two significant symptoms present for a significant amount of time during the same 1-month period, including at least one delusion, hallucination, or disorganized speech
  • Heterogeneous presentation with persistence and negative impact on psychosocial functioning
  • Differentiate from drug use or medical conditions

Additional Information:

  • Prodromal phase: a forerunner to the first active phase of the illness
  • Residual phases: milder versions of positive and negative symptoms between active phases
  • Cognitive impairment common, linked to academic and occupational impairment
    • Problems with attention, memory, planning, organization, insight
  • Onset typically in late teens to early 30s (earlier for males than females)
  • Affects between 0.3% and 0.7% of the population.
Under Surveillance

Mr. Stanton's Case History:

Background:

  • 44-year-old single, unemployed white man
  • Bringing him to the emergency room by police for striking an elderly woman
  • Gradual onset of delusions since law school:
    • Convinced classmates were making fun of him
    • Belief that girlfriend had been replaced
    • Increasingly suspicious and withdrawn at work
    • First reported hearing voices, leading to hospitalizations

Hospitalization History:

  • 12 hospital stays, longest for 8 months
  • Last 5 years: only 1 hospitalization for 3 weeks
  • Regular antipsychotic medication use but often discontinued
  • Total social isolation, except for meetings with uncle and mental health workers
  • Manages own finances, cooks, cleans, reads Wall Street Journal

Delusions:

  • Belief that his apartment is center of large communication system
    • Secret cameras monitoring activities
    • Announcer comments on minor actions
    • Neighbors and "actors" under surveillance
  • Two machines controlling experiences:
    • Harassing voices from neighbor's machine
    • Erotic dreams from "dream machine" (generates erotic dreams with black women)
  • Unusual experiences, such as altered shoes
  • Belief that great effort and resources are invested in keeping him under surveillance

Diagnosis:

  • Schizophrenia based on delusions, hallucinations, impairment in functioning, absence of mood disturbance or medical condition

Violence:

  • Assaulted elderly neighbor due to belief she operated machine causing voices
  • Possible diminished capacity for rational decision making and control if charged with a crime.

Additional Information:

  • Schizophrenia is the diagnosis based on DSM-5 criteria: delusions, hallucinations, severe impairment in functioning, absence of sustained mood disturbance or other medical condition or substance that can account for the symptoms.
  • Individuals with Schizophrenia are more likely to be violent than general population but account for less than 5% of societal violence.
Eating Wires

Mr. Rodriguez's Case Profile

Background:

  • 40-year-old man, appears younger
  • 12th hospitalization
  • Dressed in ragged overcoat, slippers, baseball cap
  • Wears several medals around neck
  • Affect ranges from anger to seductive behavior
  • Speech childlike, mincing step, exaggerated hip movements

Mother's Report:

  • Stopped taking medication a month ago
  • Hears voices, acts bizarrely
  • Previous hospitalizations for disorganized behavior
  • No known history of drug or alcohol abuse

Symptoms:

  • Disorganized behavior: inappropriate attire, missing medications
  • Incoherent speech with frequent clang associations: "eating wires and fighting fires"
  • Auditory hallucinations: hearing voices

Diagnosis: Schizophrenia (DSM-5, p. 99)

  • Dominated by disorganized behavior
  • Repeatedly discontinues antipsychotic medications

Challenges:

  • Lack of insight into mental illness and need for medication
  • Side effects of medication not preferred
  • Chronic disorganization interfering with adherence.
Low Life Level

Case Study: Louise Larkin

Background:

  • Pale, stooped woman of 39 years
  • Referred for psychiatric evaluation due to low functioning level
  • Previously a supervisor in occupational therapy department
  • Engaged to be married but broke off engagement, became disorganized and withdrawn

History:

  • 12 years ago: Fired from job, wandered aimlessly, wore mismatched clothing
  • Hospitalized for 3 months with no available information
  • After hospitalization, became increasingly withdrawn and less functional
  • Spent most of time watching TV and cooking
  • Cooked bizarre combinations of ingredients, ate alone
  • Collected cookbooks and recipes, cluttered room
  • Stopped bathing, brushing hair or teeth
  • Lost 20 pounds, slept at odd hours
  • Became enuretic, wet bed frequently

Presentation on Admission:

  • Saturated affect, avoided looking at doctor
  • Denied depressed mood, delusions, or hallucinations
  • Answers became increasingly idiosyncratic and irrelevant
  • Replied that there's more of a take-off mechanism when younger about her strange cooking habits
  • Believed some writers were directing comical elements in an elemental way
  • Spoke with tangential speech, preoccupied with irrelevant details
  • Treated with antipsychotic and antidepressant medications

Progress:

  • Improved significantly during hospitalization
  • Returned home, enrolled in day program, continued outpatient treatment
  • Dropped out of cooking group due to preoccupation with irrelevant details
  • Demonstrated slight tangentiality in speech
  • Attends less demanding day program, takes good care of personal appearance.

Diagnosis:

  • Schizophrenia (DSM-5, p. 99)
  • Onset of symptoms in late 20s
  • Severe negative symptoms: lack of motivation, self-care difficulties, incoherent speech, disorganized behavior.
The Witch

Mrs. Dubois' Case

Background:

  • Admitted to hospital due to anxiety, suspicion, and hearing voices for 2 months
  • Husband reported normal behavior until 2 months ago
  • Withdrawn, neglected household duties, spent days wandering in her house
  • Felt frightened and feared something was going on
  • Heard voices day and night, preventing sleep
  • Believed neighbors were involved but no reason given
  • Discussed symptoms coherently without losing thread of thoughts

Symptoms:

  • Hearing voices: running commentary, identifying her as a witch, suggesting destruction
  • Somatic hallucinations: electrical discharges in genital area
  • Delusions: neighbors spying, thoughts not her own
  • No evidence of physical illness or substance abuse

Diagnosis:

  • Schizophrenia (DSM-5, p. 99)
  • Persistent psychotic symptoms interfering with functioning
  • Symptoms include hallucinations, delusions, disorganized speech and behavior, negative symptoms
  • Onset at age 45 is relatively unusual but appropriate diagnosis due to duration of symptoms (14 months)

History:

  • No major depression prior to hospitalization
  • Some depression after admission but time-limited
  • Previously regarded as humbug: telepathy, clairvoyance
  • Discontinued medication with reappearance of voices

Unusual Aspects:

  • Age at onset (45 years old)
  • Good social functioning before symptom onset
  • Paranoid delusions and hallucinations as opposed to disorganized speech and behavior, negative symptoms
  • Visual, somatic, and olfactory hallucinations present.
Star Wars

Susan Ashcroft's Case Study

Background:

  • Age: 15 years old
  • Request for placement advice from school district authorities
  • Difficulty in school, behavioral issues at home
  • Diagnosed with emotional disturbance

Behavioral Patterns:

  • Disruptive in class with animal noises and fantasies
  • Aggressive towards parents and brother
  • Obsession with Star Wars, space, and futuristic inventions
  • Unpredictable behavior, strange stories, talking to herself
  • Sleep disturbances and wandering at night
  • Preoccupation with making robots and complex calculations
  • Claims of hearing voices and communicating with a creature
  • Delusions and hallucinations

Medical History:

  • Prenatal and perinatal unremarkable
  • Developmental milestones delayed, IQ in the low 70s
  • Concerns about intellectual ability since school entry
  • Previous evaluations suggested bizarre thought processes and fragmented ego structure
  • No suicide attempts or suicidal ideation reported

Family History:

  • Parents in their early 40s, taciturn father, loquacious mother
  • Mother claims unusual childhood experiences in India with dramatic episodes
  • Restricted relationship between parents
  • Older brother, apparently normal child with average school career
  • Brother avoids spending time with Susan due to her behavior

Assessment:

  • Schizophrenia diagnosis based on delusions and hallucinations
  • Possible Autism Spectrum Disorder consideration: severe difficulties in social interaction, restricted behaviors, preoccupation with space
  • Mother's unusual beliefs and history suggestive of Schizotypical Personality Disorder.

2.2 Schizophreniform Disorder

Schizophreniform Disorder

Diagnostic Features:

  • Shares most diagnostic features with Schizophrenia but duration is between 1 and 6 months
  • No requirement for markedly below functioning level before symptom onset

Clinical Situations:

  • For individuals who have recovered after a psychotic episode lasting 1-6 months
  • For individuals in the midst of a psychotic episode that has lasted less than 6 months

Prognosis:

  • Individuals with Schizophreniform Disorder have better long-term prognosis than Schizophrenia
  • Factors associated with good prognosis:
    • Onset of full-blown psychotic symptoms within 1 month of behavior change
    • Confusion or perplexity at the height of psychotic episode
    • Good functioning before onset of psychosis

Case Study: Late Bloomer (Jeanette Fielding)

  • 35-year-old single, college-educated black woman
  • Escorted to emergency room after sister's concern about erratic work patterns
  • Only prior psychiatric contact was brief therapy in college
  • Experienced bizarre symptoms, including "thought broadcasting"
  • Poised and relaxed appearance, despite symptoms
  • Attributed job loss to economy, denied mood disturbance or psychotic symptoms
  • Believed people could read her thoughts and repeat them, felt overwhelmed by this ability
  • Considered hiring a hit man to threaten or eliminate upstairs neighbors
  • Discharged from hospital after 2 weeks, stopped attending clinic follow-up
  • Treated with antipsychotic medication, which remitted symptoms within months
  • Obtained work with temporary employment agency
Postpartum Piety

Case Study: Mrs. Zela Akerele's Postpartum Psychosis

Background:

  • 30-year-old high school teacher from Lagos, Nigeria
  • Married with five children
  • Complicated delivery due to excessive bleeding and infection
  • Hospitalized for 3 weeks postpartum

Symptoms:

  1. Agitated behavior
  2. Dazed appearance
  3. Belief in being a sinner, needing reborn
  4. Fasting and keeping vigil through the nights
  5. Claiming to wrestle with spirits
  6. Accusations against psychiatrist and doctors
  7. Delusions of being filmed, attacked, or poisoned
  8. Announcing riots in town
  9. Belief that doctors are "idol worshipers"
  10. Seeking help from priests and religion
  11. Hallucinations with religious content
  12. Delusions of guilt
  13. Suicidal ideation (implied)

Diagnosis:

  • Postpartum psychosis or Schizophreniform Disorder
    • DSM-5 does not offer a specific postpartum psychosis diagnosis
    • Mrs. Akerele's symptoms do not fit neatly into Manic Episode, Major Depressive Episode, Brief Psychotic Disorder, or any other DSM-5 diagnostic category

Treatment:

  1. Antipsychotic medication: chlorpromazine
  2. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) - six treatments
  3. Traditional healing and spiritual church healers in Nigeria

Prevalence and Considerations:

  • Postpartum psychosis prevalence is 0.1%-0.2% of the population
  • One of the rarer psychiatric disorders but considered a psychiatric emergency due to rapid onset and potential for severe outcomes
  • DSM-5 includes the specifier "With Peripartum Onset" that can be applied to various diagnoses if symptoms develop during pregnancy or within 4 weeks postpartum
  • ECT is an effective treatment for postpartum psychosis, although traditional healing methods are often preferred in Nigeria.

2.3 Schizoaffective Disorder

Schizoaffective Disorder

Definition:

  • Hybrid of Schizophrenia/Schizophreniform Disorder and Mood Disorder (Bipolar or Major Depressive)

Characteristics:

  • Overlapping psychotic and mood symptoms: delusions, hallucinations, mania, depression
  • Two types based on pattern of mood symptoms: Bipolar Type or Depressive Type

Differentiation from Other Disorders:

  • Schizophrenia: less time with mood symptoms present (minority of illness duration)
  • Psychotic Mood Disorders: psychotic symptoms occur only during mood episodes

Treatment and Prognosis:

  • Treatment: mood-stabilizing medications for Bipolar Type, antidepressants for Depressive Type, antipsychotics for psychotic symptoms
  • Long-term prognosis: better than Schizophrenia but worse than psychotic Mood Disorders

Case Study: Foster Mother Sophie Baumann

Background:

  • 44-year-old mother of three teenagers, separated from husband for 10 years
  • Shy, emotional constricted person with no history of illness before last year
  • Previously cared for foster children full time for 4 years

Symptoms and Diagnosis:

  • One year ago: psychotic symptoms (delusions, auditory hallucinations) without mood disturbance
  • Hospitalized, received antipsychotic medication (ziprasidone), developed Major Depressive Episode
  • Treated with antidepressant (venlafaxine), persistent depression despite multiple trials of different medications
  • Diagnosis: Schizoaffective Disorder, Depressive Type (no evidence of mania)

2.4 Delusional Disorder

Delusional Disorder

  • Persistent psychotic disorder with primary symptom being one or more delusions lasting at least 1 month
  • Absence of other psychotic symptoms like hallucinations, disorganized thinking or behavior (Schizophrenia)
  • No obvious signs of mental illness apart from impact on functioning
  • Examples: belief in secret government surveillance, jealousy, erotomania, somatic sensations, grandiosity
  • DSM-5 provides various subtypes based on predominant theme of delusional belief: Persecutory, Jealous, Erotomanic, Somatic, Grandiose, Unspecified
  • Rare disorder with an estimated prevalence of 0.2%
  • Most common form is the Persecutory Type
  • No major gender differences in overall frequency
  • Can start from adolescence but typically begins in middle to late adulthood
  • Sudden onset
  • Long-term outcome varies, up to half of patients may experience lasting remission.
Contract on My Life

Patient Profile: Robert Polsen

Background:

  • 45-year-old married black postal worker and father of two
  • Bringed to emergency room by wife due to delusion of a "contract out on his life"

Symptoms:

  • Belief that coworkers were avoiding him, later convinced they were part of "hit team"
  • Frightened by presence of large white cars in his neighborhood
  • Refused to leave apartment without an escort
  • Delusional belief that boss had put a contract out on his life

Diagnosis:

  • Delusional Disorder (DSM-5, p. 90)
  • Persecutory Type

Behavioral Observations:

  • Well-adjusted and outgoing person until delusion emerged
  • Anxious mood predominant throughout hospitalization
  • Denied hallucinations or other psychotic symptoms apart from delusion
  • Initially denied being depressed, but later reported difficulty sleeping

Treatment:

  • Received antipsychotic medication (risperidone) during first week of hospitalization
  • Beliefs did not fade significantly until continued treatment over 3 weeks
  • At discharge, believed "boss has called off the contract"

Delusional Thinking:

  • Diagnostically challenging to determine if belief is delusional or based in reality
  • In this case: boss's reaction to grievance hearing stretches credibility, indicating it is delusional
  • Typical referential nature of persecutory delusions present (misinterpreting innocuous actions as significant)
  • Incorporation of additional individuals into paranoid belief system

Atypical Aspects:

  • Reluctance to seek help is not typical for Persecutory Type Delusional Disorder
  • Effectiveness of antipsychotic medication in treatment is often less than Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, or Major Depressive Disorder.
Dear Doctor

Mrs. Field's Case Study

Symptoms:

  • Belief that a physician is intensely in love with her, despite no declaration from him
  • Interpreting casual remarks and gestures as cues to his feelings
  • Felt the physician gave her significant glances and made suggestive movements
  • Believed the physician was married and couldn't admit his feelings
  • Experienced frequent, intense abdominal sensations (later identified as sexual feelings)
  • Became increasingly distressed and agitated, leading to inability to work

Psychiatric Evaluation:

  • Initially embarrassed to confide in male psychiatrist
  • Transferred to a female psychiatrist who helped her pour forth her story
  • Diagnosed with Delusional Disorder, Erotomanic Type (DSM-5, p. 90)
  • Unshakable belief that physician is passionately devoted to her
  • Responded well to medication (pimozide) over a period of 3-4 weeks
  • Remains well 3 years later, still believes physician loves her but is no longer distressed

Background:

  • Illegitimate child whose stepfather was excessively strict
  • Learned slowly and always in trouble at home and school
  • Grew up anxious and afraid, consulted many doctors for hypochondriacal concerns
  • Insecure in company
  • Asexual marriage with husband who was perceived as overly critical and demanding
  • Could not confide in her husband about the "love" affair

Erotomanic Delusion:

  • Convinced that another person, often more socially prominent, is secretly in love with them
  • Individuals may stalk celebrities due to this delusion
  • More common among women, but men can be affected as well
  • Can lead to aggression toward companions of the "love object"
Unfaithful Wife

Case Study: Unfaithful Wife

Patient Profile:

  • Marnie Callahan: 48-year-old woman who took an overdose of sleeping pills
  • Casey Callahan: 50-year-old husband with delusional beliefs about wife's infidelity

Background:

  • Marriage was stable until onset of husband's irrational jealous behavior
  • Mr. Callahan had a history of heavy drinking and occasional violence in his youth but had ceased these behaviors by mid-30s
  • He had never used street drugs

Symptoms:

  • Increasingly jealous and accusatory towards wife for past 18 months
  • Belief in irrational evidence: multiple lovers, late night rendezvous, communications via lights and mirrors
  • Wrong-number telephone calls seen as proof of infidelity
  • Refused to accept food or cigarettes from his wife
  • No physical assaults but became increasingly distressed and haggard, lost 15 pounds
  • Fearful wife may leave him, considering violence herself
  • Wife considered leaving him due to husband's irrational behavior

Diagnosis:

  • Delusional Disorder, Jealous Type (DSM-5)
  • Belief in his wife's infidelity: grossly improbable and extreme behavior indicators of delusion
  • Possible secondary persecutory delusion that she was trying to poison him

Treatment:

  • Anti-psychotic medication Pimozide
  • Effective in eliminating delusions but continued treatment needed for symptom management.
Fleas

Patient Case: Mr. Wallace's Flea Infestation

Background:

  • Consulted dermatologist due to fleas for a year, no evidence found
  • Referred for psychiatric consultation
  • Initially resisted recommendation
  • Had history of myocardial infarction (heart attack) and smoking cessation
  • Previous marriage ended in desertion, lived alone for many years

Symptoms:

  • Delusional belief in flea infestation
    • Visual misinterpretations or hallucinations
    • Unshakeable conviction
  • Anxiety and anger at times
  • Normal consciousness and cognitive functions

Psychiatric Assessment:

  • Primary symptom: somatic delusion
    • Delusional Disorder diagnosis (DSM-5)
      • Exception for visual hallucinations related to delusional content
  • Initially sought help from non-psychiatric physicians
  • Reluctantly agreed to medication treatment (pimozide)
  • Improved after 6 months, stopped medication on his own

Additional Information:

  • Alert and friendly demeanor during interview
  • Angry when discussing dismissive doctors
  • Normal mood except for anxiety and anger
  • Stable basic personality.

2.5 Brief Psychotic Disorder

Brief Psychotic Disorder

Symptoms:

  • Symptoms of psychosis that last anywhere from a few days to 1 month
  • Positive symptoms: delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, or grossly disorganized behavior
  • Emotional turmoil or overwhelming confusion
  • Rapid shifts in mood states (agitation and irritability to depression)

Characteristics:

  • Abrupt onset, often following major life events causing significant emotional upset
  • Episodic nature, may not last long but can recur
  • Best prognosis among psychotic disorders for most individuals

Case Study: The Socialite Mrs. Cabot

  • Socialite experiencing a brief psychotic episode after friend's death and major life stressors
  • Convinced friend was not killed in car accident, part of a plot to deceive her
  • Believed to be under surveillance (phone tapped, rooms "bugged")
  • Heard high-pitched undulating sound, believed to be an ultrasound beam aimed at her
  • Diagnosis unclear; medical evaluation necessary to rule out drugs or other causes
  • Symptoms resolved within days and she returned to normal.

2.6 Catatonia Associated With Another Mental Disorder/Catatonic Disorder Due to Another Medical Condition

Characteristics of Catatonia:

  • Marked psychomotor disturbance
  • Decreased motor activity: stupor, catalepsy, waxy flexibility
  • Decreased engagement: mutism, negativism
  • Excessive and peculiar motor activity: complex behaviors, facial grimacing, echolalia, echopraxia
  • May require careful supervision to avoid self-harm or harming others

Association With Mental Disorders:

  • Commonly associated with severe depression or bipolar disorder
  • Occasionally due to schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders

Case Study: Mute Cathy

  • 25-year-old mother with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
  • Admitted in acute confusional state, uncontrollable agitation
  • Developed rigidity, mutism, unresponsiveness, facial grimacing
  • Alternated between catatonic negativism and stupor, and periods of catatonic excitement with agitation and psychotic symptoms
  • Diagnosis: Delirium Due to Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (DSM-5) and Catatonic Disorder Due to Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (DSM-5)

Treatment:

  • Haloperidol, lorazepam, methylprednisolone
  • Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)
  • Absence of antineuronal antibodies in cerebrospinal fluid after treatment indicates positive response.

2.7 Substancel/Medication-Induced Psychotic Disorder

Substance/Medication-Induced Psychotic Disorder

Determining Cause of Psychotic Symptoms:

  • Important for diagnosis and treatment
  • Drug use may cause temporary or persistent psychotic symptoms

Drugs Known to Cause Psychotic Symptoms:

  • Alcohol: Intoxication or withdrawal
  • Amphetamines, cocaine, PCP, cannabis
  • Hallucinogens: LSD, psilocybin, mescaline
  • Inhalants: Glue, paint thinner
  • Sedative, hypnotic, or anxiolytic medications: Valium, Xanax, Ambien

Diagnosis:

  1. Substance/Medication-Induced Psychotic Disorder (if psychotic symptoms occur only during use)
  2. Delusional Disorder (if preexisting psychotic disorder is present and not related to drug use)
  3. Schizophrenia (if primary psychotic disorder with no history of drug-induced psychosis)

Case Studies:

Agitated Businessman:

  • Paranoid delusions and hallucinations
  • History of Narcolepsy treated with methylphenidate
  • Increasing doses for better alertness
  • Diagnosis: Methylphenidate-Induced Psychotic Disorder, With Onset During Intoxication

Threatening Voices:

  • Auditory hallucinations and delusions
  • Daily alcohol use leading to gastrointestinal distress
  • Interrupted alcohol use causing psychotic symptoms
  • Diagnosis: Alcohol-Induced Psychotic Disorder, With Onset During Withdrawal

2.8 Other Specified Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorder

Ms. Galvez's Case

Background:

  • Attractive 25-year-old Dominican mother of two children
  • Redhead with a pouty and seductive demeanor
  • Referred to psychiatric emergency room for hearing voices telling her to kill herself
  • Refused to discuss marital problems or depression, but reported anxiety and insomnia

History:

  • First experienced auditory hallucinations 7 years ago after the birth of her first child
  • Tried nail polish remover in a suicide attempt but did not act on voices since then
  • Functioned well despite intermittent hallucinations: finished high school, raised children, and worked full time as a salesperson

Psychiatric Evaluation:

  • Angry and insistent during interview, alternating with flirtatious behavior
  • Refused to discuss depression or anhedonia, but reported increased tearfulness and rumination about "bad things"
  • Denied alcohol or drug use, but a toxicology screen was negative
  • Stopped taking antipsychotic medication before interview

Diagnosis:

  • No diagnosis based on DSM-5 Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders applied
  • Considerable evidence of auditory hallucinations in the general population as a human variation
  • No delusions, disorganization of personality, or deterioration in functioning

Discussion:

  • Doctor concerned about voices telling Ms. Galvez to kill herself, but she does not consider them problematic
  • Functioning relatively well despite intermittent hallucinations
  • Some individuals and advocacy groups view auditory hallucinations as a human variation rather than a mental disorder.
Sex Problem

Case Study: Mrs. Janine Birnbaum's "Sex Problem"

Background:

  • 43-year-old housewife seeking outpatient treatment for a self-reported "sex problem"
  • Husband, Joseph, provides history of her alleged extramarital affairs and memory loss
  • Patient agrees with husband's assessment but refuses to discuss experiences
  • Lack of interest in sexuality, compulsive drive despite lack of memories

Marital Dynamics:

  • Long-term marriage (over 20 years)
  • Dominant and jealous husband
  • Fearful wife of husband's rages
  • Husband suggests wife see psychiatrist for hypnosis

Diagnostic Considerations:

  • Dissociative Amnesia (DSM-5, p. 641)
  • Neurocognitive Disorder Due to Another Medical Condition (DSM-5, p. 641)
  • Substance Use Disorder

Uncovering the Truth:

  • Husband's delusional jealousy questioned
  • Wife may not have dissociative disorder but has adopted husband's delusion
  • Shared psychotic disorder or folie a deux (DSM-5, p. 122)

Characteristics of Shared Psychotic Disorder:

  • Transfer of delusions from one person to another in close relationship
  • Delusional individual is chronically ill and influential
  • Secondary individual is more suggestible, passive, or lacking self-esteem

Implications:

  • If the individual with shared delusion is separated from primary delusional individual, they may abandon the delusion.

CHAPTER 3 Bipolar and Related Disorders

Bipolar and Related Disorders

  • Characterized by mood instability with periods of abnormally high mood (Manic Episodes) and abnormally low mood (Major Depressive Episodes)
  • Manic Episodes:
    • Persist for at least 1 week, significantly interfere with functioning
    • Accompanied by increased activity or energy, euphoric or expansive mood, decreased need for sleep, racing thoughts, distraction, increased activity in multiple areas of life
    • May include symptoms such as: inflated self-esteem, delusions, hallucinations, flight of ideas, motor restlessness, reckless behavior
    • Differentiated from Hypomanic Episodes by severity and impact on functioning
  • Hypomanic Episodes:
    • Minimum duration of 4 days, does not significantly negatively impact functioning
    • Accompanied by increased activity or energy, euphoric or irritable mood, decreased need for sleep, racing thoughts, distraction, increased activity in multiple areas of life
  • Bipolar I Disorder: At least one Manic Episode that may have been preceded by or followed by Hypomanic or Major Depressive Episodes
  • Bipolar II Disorder: At least one Hypomanic Episode and one Major Depressive Episode, no Manic Episodes
  • Cyclothymic Disorder: Numerous periods with hypomanic symptoms that do not meet criteria for a Hypomanic Episode, numerous periods of depressive symptoms that do not meet criteria for a Major Depressive Episode, present more days than not for at least 2 years
  • Substance/Medication-Induced Bipolar and Related Disorder: Prominent and persistent elevated, expansive, or irritable mood due to substance or medication
  • Bipolar and Related Disorder Due to Another Medical Condition: Prominent and persistent elevated, expansive, or irritable mood that is the direct physiological consequence of another medical condition (e.g., hyperthyroidism, traumatic brain injury).

3.1 Bipolar 1 Disorder

Bipolar I Disorder (BPD-1)

Characteristics:

  • Mood Disorder with Manic and Major Depressive Episodes
  • Single Manic Episode required for diagnosis, but multiple episodes common
  • Diagnosis often heralded by severe Manic Episode requiring hospitalization
  • Major Depressive Episodes similar to those in Major Depressive Disorder
  • Can begin with Major Depressive Disorder before first Manic Episode
  • Manic Episodes may be triggered by antidepressant medication or treatment methods like light therapy or ECT

Symptoms:

  • Manic Episode: hypersensitivity to stimuli, elated mood, inflated self-esteem, rapid speech, racing thoughts, decreased need for sleep
  • Major Depressive Episode: depressed mood, loss of interest or pleasure, changes in appetite or weight, sleeping too little or too much, psychomotor agitation or retardation, low energy and activity, feelings of guilt or worthlessness, difficulty concentrating, thoughts of suicide

Diagnostic Specifiers:

  • Type of episode driving current treatment: Manic, Hypomanic, or Major Depressive
  • Presence of delusions or hallucinations (With Psychotic Features)
  • Catatonia symptoms (With Catatonia)
  • Anxiety symptoms (With Anxious Distress)
  • Mixed features (With Mixed Features)
  • Melancholic features or atypical features (applies only to Major Depressive Episode)
  • Severity of episode: Mild, Moderate, Severe
  • Current condition: In Partial Remission or In Full Remission

Temporal Features:

  • Rapid Cycling: 4+ Manic, Hypomanic, or Major Depressive Episodes within a year
  • Peripartum Onset: episodes have onset during pregnancy or within 4 weeks of delivery
  • Seasonal Pattern: regular occurrence during the same time of the year

Prevalence:

  • Approximately 0.6% prevalence in the US
  • Equally common in men and women

Onset:

  • Mean age at onset: approximately 18 years, but can start during childhood or older ages.
Radar Messages

Alice Braverman's Case Study

Background:

  • Alice, a 24-year-old copy editor from Colorado, sought psychiatric help to continue her treatment with lithium carbonate for mood stabilization.
  • She described an uneventful period during her senior year in college when she experienced depression and mania episodes.

Depression Episode:

  • Felt depressed, had loss of appetite, difficulty sleeping, and racing thoughts
  • Believed there was a hole in her head through which "radar messages" were being sent to her
  • Heard voices ordering her to perform sexual acts or speaking about her in the third person
  • Friends took her to a hospital emergency department and she was admitted to a psychiatric unit

Manic Episode:

  • Experienced increased energy, decreased need for sleep, and pressured speech
  • Believed her thoughts were racing and that emotions beyond her control were being produced
  • Developed bizarre delusions of radar messages controlling her thoughts
  • Displayed symptoms of mania without grandiosity or invulnerability themes

Diagnosis:

  • Bipolar I Disorder, Current Episode Manic, Severe, With Mood-Incongruent Psychotic Features
  • Manic Episode without Major Depressive Episode
  • Considered a preventive measure, lithium carbonate was used to maintain full remission for the past 6 months.

Family History:

  • Father had a severe episode of depression with suicidal ideation
  • Paternal grandmother committed suicide during what appeared to be a depressive episode
Triple Divorcée

Ms. Sandra Kovacs' Case

Background:

  • 37-year-old paralegal in a prestigious law firm
  • Thrice divorced
  • Hospitalized for suicide attempt due to depression
  • History of chronic mild depression since her 20s
  • Previously on citalopram, switched to desipramine

Medication Switch:

  • Desipramine: older tricyclic antidepressant
  • Reported feeling more energetic and confident at work
  • Decided to discontinue the medication without consulting her psychiatrist
  • Experienced increased energy, racing thoughts, rapid speech, poor judgment, euphoria, decreased need for sleep

Manic Episode:

  • Occurred after switching from citalopram to desipramine
  • Six out of seven symptoms: euphoria, increased energy and activity, increased self-esteem, decreased need for sleep, rapid speech, racing thoughts
  • Impaired judgment
  • Considered a Moderate manic episode (DSM-5)

Diagnosis:

  • Bipolar I Disorder, Current Episode Manic, Moderate (DSM-5)

Symptoms of Mania:

  • Euphoria or irritable mood
  • Increased energy and activity
  • Decreased need for sleep
  • Rapid speech
  • Racing thoughts
  • Impaired judgment
  • Distractibility (not present in Ms. Kovacs' case)
Roller Coaster

Rapid Cycling Bipolar I Disorder (Mr. Eaton's Case)

Background:

  • Ernest Eaton, 39 years old
  • Unemployed for several years due to mood disorders
  • Agreed to comprehensive psychiatric evaluation after wife's threat of leaving him

Mood Swings:

  • Alternating periods of elation and depression
  • No "normal" days
  • Energy and hyperactivity (euphoria)
    • Overactivity
    • Overtalkativeness
    • Excessive involvement in pleasurable activities without consideration for consequences (overspending, sexual flings)
  • Depression
    • Fatigue, lack of motivation
    • Depressed mood
    • Guilt about irresponsibility and excesses during manic periods
    • Stopped eating, bathing, shaving
  • Denied substance use other than alcohol during manic episodes

Diagnosis:

  • Bipolar I Disorder, Current Episode Manic (DSM-5)
    • Characteristic symptoms: decreased need for sleep, overactivity, overtalkativeness, excessive involvement in pleasurable activities without consideration for consequences
    • Severity: Moderate
    • Rapid cycling specifier applies due to more than four episodes within one year

Additional Information:

  • Previous job dismissal due to suspicion of drug use despite no evidence
  • Minimally cooperative and noncompliant with medications (lithium carbonate, sodium valproate, antidepressants) during psychiatric evaluation
  • Quickly found a new job and did well for following year but stopped taking medication and had another manic episode.

Differential Diagnosis:

  • Rapid cycling is common in women and often mistaken for drug abuse
  • Mr. Eaton's unusual behavior was attributed to drug use by his employers

Treatment:

  • Anticonvulsant medications, such as sodium valproate, effective for rapid cycling Bipolar Disorder.
Wealthy Widow

Case Study: Wealthy Widow

Background:

  • Mrs. Anne Kettering, 72-year-old widow
  • Referred for psychiatric evaluation against her will by sons
  • Announced engagement to a 25-year-old male nurse
  • Active social life resumed after husband's death
  • Concerns from family due to frequenting bars and spending large sums of money

Initial Presentation:

  • Extremely angry at sons and psychiatrist
  • Insists on doing things for herself for the first time in her life
  • Accuses sons of trying to commit her for their gain
  • Overtalkative, refusing interruptions
  • Describes fiancé's physical attributes and sexual abilities
  • Enjoys nightlife and after-hours activities with fiancé
  • No memory impairment or obvious orientation issues

Symptoms:

  • Alternating irritable and expansive mood
  • Pressured speech
  • Decreased need for sleep
  • Poor judgment (signing house over to new lover)

Diagnosis:

  • Bipolar I Disorder, Current Episode Manic, Moderate

Considerations:

  • Rule out underlying medical conditions causing bipolar disorder
  • Provisional diagnosis until medical workup is complete.
Praying Athlete

Dion Robinson's Case History

Background:

  • 24-year-old black man named Dion
  • Mute and rigid, resisting attempts to be moved
  • Friends brought him to emergency room after playing basketball
  • Previously hospitalized a year before with similar symptoms

Symptoms:

  1. Catatonia:
    • Sudden bizarre behavior: becoming mute and rigid
    • Rigid posturing, frozen position
    • Waxy flexibility: arms can be manipulated and held
  2. Manic Episode:
    • Expansive mood, hyperactivity
    • Delusionally grandiose: communicating directly with God
    • Psychomotor agitation: pacing around the unit
    • Stopped sleeping at night
    • Hypersexual: sexually demanding
  3. Depressive Episode:
    • Extremely depressed, socially withdrawn
    • Spent up to 14 hours a day sleeping
  4. Diagnosis:
    • Bipolar I Disorder, Current Episode Manic, With Mood-Congruent Psychotic Features, With Catatonia (DSM-5, p. 123)
  5. Previous Hospitalization:
    • Admitted a year before with atypical psychosis
    • Left against medical advice
  6. Treatment:
    • Antipsychotic medication: risperidone
    • Mood-stabilizing medication: lithium carbonate
  7. Outcome:
    • Normal mental status 12 days after admission
    • Mild depression 1 month post-discharge, managed with increased lithium dose
  8. Follow-up:
    • No further psychotic or depressive symptoms during the year of follow-up.
You May Keep the Yacht

Case Study: Eddie Stover

Background:

  • Escorted from jail to forensic psychiatry unit due to "gravely disabled because of a psychiatric disorder"
  • In jail uniform, refused food and medication, stayed naked under blankets
  • History of intravenous heroin use, syphilis infection treated 8 years prior, gunshot wound to the heart
  • Refused physical examination and some tests (except urinalysis and VDRL test)

Psychiatric Examination:

  • Tall, thin, black male with unruly hair and intense affect
  • Rambling, loud, pressured speech with guarded and questionably reliable responses
  • Bizarre responses in spelling "world" as "w-zero-r-l-d"
  • Denied hallucinations, violent impulses, or previous psychiatric treatment
  • Most likely diagnosis: Schizophrenia or drug intoxication
  • Prescribed antipsychotic medication but refused

Hospitalization:

  • Released from criminal custody when rape charges were dropped
  • Cooperative but agitated and unable to sleep on locked ward
  • Complained of homosexual activity by "others" despite no roommates
  • Placed in seclusion due to fear of losing control, later calmed with door locked
  • Displayed bizarre, ritualistic movements and increasing withdrawal
  • Refused medication and solid food but drank fluids
  • Playful and aloof attitude
  • Continued to behave inappropriately during court-ordered treatment hearing
  • Lost hearing due to lack of rational ability to refuse medication
  • Discharged from involuntary treatment when rape charge dropped
  • Indicated plans to purchase "superior leather goods" and return to Midwest

Discussion:

  • Cultural differences may lead to misdiagnosis: Mr. Stover's popular Caribbean hairstyle perceived as "unruly" instead of flamboyant
  • Possible diagnosis of Bipolar I Disorder, With Mood-Incongruent Psychotic Features instead of Schizophrenia or substance intoxication.

3.2 Bipolar II Disorder

Bipolar II Disorder

Characteristics:

  • Clinical course: one or more Hypomanic Episodes, one or more Major Depressive Episodes, no lifetime Manic Episodes
  • Individuals may initially present as recurrent Major Depressive Disorder
  • Important to inquire about possible presence of Hypomanic Episodes during nondepressed periods

Hypomanic Episodes:

  • Must have abnormally elevated or irritable mood
  • Cannot have psychotic features (unlike Manic Episodes)
  • Can be overlooked if not specifically inquired about
  • May lead to overdiagnosis of Bipolar II Disorder in individuals with frequent periods of depressed mood

Comparison to Bipolar I Disorder:

  • Slightly more common than Bipolar I Disorder (0.8% vs. 0.6%)
  • No gender difference in prevalence
  • Average age at onset slightly later, mid-20s
  • Initially presents with Major Depressive Episodes

Case Study: "Ellen Waters"

  • Part-time graduate student living alone, supported by home health aide work
  • Psychotherapist referred for medication consultation due to continued depressed mood and panic attacks
  • Chronic depression since childhood, with occasional elevated mood and increased energy episodes
  • Hypomanic Episodes indicated by abnormally elevated mood, decreased sleep, increased activity, racing thoughts
  • Currently experiencing Major Depressive Episode with atypical features (reverse vegetative symptoms)

Additional Specifiers:

  • With Atypical Features: refers to the presence of reverse vegetative symptoms in Major Depressive Episodes.

3.3 Cyclothymic Disorder

Cyclothymic Disorder

Characteristics:

  • Chronic fluctuating mood disturbance
  • Mildly elevated and mildly depressed periods present for most of the time
  • Periods of normal mood between episodes not required
  • Diagnosis based on symptoms present for at least 2 years
  • Can cause significant problems, but usually less impairing than Bipolar I or II Disorder
  • Onset usually in adolescence or early adulthood
  • Prevalence approximately 0.4%-1% in general population, more in mood disorder clinics (3%-5%)

Case Study: Car Salesman Geoffrey Fisher

  • Alternating cycles of "good times and bad times" since age 14
  • "Bad periods": last 4-7 days, characterized by oversleeping, lack of energy, confidence, and motivation
  • "Good periods": overconfidence, increased activity, poor judgment (e.g., promiscuity)
  • Irritable outbursts during good periods can precede transition back to bad days
  • Use of marijuana to help adjust to daily routines
  • Uneven performance at work, arguementative with customers and loses sales
  • Diagnosis: Cyclothymic Disorder

3.4 Substance/Medication-Induced Bipolar and Related Disorder

Substance/Medication-Induced Bipolar and Related Disorder

Symptoms of Manic, Hypomanic, and Major Depressive Episodes:

  • Caused by:
    • Intoxication with certain substances (alcohol, phencyclidine, hallucinogens, sedatives/hypnotics/anxiolytics, amphetamines or cocaine)
    • Withdrawal from certain substances (alcohol, sedatives/hypnotics/anxiolytics, amphetamines or cocaine)
    • Side effects of certain medications (corticosteroids, androgens, levodopa)
  • Diagnosis: Substance/Medication-Induced Bipolar and Related Disorder

Case Study: Sleepless Housewife

  • Ms. Einbach: 28-year-old mother of two from Germany with no prior psychiatric history
  • Developed mood changes after taking new oral antibiotic, ofloxacin
    • Insomnia, elevated mood, racing thoughts, increased activity
    • Stopping the drug led to depressive symptoms (dysphoria, loss of energy, lack of appetite, loss of interest)
    • Intermittent manic and depressive symptoms
  • Also experienced panic attacks

Diagnosis:

  • Ofloxacin-Induced Bipolar and Related Disorder
  • Ofloxacin-Induced Anxiety Disorder with Panic Attacks (optional)
  • Paranoid ideation also likely a reaction to the ofloxacin

CHAPTER 4 Depressive Disorders

Depressive Disorders

Characteristics:

  • Among most common and disabling mental disorders worldwide
  • Classified separately from Bipolar and Related Disorders in DSM-5
  • All characterized by sad, empty, or irritable mood with somatic and cognitive changes impacting function
  • Differ in accompanying clinical features, onset/course, duration, severity, and presumed etiology

Types of Depressive Disorders:

  • Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder: Persistent irritability and dyscontrol episodes
  • Major Depressive Disorder: Changes in mood, cognition, sleep/eating patterns for 2+ weeks
  • Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia): Chronic depression for 2+ years (1 year children)
  • Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder: Depression symptoms before menses, remitting after
  • Depressive Syndromes: Caused by substances/medications or medical conditions

Relationship to Other Disorders:

  • Part of "internalizing" spectrum, related to negative affectivity personality trait
  • Distress vs. anxiety characterizes different disorders within the spectrum

4.1 Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder

Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)

  • New disorder in DSM-5 for children diagnosed with severe recurrent temper outbursts
  • Symptoms:
    • Verbal yelling and screaming
    • Behavioral physical aggression toward people or property
    • Outbursts grossly disproportionate to situation/provocation
    • Occur frequently (3+ times weekly)
    • Persistently irritable or angry mood most of the time
  • Diagnostic criteria:
    • Temper outbursts and irritable/angry mood present in at least two settings
    • Severe symptoms in at least one setting
    • Duration of at least 1 year, no periods of 3 months or more without symptoms
    • Onset before age 10, restricted to ages 6-18
    • No Manic/Hypomanic Episodes (DSM-5, p. 124)

Characteristics and Statistics:

  • Common mental disorder in pediatric mental health settings
  • More common among boys than girls
  • Persistent, lasting at least 1 year (50% longer)
  • Increases risk of Major Depressive Disorder or Anxiety Disorders in adulthood
  • Often includes other childhood disorders: Oppositional Defiant Disorder, ADHD, Anxiety Disorders
  • Disruptive to family, school, and peer group functioning
  • High incidence of suicide attempts, dangerous behavior, psychiatric hospitalizations.
Titanic Tantrums

Dillon's Behavioral Issues

Background:

  • 8-year-old boy living with parents and younger brother
  • Exhibits explosive outbursts several times a day, last approximately 10 minutes
  • Destructive behavior during tantrums: kicked holes in bedroom door, bruises on mother's arms
  • Difficult child since birth, colicky baby, multiple tantrums per day as toddler

Symptoms:

  • Irritable and cranky for better part of the day
  • Agitated, restless, and expressed desire to be left alone
  • Attempts to cheer him up unsuccessful or worsened irritability
  • Hostile attributions regarding peers' intentions
  • Difficulty focusing, following instructions, and completing classwork
  • Highly distractible and fidgety
  • Opposition to routines, such as homework and daily tasks
  • Irritable mood worsened around first grade
  • Easily bothered by little things, constant crankiness for days at a time
  • Hostile reactions to perceived negative events
  • Mind spirals: difficulty controlling anger and staying upset for several hours

Impact on Life:

  • Suspended from school three times due to aggressive behavior
  • Academic struggles despite average cognitive abilities
  • Restricted family outings, avoided church attendance
  • Difficulty making friends, peers avoided him
  • Parents consulted child psychiatrist and received parent management training, individual cognitive-behavioral therapy for Dillon.

Diagnosis:

  • Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMRD) according to DSM-5
  • Symptoms: frequent temper outbursts, chronic irritable mood, impairment at home and school
  • Also meets criteria for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Combined Presentation, and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) but only DMRD diagnosis assigned.
  • No signs of mania symptoms or episodic irritability in Bipolar Disorder.

4.2 Major Depressive Disorder

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)

Criteria:

  • Periods of:
    • Depressed mood
    • Markedly diminished interest or pleasure in activities
  • Occurring for at least 2 weeks, most days
  • Four or more symptoms from the following list:
    • Appetite/weight changes
    • Sleep disturbances
    • Psychomotor symptoms
    • Fatigue/energy levels
    • Worthlessness/guilt
    • Cognitive symptoms
    • Death/suicidal ideation

Symptoms:

  • Mild, Moderate, or Severe based on number of symptoms and impact on functioning
  • Can include psychotic features (mood-congruent or mood-incongruent)
  • Anxious distress
  • Mixed features (manic/hypomanic symptoms)
  • Melancholic features
  • Atypical features
  • Catatonia (rare, see Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders)

Clinical Course:

  • Single Episode or Recurrent
  • Onset during pregnancy/postpartum period
  • Seasonal pattern
  • Partial Remission or Full Remission

Prevalence:

  • 7% 12-month prevalence in the US
  • More common in young adults, women, and individuals with a history of trauma or abuse

Treatment and Prognosis:

  • Combinations of psychotherapy and medication (e.g., SSRIs, tricyclics)
  • Psychotic features require antipsychotics
  • Anxious distress makes treatment more difficult
  • Mixed features increase suicide attempt risk
  • Melancholic features may require somatic treatment
  • Atypical features require specific medications (avoid TCAs)
  • Catatonia requires electroconvulsive therapy
  • Peripartum onset has a better prognosis than other onsets
  • Seasonal pattern may respond to bright light therapy
  • Partial vs. Full Remission affects treatment approach and follow-up frequency

Additional Considerations:

  • Occurs in all cultures, but presentation and symptom severity can vary
  • Impairment ranges from completely incapacitating to mild
  • High suicide attempt and completion rates, especially with co-occurring BPD.
Worthless Wife

Connie Russo's Background and Depression:

  • Depressed and unable to concentrate since separation from husband Vincent 3 months ago
  • Married for 5 years, left him due to domestic violence and threats to their son
  • Daily arguments during marriage, resulting in bruises and a gun threat towards son
  • Obtained a court order of protection and relocated with her parents
  • High school and secretarial school graduate, worked as executive secretary before marriage
  • Close relationship with parents, many friends, popular in high school
  • Married Mr. Russo after 3-month courtship despite his cocaine use
  • Increasingly critical and irritable husband, refusal to allow family visits, marital therapy
  • Thrombophlebitis during pregnancy, husband's violence towards her increased after Anthony's birth
  • Husband's cocaine use, violent behavior led to depression, worthlessness, guilt, lack of social contacts

Ms. Russo's Condition:

  • Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) with persistent depressed mood
  • Symptoms include loss of interest and pleasure, worthlessness, trouble concentrating, poor appetite, weight loss, lack of energy, difficulty sleeping
  • Single Episode due to no prior episodes
  • Moderate severity affecting role as a mother and social functioning
  • Excellent response to treatment with medication and therapy
  • In Full Remission after 6 months
  • Observation necessary for monitoring recurrence.
Stonemason

Stonemason Stanley Kozlowski's Case

Background:

  • Previously healthy 55-year-old stonemason
  • Loss of appetite and weight loss over six months
  • Burning pain in chest, back, and abdomen
  • Believes he has fatal abdominal cancer
  • Agitated behavior, feelings of extreme unworthiness
  • No history of emotional disturbance or substance abuse

Symptoms:

  • Loss of interest and pleasure (depressive syndrome)
  • Insomnia, weight loss, worthlessness, thoughts of death
  • Delusion of having fatal cancer
  • Melancholic features: lack of reactivity, diurnal mood variation, early morning awakening, significant weight loss, marked psychomotor agitation

Diagnosis:

  1. Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)
    • Single Episode
    • With Psychotic Features
    • With Melancholic Features
  2. Absence of manic episodes rules out Bipolar Disorder
  3. Normal physical examination and laboratory findings rule out Depressive Disorder Due to Another Medical Condition
  4. Absence of medication or substance abuse history rules out Substance/Medication-Induced Depressive Disorder
  5. Psychotic features consist with depressive themes (disease and death) and noted as Mood-Congruent Psychotic Features
  6. Melancholic features present: loss of pleasure in activities, lack of reactivity, diurnal mood variation, early morning awakening, significant weight loss, marked psychomotor agitation.
  7. Final diagnosis: Major Depressive Disorder, Single Episode, With Mood-Congruent Psychotic Features, With Melancholic Features.
Three Voices

Haruki Takahashi's Case Study

Background:

  • 23-year-old man admitted to hospital due to profunda loss of energy and mute behavior
  • Lived in Flushing, Queens, New York for several years after breaking up with girlfriend
  • Worked odd jobs but unable to pursue long-term goals
  • Went to California to change environment and find new job, but became frightened and paranoid
  • Diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and psychotic features by psychiatrist

Symptoms:

  • Profunda loss of energy
  • Little appetite
  • Virtually no interest or pleasure in activities
  • Heard three distinct voices: a child's voice, woman's voice, man impersonating woman
  • Voices spoke about various subjects but did not focus on specific depressive themes
  • Paranoid behavior and bizarre hallucinations
  • Anorexia and 20-pound weight loss
  • Hypersomnia
  • Psychomotor retardation (paucity of speech)
  • Depressed mood
  • Loss of interest and pleasure in activities

Treatment:

  • Started on antipsychotic medication, olanzapine 5 mg/day, and antidepressant, nortriptyline 150 mg/day
  • No improvement for first two weeks
  • Reduced olanzapine dosage to 2.5 mg/day and eventually stopped entirely
  • Marked improvement in energy level by end of fourth week
  • Discharged home on nortriptyline 150 mg/day but no other psychotropic medication
  • Symptoms reappeared rapidly when he ran out of nortriptyline treatment
  • Good response to antidepressant and family history of mood disorder

Discussion:

  • Haruki's case raises questions about appropriate subclassification of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) during recurrent episodes
  • DSM-5 considers a 2-month period with no or only mild symptoms as minimal amount of time for considering a new episode
  • Some clinicians might regard the rapid development of symptoms following discontinuation of medication as indicating continuation of original MDD episode.
It’s Typical?

Ms. Siegel's Case

  • Ms. Siegel, a 25-year-old single art student, was diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) based on her symptoms:
    • Persistent depression for most of the past 2 months
    • Changes in interests, eating, sleeping, energy level, and self-concept
    • Symptoms causing significant distress and interfering with functioning
    • Mood reacts positively to positive events
    • Atypical features: weight gain, excessive sleep, leaden paralysis
  • Her diagnosis would be Major Depressive Disorder, With Atypical Features
  • Treatment options for atypical depression include:
    • Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) medications
    • Monoamine oxidase inhibitor antidepressant medications (phenelzine or tranylcypromine)
  • Additional diagnosis of Panic Disorder was suggested due to her anxiety attacks, but more information is needed to confirm.
New Mom

Ms. Maria Jimenez's Case History

Personal Information:

  • 30-year-old married woman
  • Gave birth to first child (male), via cesarean section
  • On maternity leave from research analyst job at mutual fund investment company
  • Discontinued sertraline medication for social anxiety 1.5 years prior to pregnancy

Symptoms:

  • Depressed mood with overeating, oversleeping, decreased energy, decreased concentration, and decreased interest in most activities (except baby and food)
  • No suicidal plans or intentions, but "taunting thought" of hurting herself
  • No concerns about harming son
  • Feels guilty, worried she is a "bad" mother and may not bond with baby
  • Low self-esteem
  • Unable to lose desired weight after pregnancy, feels "fat and ugly"
  • Strained relationship with husband due to new baby demands
  • Close relationship with mother, who often criticizes her

Diagnoses:

  • Major Depressive Disorder (MDD): With peripartum onset (symptoms appeared within 4 weeks of delivery)
  • Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD): Previously managed with sertraline, returned to some extent while unmedicated

Notes:

  • MDD symptoms: Depressed mood, loss of interest, increased appetite, hypersomnia, decreased energy, decreased concentration, guilt, and worries about self-harm
  • SAD history: Previously controlled with sertraline, returned to some extent without medication
  • Peripartum onset of MDD increases risk for postpartum episode
A Child Is Crying

Cindy's Case:

Background:

  • Age: 15 years old
  • Brought to mental health clinic by father due to concerns about depression and suicidal thoughts
  • History of family conflict, mother's mental illness (chronic "psychotic" behavior, mood swings), and upcoming divorce
  • Cindy has been feeling depressed for most days for 2 years with symptoms worsening in the past 6 months

Symptoms:

  • Depressed mood with low self-esteem and hopelessness
  • Feeling depressed almost every day, all day long
  • Loss of interest in school and social activities
  • Decline in grades from As to Bs and Cs
  • Tiredness, trouble sleeping, and staying awake
  • Anxiety, feeling "spacey and unreal"
  • Hearing a child crying for help
  • Suicidal thoughts
  • Previous consideration of self-harm (cutting wrists)

Diagnosis:

  1. Persistent Depressive Disorder (DSM-5): most days for 2 years
  2. Major Depressive Disorder (DSM-5): most recent 6-month period, single episode with mood-congruent psychotic features (hallucinations of a child crying)
  3. Additional diagnosis of Persistent Depressive Disorder to indicate long-standing depression that has worsened in severity over time.
A Perfect Checklist

Billy's Case: Depression and Associated Disorders

Background:

  • 7-year-old child in second grade
  • Bringed to mental health clinic due to unhappiness, frequent complaints of feeling sick
  • Lives with parents, younger brother, and grandmother
  • Never been very happy or wanted to play with other children
  • Complained about various physical problems since nursery school

Symptoms:

  • Somatic complaints have escalated in the last few months
  • Difficulty completing schoolwork, feels he has to do it over and over for it to be "perfect"
  • Worries about falling behind if allowed to stay home from school
  • Unable to do work once at school, feeling hopeless
  • Lies down saying he is too tired, no interest or enjoyment in playing
  • Diminished appetite, trouble sleeping and staying asleep
  • Suicidal thoughts (wanted to shoot himself)

Maternal Observations:

  • Mother feels Billy has never been really happy, but more depressed recently
  • Worried about Billy's frequent somatic complaints, prompting medical examination
  • Difficulty getting him ready for school in the morning due to his somatic complaints

Diagnostic Considerations:

  • Major Depressive Disorder (MDD): Symptoms of depression such as low mood, loss of interest, suicidal thoughts
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD): Perfectionism and worrying about performance in school
  • Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): Worry about school performance, somatic complaints, anxiety about parents' safety
  • Separation Anxiety Disorder (SAD): Distress when anticipating or experiencing separation from attachment figures, excessive worry about harm befalling them.

Somatic Symptoms:

  • Difficulty determining if they are manifestations of MDD or a Somatic Symptom Disorder

Birth History:

  • Mother was hypertensive during pregnancy and emotionally upset
  • Delivery was complicated due to increasing hypertension
  • Billy reportedly went into cardiac arrest at birth
  • Neonatal symptoms: projectile vomiting, nocturnal enuresis (bed-wetting)

Billy's Behavior:

  • Unable to finish symptom checklist, worried about having a "perfect" one
  • Insisted on taking the papers home to complete them
  • Cried and became upset when his mother was interviewed without him
  • Reluctant to go to school, fearful of separation from attachment figures.
The Mixed-Up Waiter

Andrew Weiglein's Case Study

Background:

  • Single white male, age 21 years
  • Referred to mood and anxiety outpatient clinic for diagnostic clarification and treatment recommendations
  • Chief complaint: "I am worried that I might lose my job because my performance has declined a lot over the past month"

Symptoms:

  • Feeling sad for no apparent reason for the past 4 weeks
  • Unable to identify a trigger for sadness, never happened before
  • Decreased motivation and enjoyment in working, socializing, and eating
  • Feeling hopeless, stuck working as a waiter
  • Self-esteem declined
  • No thoughts of self-harm or suicidal ideation
  • Poor quality of sleep, increased time in bed (8 to 14 hours)
  • Exhausted and "wired and tired" upon waking, low energy throughout the day
  • Significantly affected concentration:
    • Mistakes at work, boss threatened dismissal
    • Customers complained about overly chatty behavior
    • Difficulty focusing, easily distracted
    • Racing thoughts with unconnected ideas

Financial Concerns:

  • Accumulated over $10,000 of debt in a month through online purchases and poker playing
  • Previously frugal, no impulsive behaviors or substance use/sexual encounters
  • Increased online spending despite lack of energy and motivation

Psychiatric History:

  • Family history of depression (mother, maternal grandmother)
  • Father diagnosed with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia

Medication Prescriptions:

  • Zopiclone 7.5 mg for sleep
  • Lorazepam 1 mg as needed for anxiety

Evaluation Findings:

  • Sad mood, dysphoric appearance
  • Pressured speech with flight of ideas
  • Impulsive behaviors causing harm (online purchases, poker)
  • Manic-like symptoms: overly chatty, racing thoughts

Diagnosis:

  • Major Depressive Disorder (With Mixed Features)
    • Indicated by sadness, lack of interest, hopelessness, difficulty concentrating
    • Presence of manic-like symptoms justifies the specifier "With Mixed Features"
    • Close monitoring required for antidepressant medication to prevent precipitation of a manic episode.
Rx Florida

Dr. Redland's Case:

  • Applied to a special depression treatment program at a university hospital in Boston due to recurring depressions for nine years, mainly during winters
  • First depression occurred after moving from Florida to Washington D.C. at age 21
  • Depressions returned every winter until applying to the program
  • Depression symptoms: lethargic, apathetic, irritable, pessimistic, worse in mornings, insomnia, craving for carbohydrates, weight gain (Bermuda vacation exception)
  • Associated depressions with latitude and weather
  • Previously treated with psychotherapy and tricyclic antidepressant desipramine 175 mg/day
  • Entered treatment program, maintained on desipramine and bright light therapy: 10,000-lumen light box for 30 minutes daily in the morning
  • Responded well to treatment, increased desipramine dosage to 250 mg/day during winter months and continued using lights
  • Remained free of depression for last four years, no longer in psychotherapy.

Diagnosis:

  • Major Depressive Disorder, Recurrent Episode (DSM-5, p. 160)
  • Seasonal Affective Disorder with Winter Pattern (DSM-5, p. 187)
    • Depression begins in fall or winter and ends in spring
    • Substantial number of seasonal episodes over nonseasonal ones throughout lifetime
  • Typical symptoms: weight gain, craving for carbohydrates.

Distinguishing Features:

  • Unusual for recurrent depressions to follow a clear seasonal pattern
  • Most patients with SAD are women and experience increased sleeping (hypersomnia) rather than disturbed sleep (insomnia).

4.3 Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia)

Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia)

Characteristics:

  • Depressed mood for most of the day, for more days than not
  • Chronic condition for at least 2 years (1 year for children and adolescents)
  • At least two additional symptoms: poor appetite or overeating, insomnia or hypersomnia, low energy or fatigue, low self-esteem, poor concentration, feelings of hopelessness
  • Chronicity is the most important negative prognostic indicator

Diagnostic Criteria:

  • No Manic Episode, Hypomanic Episode, or Cyclothymic Disorder
  • Severity varies widely from mild to severe
  • Can be specified as: With Pure Dysthymic Syndrome (Dysthymic Disorder), With Persistent Major Depressive Episode, With Intermittent Major Depressive Episodes (With Current or Without Current)

Specifiers:

  • In Partial Remission
  • In Full Remission
  • Symptomatic specifiers: With Anxious Distress, With Mixed Features
  • Severity specifiers: Mild, Moderate, Severe

Longitudinal Patterns:

  • Persistent Depressive Disorder (chronic mild depression)
  • Major Depressive Disorder with chronic mild depression background
  • Severe chronic depression (meeting diagnostic requirements for Major Depressive Disorder every day for 2 years)

Age of Onset:

  • Early Onset: Before age 21 years
  • Late Onset: At age 21 years or older

Additional Considerations:

  • Individuals with Early Onset more likely to develop Personality Disorders and Substance Use Disorders
  • Chronicity of depression is a defining feature, severity can vary widely.
Junior Executive

Junior Executive: Isabella Garcia's Case

Background:

  • 28-year-old junior executive referred for "supportive" treatment by a senior psychoanalyst
  • Obtained master’s degree in business administration, moved to California 1% years ago
  • Complains of being "depressed" and "hopeless" about her job, husband, and future
  • Previous extensive psychotherapy: analyzed for 3 years in college, behaviorist for 1% years during graduate school
  • Persistent feelings of depressed mood, inferiority, and pessimism since age 16 or 17
  • Academically decent but ruminates about "genuinely intelligent" students
  • Dated but never pursued men she considered "special," felt inferior and intimidated
  • Therapy helped but cannot remember a time without feeling depressed

Marital Issues:

  • Married man she considered reasonably desirable primarily for companionship
  • Criticized her husband's clothes, job, and parents
  • Husband found her rejecting, controlling, and moody
  • Felt she had made a mistake in marrying him

Occupational Challenges:

  • Assigned menial tasks at firm, never given assignments of importance or responsibility
  • Often does "slipshod" job, demonstrates no assertiveness or initiative to supervisors
  • Views boss as self-centered and unconcerned
  • Feels she will never go far in her profession due to lack of connections for herself and her husband
  • Dreams of money, status, and power

Social Life:

  • Socializes with other couples through her husband's friends
  • Believes women find her uninteresting and unimpressive, men who like her are no better off than she is
  • Dissatisfaction with marriage, job, and social life leads to depression and loss of interest/energy

Diagnosis:

  • Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia)
  • Early onset in adolescence
  • No evidence of manic or hypomanic episodes, psychotic disorder, substance abuse, or medical condition
  • With Pure Dysthymic Syndrome

Additional Considerations:

  • Some clinicians may consider her depressive symptoms an expression of a Personality Disorder rather than Depressive Disorder.
Busted Nerves

Case Presentation: Norma Jean Luby

Background:

  • Referral for depression evaluation by primary care physician
  • Housewife, 49 years old
  • Appeared timid, dependent, helpless, and hopeless
  • Speech was slow and soft, sometimes inaudible
  • Claimed to have been ill all her life, with "busted nerves"

Symptoms:

  • Multiple complaints of pain (black ankles, neck knots, busted discs)
  • Gastrointestinal and respiratory complaints
  • Depressed since childhood
  • Difficulty paying attention, forgetfulness
  • Hears voices calling her name, fearful
  • Smothering episodes with dizziness, racing heart, tingling hands

History:

  • No formal psychiatric evaluation or treatment history
  • Tried minor tranquilizers with no benefit
  • Born and raised in central Appalachia
  • Attended school through 8th grade, unable to learn
  • Stayed at home to help mother and father
  • Married at age 23, three grown daughters
  • Husband draws disability for black lung disease

Therapy and Diagnosis:

  • Seen for individual supportive psychotherapy and medication management
  • Chronic symptoms with little insight into condition
  • Tried various medications, with trazodone showing some improvement in sleep
  • Diagnosis: Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia) with Early Onset
    • Depression since childhood
    • Hopelessness, lack of energy, insomnia, poor appetite, and concentration
  • Additional diagnosis considerations: Somatic Symptom Disorder or Panic Disorder
    • Somatic symptoms attributed to "nerves" rather than specific causes
    • Fainting, paralysis, forgetfulness, inertia, and inability to do strenuous activity
  • Personality Disorder diagnosis not apparent based on symptoms.
Disabled Vet

Mr. Albrecht's Background and Conditions:

Personal History:

  • 37-year-old man admitted to VA hospital after suicide attempt
  • Depressed since returning from Iraq 10 years ago, with no specific trigger
  • Normal childhood and adolescence: friends, average grades, never in trouble with the law
  • High school graduate; trained as electrician; joined Army Reserves
  • Called up for military service in Iraq
  • Loathed violence but killed a civilian "for fun"; haunted by guilt
  • Honorably discharged from army after extended tour
  • Lived on various forms of government assistance since then

Behavioral Patterns:

  • Began heavy drinking and drug use in the army
  • Turned to alcohol exclusively 10 years ago
  • Heavy, continuous drinking with blackouts, frequent arrests, injuries
  • No friends, only acquaintances
  • Depressed when others enjoy themselves
  • Attempted suicide multiple times
  • Lived in an alcohol treatment residence for a month before hospitalization

Medical Condition:

  • No evidence of delusions or hallucinations except during withdrawal episodes
  • Normal appetite and sex drive, but lacks enjoyment
  • Difficulty sleeping without medication
  • Affected by peripheral neuropathy (weakness, numbness, pain in hands and feet)
  • Impaired immediate and long-term memory, agnosia, apraxia, constructional difficulties
  • IQ measured at 66

Diagnoses:

  • Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia) with severe depression
  • Severe Alcohol Use Disorder
  • Alcohol-Induced Major Neurocognitive Disorder

4.4 Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder

Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD)

Definition:

  • Diagnosed under DSM-5 for women experiencing significant emotional and physical symptoms during menstruation cycle
  • Symptoms must be present in the final week before menses, improve within a few days after onset of menses, and be minimal or absent in the postmenstrual week

Symptoms:

  • Group 1: Affective Lability
    • Sudden changes in mood
    • Marked irritability or anger
    • Increased interpersonal conflicts
    • Depressed mood, feelings of hopelessness, self-deprecating thoughts
    • Anxiety, tension, feeling keyed up or on edge
  • Group 2: Symptoms of Depression
    • Decreased interest in activities
    • Difficulty concentrating
    • Lethargy or lack of energy
    • Marked change in appetite (overeating, craving specific foods)
    • Hyperactivity or insomnia
    • Sense of being overwhelmed or out of control
    • Physical symptoms: breast tenderness/swelling, joint/muscle pain, bloating, weight gain

Diagnosis:

  • Minimum of five total symptoms required
  • At least one symptom from each group must be present
  • Symptoms must be associated with the menstrual cycle and follow a specific pattern

Prevalence:

  • Estimated 1.8% to 5.8% prevalence in menstruating women
  • Can begin at any time after menarche, worsens as woman approaches menopause

Differentiation from Premenstrual Syndrome:

  • Premenstrual syndrome is less severe and does not include prominent affective symptoms

Impact on Functioning:

  • Significant distress and impairment in psychosocial functioning
  • Not merely an exacerbation of another mental disorder or attributable to physiological effects or substances.

4.5 Depressive Disorder Due to Another Medical Condition

Depressive Disorder Due to Another Medical Condition

Diagnosis:

  • Depressive Disorder Due to Another Medical Condition

Symptoms:

  • Prominent and persistent period of depressed mood or markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all or almost all activities
  • Direct pathophysiological consequence of another medical condition

Supporting Evidence:

  • Clinical history
  • Physical examination
  • Laboratory tests

Relationship to Underlying Medical Condition:

  • Establish etiological relationship between depression and medical disorder
  • Temporal association between onset, exacerbation, or remission of mood disturbance and change in course of medical disorder

Characteristics of Depressive Disorder Due to Another Medical Condition:

  • Can be noted via specifiers:
    • With Depressive Features (if full criteria for Major Depressive Episode not met)
    • With Major Depressive—Like Episode (if full symptomatic criteria for Major Depressive Episode are met)
    • With Mixed Features (if symptoms of mania or hypomania along with depressive symptoms)

Case Study: Toy Designer

  • Ray McKenzie, 45-year-old toy designer admitted to hospital after suicidal gestures and attempt to strangle himself
  • Depressed mood, suicidal gestures, increased sleep, loss of interest, and guilt suggest past episode of Major Depressive Disorder
  • Infer that presurgical disturbance is caused by frontal-lobe brain tumor, diagnosis: Depressive Disorder Due to Brain Tumor
  • Post-surgery, predominant disturbance is apathy and indifference rather than depression, diagnosis: Personality Change Due to Brain Tumor, Apathetic Type.

CHAPTER 5 Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety Disorders:

  • Characterized by excessive fear or anxiety
  • Resulting in avoidance behaviors to mitigate the anxiety
  • Normal Part of Life: Fear is essential for protection, while anxiety is a future-oriented affective state
  • Abnormal: Fear or anxiety can occur without realistic threat or be out of proportion to danger
  • Types: Separation Anxiety Disorder, Selective Mutism, Specific Phobia, Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia), Panic Disorder, Agoraphobia, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Separation Anxiety Disorder:

  • Developmentally inappropriate and excessive fear or anxiety concerning separation from attachment figures
  • Minimum duration: 4 weeks in children, 6 months in adults

Selective Mutism:

  • Consistent failure to speak in social situations where speaking is expected

Specific Phobia:

  • Marked fear or anxiety about a specific object or situation (e.g., dogs, snakes, heights, flying)

Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia):

  • Marked fear or anxiety about social situations involving scrutiny by others

Panic Disorder:

  • Recurrent unexpected panic attacks with abrupt surges of intense fear or physical discomfort

Agoraphobia:

  • Marked fear or anxiety about multiple specific situations (public transportation, open spaces, enclosed places, standing in line, being alone outside)
  • Fear or avoidance of situations due to difficulty escaping or help in case of incapacitating or embarrassing symptoms

Generalized Anxiety Disorder:

  • Excessive anxiety and worry about a number of events or activities for at least 6 months

Anxiety Disorder Due to Another Medical Condition:

  • Anxiety or panic attacks that are the direct pathophysiological consequence of another medical condition.

5.1 Separation Anxiety Disorder

Separation Anxiety Disorder

Description:

  • Excessive fear or anxiety about being separated from attachment figures
  • Distress may be experienced upon separation or in anticipation of it
  • Individual worried about harm befalling attachment figure
  • Fears expressed directly or indirectly, e.g., refusal to leave home, go to school

Characteristics:

  • Persists for at least 4 weeks in children, 6 months in adults
  • Most prevalent Anxiety Disorder in children under age 12 years
  • Decreases with age, not all children who have it become adults with pathological anxiety
  • Affects both boys and girls but presentation may differ: girls more likely to engage in school refusal or avoidance; boys more likely to express anxiety indirectly.

Causes:

  • Onset often follows a stressor, such as parental divorce, natural disaster, family death, illness, move, immigration, or death of a pet
  • In adults: moving out of the family home, romantic involvement, becoming a parent

Symptoms:

  • Refusal to go to school (school refusal or avoidance)
  • Reluctance to leave home
  • Somatic complaints, e.g., headaches, tummy aches, vomiting
  • Anger and irritability
  • Fear that something bad will happen while separated from attachment figures

Case Study: Tiny Tina

  • 10-year-old girl with school refusal or avoidance
  • Began when she cried and hid in the basement on first day of school
  • Attended only if parents took her, dressed and fed her, and drove her there
  • Eventually admitted that leaving home was behind her reluctance to go to school.

Diagnosis:

  • Separation Anxiety Disorder (DSM-5)
  • Characterized by excessive distress about separation from family, unrealistic worry about harm befalling attachment figures, and complaints of physical symptoms on school days lasting more than 4 weeks.

5.2 Selective Mutism Selective

Selective Mutism:

  • Definition: Consistent failure to speak in specific social situations where expectation for speaking exists (DSM-5, p. 195)
  • Symptoms:
    • Child continues to speak in other situations
    • Refusal to speak interferes with educational achievement and development of social skills
    • Most common during entry into school system
  • Associated Conditions:
    • Specific Phobia (fear of animals, etc.)
    • Separation Anxiety Disorder
    • Mild Communication Disorders or physical disorders that interfere with articulation
  • Diagnosis: Not due to lack of familiarity with language or Communication Disorders like Childhood-Onset Fluency Disorder (Stuttering) or Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Case Study: Quiet Kevin:

  • 6-year-old first grader refusing to speak in school or any social situations
  • Initially whispered to mother during evaluation but wouldn't speak to interviewer
  • Good mood and broad affect, but looked frightened at expectation of speaking
  • Loved going to parties, playing with others, and singing, but would not converse
  • No history of medical problems or avoidance of social situations or strangers
  • Previously treated with behavioral therapy and fluoxetine antidepressant with minimal improvement
  • Gradual discontinuation of medication led to return of mutism, less exuberant mood, and more oppositional behavior at home
  • Voted president of class after speaking to everyone except teachers who knew him as a mute kindergartner.

5.3 Specific Phobia

Specific Phobia

  • Intense fear and anxiety related to an object or situation (phobic stimulus)
  • Avoidance attempts due to intense fear or anxiety
  • Persistent, lasting at least 6 months
  • Significant distress or impairment in functioning
  • Wide range of phobic stimuli: Animal, Natural Environment, Blood-Injection-Injury, Situational, Other
    • Social Anxiety Disorder diagnosed separately (Section 5.4)
  • Onset may follow traumatic event, media coverage, or unexpected panic attack
  • Common disorder: approximately 7%-9% in the U.S., higher prevalence for women.

Specific Phobia Symptoms:

  • Increased heart rate, blood pressure, and sweating during exposure to feared object/situation
  • Vasovagal fainting or near-fainting response for Blood-Injection-Injury type
  • Common disorder: approximately 7%-9% in the U.S., higher prevalence for women.
Thunderstorms

Ms. Sheila Antonelli's Fear of Thunderstorms

Background:

  • 28-year-old housewife with a fear of storms since childhood, became more distressing over the years
  • Frightened by lightning but unsure why
  • Anxiety increases days before a storm even if weather is only overcast
  • Seeks treatment due to fear passing it on to her children and impact on daily life

Symptoms:

  • Persistent fear of thunderstorms
  • Distressing level of anxiety during storms
  • Avoidant behavior: planning visits, staying at relative's house, covering eyes or moving away from windows
  • Impact on routine: interferes significantly with normal activities

Diagnosis:

  • Specific Phobia (DSM-5, p. 197) due to excessive fear and functional impairment

Childhood Origins:

  • Fear goes back to childhood
  • Developed through "modeling" from another family member

Features of Specific Phobia:

  • Distressing level of anxiety during storms
  • Avoidant behavior
  • Interferes significantly with daily life.
Stay Healthy

Mr. Michaels' Fear of Bodily Injury or Illness

Background:

  • 27-year-old computer programmer
  • Afraid of situations related to bodily injury or illness
  • Cannot bear to have blood drawn, see sick people, or hear about medical procedures
  • Avoids visiting doctor and friends with illnesses
  • Fainted during a leg operation description in Sunday school at age 9
  • Difficulty receiving immunizations and undergoing routine medical procedures throughout childhood and adolescence
  • Numerous fainting episodes when witnessing physical trauma or hearing about injuries

Recent Incident:

  • Unable to visit terminally ill father-in-law in the hospital due to fear
  • Fainted when seeing someone in a wheelchair, believing they might be in pain

Distinguishing Features:

  • Not related to obsession with germs (OBS-COPD) or prior traumatic experience (PTSD)
  • Physiological response: initial period of arousal followed by vasovagal drop in heart rate and blood pressure, leading to fainting

Other Related Disorders:

  • Illness Anxiety Disorder (IAD): preoccupation with having or acquiring serious illnesses like cancer; high general anxiety about health; contrasts from Specific Phobia as primary symptoms are not fear, anxiety, and avoidance related to phobic stimulus.

5.4 Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia)

Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia)

Significant Fear or Anxiety:

  • About being in a social situation where one is exposed to the scrutiny of others
  • The social situation may involve:
    • Performance in front of a group (e.g., giving a speech)
    • Being observed in public (e.g., eating or drinking)
    • Meeting new people or engaging in conversation with others

Person with Social Anxiety Disorder:

  • Afraid that they will act in a way that is embarrassing, humiliating, offending, or provoking rejection by others
  • Fears the situation and either avoids it or endures it with dread
  • Anxiety or avoidance is not related to another mental disorder (e.g., Panic Disorder, Body Dysmorphic Disorder)
  • Distressing anxiety may be due to an underlying medical condition with embarrassing symptoms

Diagnosis and Prevalence:

  • Diagnosis should only be given if the fear and avoidance is out of proportion to the symptom in question
  • Social Anxiety Disorder is one of the more common Anxiety Disorders, with a 12-month prevalence estimate in the U.S. of approximately 7%
  • Onset is usually in early adolescence, with a waxing and waning course that may last for several years or more
  • Women are somewhat more affected than men, although men may be more likely to seek treatment
Mail Sorter

Patient Profile: Andy Johnson

Demographic Information:

  • Age: 25 years old
  • Gender: Male
  • Living Situation: Lives with mother and brother

Occupational History:

  • Mail sorter at the post office
  • Previously dropped out of college after 2 years

Presenting Complaints:

  • "Nervousness" and feeling of "just going through the motions"
  • Desire to lead a normal life and go back to college

Historical Background:

  • No close friends during adolescence and young adulthood, preferred to be alone
  • Formed several friendships in college but became self-conscious when speaking to strangers or classmates
  • Experienced "panic attacks" with symptoms of nervousness, stiff face, buzzing in head, feeling disconnected from body, hot flashes, and sweating
  • Attacks occurred only when with people and not during solitary activities
  • Dropped out of college due to social anxiety

Current Coping Mechanisms:

  • Avoids using public bathrooms, feels more comfortable in dimly lit rooms or with fewer people present
  • Has two "best friends" with whom he socializes regularly and feels completely comfortable
  • Avoids dating and group settings (e.g., weddings, parties, clubs)
  • Has no problem with authority figures and welcomes constructive criticism from supervisor at post office

Diagnostic Considerations:

  • Social Anxiety Disorder: Anxiety occurs in a variety of social situations where the patient fears doing or saying something humiliating or embarrassing
  • Avoidant Personality Disorder: Symptoms meet criteria for this disorder, including avoidance of activities involving interpersonal contact, inhibition in interpersonal situations, preoccupation with being criticized or rejected, and feelings of inadequacy.
On Stage

Doug Phillips' Case:

  • Doug Phillips is a 33-year-old man living in Seattle, employed as a salesperson for an insurance company since college graduation
  • Anxiety at work: college anxiety returned during third year
    • Nervousness during tests and writing papers
    • Heart pounding, hands sweating and trembling
    • Affected grades negatively
  • Sales career: anxiety returns when expected to perform
    • Nervousness before answering business phone calls
    • Avoids scheduling appointments with clients
    • Concerned about what clients might think if they sense his nervousness
    • Repeatedly rewrites sales scripts
  • Functioning at only 20% capacity, borrowing large sums of money for living expenses
  • Socializing abilities unaffected except during work situations

Diagnosis: Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) - Performance Only type

Symptoms:

  • Marked and persistent fear of social or performance situations
  • Exposed to unfamiliar people or possible scrutiny from others
  • Fear that he would act in a way that will be humiliating or embarrassing
  • No anxiety in non-performance situations
  • Limited to specific phobic stimulus (phone conversations)

Discussion: Mr. Phillips' problem is crippling anxiety when he feels he's performing, which includes college tasks and work performances but not social activities. The fear of being judged and feeling foolish are key symptoms of Social Anxiety Disorder, specifically the Performance Only type.

No Friends

Social Anxiety Disorder (Emily's Case)

Background:

  • 7-year-old girl named Emily
  • Reluctance to interact with peers
  • Difficulty responding to other children
  • No friends in classroom
  • Discomfort around unfamiliar people

Symptoms:

  • Shy and nervous with peers
  • Cries or shakes when introduced to new children
  • Never invited to birthday parties
  • Warm and outgoing with family

Diagnosis:

  • Social Anxiety Disorder (DSM-5, p. 202)
  • Fear of humiliating or embarrassing situations
  • Diagnosis not appropriate for Personality Disorder due to age.

Previous Teachers' Concerns:

  • Emily was very withdrawn and nervous with other children since kindergarten
  • Teachers had commented on her report cards about her behavior

Mother's Efforts:

  • Tried repeatedly to get Emily involved with neighbors' children
  • Led Emily by the hand to meet new kids but she would cry or shake

Current Situation:

  • No improvement in social skills after 6 months into second grade.

Additional Information:

  • Emily's behavior is different with her family, who she is warm and outgoing towards
  • In an adult, this behavior may suggest Avoidant Personality Disorder but not appropriate for a child diagnosis.

5.5 Panic Disorder

Panic Disorder

Symptoms:

  • Sudden, unexpected attacks of extreme fear or anxiety
  • Symptoms may include: palpitations, accelerated heart rate, sweating, trembling, shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea, dizziness, chills or hot flashes, and numbness/tingling in extremities
  • Disturbing perceptions or cognitions during attack: derealization, depersonalization, fear of losing control, going crazy, or dying
  • Persistent concern or worry about additional attacks
  • Behavioral changes to avoid perceived triggers (e.g., traveling on public transportation, crowds)

Statistics:

  • Relatively common with a 12-month prevalence in the general population of approximately 2%-3% in adults and adolescents
  • Onset usually in early 20s
  • Chronic course without treatment but waxing and waning symptoms
  • More likely to affect women than men

Case Study: Ms. Markowitz's Experience

  • Panic attacks began with sudden intense fear, no apparent cause
  • Symptoms included trembling, nausea, sweating, choking, fear of losing control or going crazy
  • Attacks started in high school during stressful times (sneaking around parents, pressure from work and college applications)
  • Intermittent attacks over 8 years with variations in intensity
  • Functioned well in school, work, and social life despite attacks
  • Never associated attacks with particular places, always "toughed it out"

Diagnosis:

  • Panic Disorder (DSM-5, p. 208)
  • No symptoms of Agoraphobia as no specific triggers identified.
I Could Be Dying

Background:

  • Niyol Begay: 52-year-old wholesale distributor with sleep disturbances and panic attacks
  • Woke up multiple times a week gasping for breath, sweating, shaking, and having palpitations
  • Third attack in a week and tenth that month
  • History of recurrent panic attacks since age 12
  • Attacks began occurring during sleep after turning 50
  • Previously drank 8-10 beers every weekend for years but stopped due to weight loss and hypertension improvement

Symptoms:

  • Difficulty breathing, sweating, shaking, rapid heartbeat, palpitations (panic attacks)
  • Anxiety in anticipation of certain situations (elevators, planes)
  • Fear of falling apart without "support system" (beer cooler)
  • Avoidance of uncomfortable situations and flights

Diagnosis:

  • Panic Disorder: recurrent unexpected panic attacks with characteristic symptoms and fear of consequences
  • Agoraphobia: avoidance of places or situations that may trigger panic attacks
  • Insomnia Disorder: persistent insomnia causing daytime fatigue, distress or impairment in functioning.

Additional History:

  • Successful businessman but anxiety prevented accepting a large government contract due to fear of scrutiny and long plane flights
  • Two sisters and two daughters suffer from agoraphobia
  • No evidence for Obstructive Sleep Apnea despite symptoms like snoring, weight loss, hypertension improvement.

5.6 Agoraphobia

Definition: Marked fear or anxiety triggered by real or anticipated exposure to a variety of situations, including:

  • Using public transportation (e.g., automobiles, buses, trains, ships, or planes)
  • Being in open spaces (e.g., parking lots, markets, bridges)
  • Being in enclosed spaces (e.g., shops, theaters)
  • Standing in line or being in a crowd
  • Being outside of the home alone

Characteristics:

  • Fear or avoidance of at least two of the above situations
  • Consistently provokes fear or anxiety in the individual
  • Active avoidance or endurance with intense fear or anxiety
  • Persistent, lasting for at least 6 months
  • Causes significant distress or impairment in functioning
  • Not given if attempts to avoid a situation would be considered reasonable due to inherent danger

Statistics:

  • Relatively common, with an estimated 12-month prevalence in the general population of adults and adolescents of approximately 1.7%
  • Typical onset is in late adolescence or early adulthood
  • Women are twice as likely to be affected as men
  • Course is typically chronic without treatment, very few have spontaneous remissions

Comorbidities:

  • Other Anxiety Disorders
  • Depressive Disorders
  • Substance Use Disorders
  • Personality Disorders

Case Study: "No Fluids"

  • Ms. O'Reilly, a 32-year-old medical secretary in Dublin, Ireland, was referred for treatment of depression
  • Fearful that she will urinate in public, even though she has never actually done so
  • Avoids activities like work, traveling far from home, and drinking alcohol to prevent this fear
  • Has a history of anxiety and overly cautious behavior
  • Treatment with clomipramine (an antidepressant medication) and a behavioral program helped her manage the condition
  • Moved away from her mother and ended her relationship with her boyfriend's tension, leading to continued improvement.

5.7 Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

Characteristics:

  • Excessive anxiety and worry for most of the time over a period of at least 6 months
  • Restlessness or feeling keyed up or on edge
  • Easily fatigued
  • Difficulty concentrating or mind going blank
  • Irritability
  • Muscle tension
  • Sleep disturbance

Symptoms:

  • Worry about routine life circumstances: job responsibilities, health, finances, family members' health, children's competence, etc.
  • Inability to control the worry
  • Constant feeling of being "edgy" or watchful, interfering with concentration

Diagnosis:

  • Not attributable to physiological effects of a substance or medical condition
  • Not better explained by another mental disorder (e.g., Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder)

Prevalence and Onset:

  • 12-month prevalence in the general population: approximately 0.9% for adolescents, 2.9% for adults
  • Onset usually around age 30
  • Women are twice as likely as men to have the disorder
  • Chronic course with waxing and waning symptoms across the lifespan

Case Study: "Edgy Electrician" (Mr. Schmidt)

  • Symptoms of excessive anxiety and worry for more than 2 years
  • Predominant symptoms: feeling on edge, easily fatigued, difficulty concentrating, irritability, muscle tension, sleep disturbance
  • Worry about the health of his parents, being a good father, wife leaving him, coworkers' opinions
  • Recognizes his worries are often excessive and repetitive but cannot control them
  • Has few social contacts due to nervous symptoms
  • Continues to work despite hiding symptoms from family.

5.8 Anxiety Disorder Due to Another Medical Condition

Anxiety Disorder Due to Another Medical Condition

Symptoms:

  • Anxiety or panic attacks that are a direct pathophysiological consequence of another medical condition
  • Examples:
    • Pheochromocytoma (benign tumor of the adrenal gland that secretes norepinephrine)
    • Vitamin B12 deficiency (pernicious anemia)

Diagnosis:

  • Requires evidence from history, physical examination, or laboratory testing of a medical condition known to cause anxiety
  • Evidence of temporal association between onset/exacerbation/remission of medical condition and anxiety symptoms
  • Atypical features that differ from typical anxiety disorders (e.g., unusual age at onset)
  • Documented physiological mechanisms linking medical condition to anxiety

The Outdoorsman Case Study:

  • 78-year-old retired lumber company president with episodic attacks of apprehension, restlessness, and need to be outdoors
  • Temporal association between attack onset and subzero weather (relief with outdoor exposure)
  • No shortness of breath, palpitations, or other typical anxiety symptoms
  • Symptoms included trembling, sweating, dizziness, and fear of dying/losing consciousness
  • Balance problem and intermittent right arm pain
  • Diagnosis: Vitamin B12 deficiency (pernicious anemia)
  • Corrected with vitamin replacement, attacks did not recur

Conclusion:

  • Differentiating anxiety disorders from anxiety due to medical conditions requires careful examination and consideration of physiological mechanisms.

CHAPTER 6 Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders

Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders (OCD)

Characteristics:

  • Difficulties controlling cognitive processes (thinking, perceiving) and behaviors
  • Preoccupying and endlessly repetitive thoughts, urges, or images (obsessions)
  • Recurrent and persistent anxiety or distress caused by obsessions
  • Repetitive behaviors or mental acts in response to preoccupations (compulsions)

Types:

  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): Obsessions and compulsions
  • Body Dysmorphic Disorder: Preoccupation with perceived physical flaws
  • Hoarding Disorder: Persistent difficulty discarding possessions, accumulation of items congesting living areas
  • Trichotillomania (Hair-Pulling Disorder): Recurrent pulling out of hair
  • Excoriation (Skin-Picking) Disorder: Repetitive skin picking resulting in lesions

Insight:

  • With Good or Fair Insight: People recognize beliefs may not be true, behavior is problematic
  • With Poor Insight: People think their beliefs are probably true, behavior is not problematic despite evidence to the contrary
  • With Absent Insight/Delusional Beliefs: No insight or delusional beliefs, completely convinced of truth and no problem with behaviors.

6.1 Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Themes of Obsessions and Compulsions:

  • Cleaning:
    • Repetitive thoughts about possible contamination by dirt, germs, or disease
    • Compulsory cleaning behaviors such as excessive hand washing
  • Symmetry:
    • Repetitive thoughts about order
    • Behaviors involving repeating, ordering, and counting
  • Forbidden Thoughts:
    • Aggressive, sexual, or religious thoughts and behaviors
    • Such as praying
  • Harm:
    • Fears of harm to self or others
    • Compulsory checking behaviors to ensure safety or security

Characteristics of Obsessions and Compulsions:

  • Obsessions cause anxiety or distress
  • People struggle to ignore, suppress, or "neutralize" obsessions with other thoughts or actions (compulsions)
  • Compulsions are repetitive behaviors or mental acts felt "driven" to perform
  • Not connected in a realistic way to what they are intended to neutralize or prevent
  • Often odd, irrational, and have a "magical" component
  • Distinguish from worries about real-life concerns

Onset of OCD:

  • Usually begins in late adolescence but may start earlier or in childhood
  • 12-month prevalence in the US is 1.2%
  • Slightly more common in women than men in adulthood, but more common in boys than girls in childhood

Impact of OCD:

  • Can cause significant impairment and interfere with daily life
  • People may avoid people or situations that trigger symptoms
  • Up to 25% attempt suicide at some point
  • If untreated, course can be chronic with little chance of complete recovery
  • Often co-occurs with other mental disorders such as Anxiety, Depressive, Tic, and Personality Disorders.
Lady Macbeth

Cindy's Experience with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Description of Cindy's Condition:

  • Severe form of OCD as described in DSM-5 (p. 237)
  • Both obsessions and compulsions present, causing distress and interfering with functioning
  • Onset in adolescence

Obsessions:

  • Contamination: fear of germs on clothes, dreaded events (grandmother becoming sick)
  • Intrusive, unwanted thoughts that require neutralization through compulsions

Compulsions:

  • Repetitive behaviors to prevent discomfort or feared event
  • Rigidly applied rules (saying "soap and water" to cancel out germ words)
  • Extreme measures: washing hands for hours, leading to bleeding

Insight and Awareness:

  • Cindy recognizes irrationality of fears intellectually but emotionally reacts as if they are real
  • Good insight in this case (With Good or Fair Insight specifier)
  • No hallucinations, only intrusive thoughts confused with auditory hallucinations

Associated Conditions:

  • Occasionally Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder may be present but not diagnosed in this case
  • Major Depressive Disorder can occur before or during OCD and increase suicide risk
  • Cindy experienced an episode of Major Depressive Disorder early on in her OCD.

6.2 Body Dysmorphic Disorder

Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)

Definition: Preoccupation with perceived defects or flaws in physical appearance that are not observable or appear slight to others.

Symptoms:

  • Repetitive behaviors: checking appearance, grooming, seeking reassurance, comparing to others
  • Feelings of ugliness, unattractiveness, abnormality, deformity
  • Commonly affects skin, hair, nose but can involve any body part
  • Diagnosis may overlap with Eating Disorders (Anorexia Nervosa or Bulimia Nervosa)
    • Body image distortions are a feature of Eating Disorder
    • Individuals without Eating Disorder can have an additional diagnosis of BDD if preoccupations are impairing

Onset: Often begins in adolescence

Prevalence: 2.4% in the United States, slightly more common in women

Types and Occurrences:

  • Muscle dysmorphia: exclusive to men, preoccupation with body being too small or insufficiently muscular
  • High prevalence in dermatology, cosmetic surgery practices
  • Chronic disorder, often leads to unnecessary treatments or surgery

Impact: Impairing, can avoid social situations, drop out of school or work, become housebound due to concerns about appearance.

Elephant Man

Patient Profile: Marco Caruso

Background:

  • 31-year-old carpenter
  • Shy, anxious-looking
  • Hospitalized after suicide attempt
  • No friends, recently fired from job, left by girlfriend

Appearance:

  • Wears baseball cap to cover eyes and hide perceived flaws
  • Preoccupied with a perceived defect in appearance

Behavior:

  • Avoids brightly lit rooms
  • Spends hours looking at marks in mirror
  • Missed work due to anxiety about appearance
  • Attempted suicide twice

Perception of Self:

  • Believes he has huge, ugly pockmarks on nose that make him look like "The Elephant Man"
  • Embarrassed by perceived flaws
  • Distorted self-image leads to significant distress and impaired functioning

Diagnosis:

  • Body Dysmorphic Disorder (DSM-5, p. 242)

Symptoms:

  • Preoccupation with a facial flaw or perceived defect
  • Repetitive behaviors: excessive mirror checking, camouflaging grooming activities, wearing hats/masks, questioning others about the "defect"
  • Poor insight into imagined or distorted nature of the perceived flaw
  • Degree of insight may vary from good to delusional.

Impact on Life:

  • Significant impairment in occupational, social functioning
  • Suicide attempts not uncommon
  • Distress and dysfunction span a spectrum of severity.

6.3 Hoarding Disorder

Hoarding Disorder

  • Hallmark: Persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions, regardless of their actual value
  • Individuals hold on to items because of perceived need for future utility, aesthetic or sentimental value
  • Commonly saved items: newspapers, magazines, old clothing, bags, books, mail, paperwork, animals
  • Accumulation leads to congestion and compromise of active living space
  • Living areas may become unsafe due to fire, falling, or respiratory/disease risks
  • Symptoms often begin in adolescence, increase with age
  • Prevalence estimates: 2%-6% in US and Europe
  • More common in men, but women seek treatment more frequently

Case Study: Eli Wolfe

  • Hoarding disorder diagnosis
  • Persistent difficulty parting with possessions
  • Accumulation leads to uninhabitable living conditions
  • Disrupted personal life (divorce, job losses)
  • Long-standing problem with inability to throw things out
  • Hoarding behavior not part of Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder or Schizophrenia
  • Anxiety associated with thought of discarding items, but not intrusive and unwanted obsessions
  • Failure to engage in appropriate behavior rather than repetitive stereotyped hoarding behavior.

6.4 Trichotillomania (Hair-Pulling Disorder)

Trichotillomania (Hair-Pulling Disorder)

Essential Features:

  • Recurrent pulling out of one's hair, resulting in hair loss
  • Repeated attempts to decrease or stop hair pulling

Characteristics:

  • Hair can be pulled from any part of the body, most commonly scalp, eyebrows, eyelids
  • Episodes can be brief and sporadic or prolonged and enduring
  • Causes great distress, including embarrassment, shame, feeling out of control
  • Triggered by negative emotions (e.g., boredom, anxiety) and accompanied by increased tension before pulling
  • Leads to sense of pleasure or relief once the behavior has occurred
  • Individuals may attempt to hide hair loss with hats, scarves, or wigs

Prevalence:

  • 1%-2% 12-month prevalence in adults and adolescents
  • Women are 10 times more likely than men to have Trichotillomania
  • Onset most commonly at puberty

Symptoms:

  • Hair pulling often interferes with social and occupational functioning
  • Occasionally associated with physical problems (e.g., skin infections)

Case Study: Celeste Nguyen

  • Experienced hair pulling since age 12, primarily on scalp and eyebrows
  • Bald patches on head, sometimes practically bald for a period
  • Carefully hid the behavior through brushing, scarves, and wigs
  • Hair picking was a daily habit, often lasting up to an hour
  • Prescribed antidepressants (fluoxetine and clomipramine) which improved symptoms
  • Also received hypnosis treatment
  • Continues to attend self-help group for ongoing support

6.5 Excoriation (Skin-Picking) Disorder

Excoriation Disorder

Characteristics:

  • Recurrent skin picking resulting in skin lesions (DSM-5, p. 254)
  • Individuals repeatedly attempt to decrease or stop picking
  • Most commonly picked sites: face, arms, hands
  • Skin picking consumes hours of the day and may persist for months or years
  • Causes significant distress including embarrassment, shame, feeling out of control
  • Triggered by negative emotions (boredom, anxiety), tension before picking, sense of pleasure or relief after
  • Individuals may hide lesions with makeup or clothing
  • Lifetime prevalence: 1.4%
  • Women outnumber men by about 3 to 1
  • Onset most commonly at puberty, often begins with acne
  • Usually chronic, interferes with social and school/work functioning
  • Physical problems: tissue damage, scarring, infections; may require treatment with antibiotics or surgery

Case Study: Shelley Kellerman

  • 28-year-old single woman who picks at her skin
  • Began picking at acne around age 13
  • Increased frequency and intensity during college under stress from examinations
  • Picks daily for the past 4 years, usually after showering or before bedtime
  • Picks with fingernails, spends approximately 3 hours each day picking
  • Embarrassed by behavior, ashamed and embarrassed after each episode
  • Urge to pick is irresistible, feels unable to resist the drive
  • Avoids social activities (swimming, shorts) due to scarring from picking
  • Does not want to explain situation due to embarrassment
  • Frequent tardiness for work or missed appointments
  • Scans environment for things to pick, even on boyfriend's skin
  • Seeks help but has difficulty finding understanding professionals.

CHAPTER 7 Trauma- and Stressor- Related Disorders

Trauma- and Stressor-Related Disorders (DSM-5)

Characteristics of Trauma- and Stressor-Related Disorders:

  • Reactive Attachment Disorder: inhibited, emotionally withdrawn behavior toward adult caregivers; extremes of insufficient care responsible for disturbed behavior
  • Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder: child actively approaches and interacts with unfamiliar adults; extremes of insufficient care responsible for disturbed behavior
  • Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence; intrusion symptoms associated with the traumatic event, persistent avoidance of stimuli, negative alterations in cognition and mood, marked alterations in arousal and reactivity; duration of disturbance more than 1 month
  • Acute Stress Disorder: exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence; presence of symptoms of intrusion, negative mood, dissociation, avoidance, and arousal after the traumatic event; duration of disturbance 3 days to 1 month
  • Adjustment Disorders: emotional or behavioral symptoms in response to an identifiable stressor; occurring within 3 months of stressor onset; stress-related disturbance does not meet criteria for another mental disorder or represent exacerbation of a preexisting mental disorder.

7.1 Reactive Attachment Disorder

Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD)

  • Characteristics: Pattern of emotionally withdrawn behavior toward adult caregivers, minimal social and emotional responsiveness, persistent distress, limited positive emotions, irritability, sadness, fearfulness.
  • Causes: Severe social neglect, insufficient care, frequent caregiver changes, institutional settings with high child-to-caregiver ratio.
  • Impact: Impairs interpersonal relationships, developmental delays in cognition and language, potential malnutrition.
  • Distinction from Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): Reactive Attachment Disorder results from severe social neglect; ASD presents with a restricted range of interests and repetitive behaviors.
  • Case Study: "Grandma's Child" (Tanya)
    • Age 4, only child of long-term heroin users.
    • Placed in foster care after parents arrested.
    • Grandparents noticed language delays, social interaction problems.
    • Avoided seeking comfort or playing with grandparents and relatives.
    • Fearful during interaction.
    • Mild language delays, marked social interaction difficulties.
    • Reversal of symptoms with consistent caring environment.
  • Diagnosis: Inhibited and emotionally withdrawn behavior, minimal social and emotional responsiveness to caregivers, fearfulness – results from extremely neglectful care.

7.2 Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder

Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder (DSED)

Characteristics:

  • Indiscriminate approach and interaction with unfamiliar adults
  • Little social inhibition toward strangers
  • Unattached behavior towards caregivers
  • Overly familiarity with strangers, even physically
  • May go off with complete strangers
  • Attention seeking in pre-school age
  • Verbal and physical overfamiliarity in middle childhood
  • Superficial and conflicted peer relationships in adolescence

Causes:

  • Grossly inadequate caregiving
  • Frequent changes in caregivers
  • Limited opportunities for attachment formation due to institutionalization

Behavioral Manifestations:

  • Hugging strangers as if known for years
  • Running up to unfamiliar people and wanting to be picked up
  • Telling strangers she will go with them
  • Indiscriminate approach towards strangers without hesitation or reticence

Case Study: Harlow's Behavior:

  • Placed in foster care due to neglect and physical abuse
  • Demonstrated no preference for any particular adult, approached anyone
  • Hugged strangers and told them she had known them for years
  • Tended to run off with unfamiliar adults if not prevented
  • Friendly and affectionate towards strangers

Implications:

  • Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder is caused by significant social and physical neglect and abuse, preventing the child from forming selective and stable attachments to adult caregivers.
  • The diagnosis is more persistent than Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) and may continue into adolescence if neglectful conditions persist.

7.3 Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Characteristic Symptoms:

  • Development of certain symptoms in response to an extremely traumatic experience
  • Exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence
    • Direct experience of threat to life or limb
    • Witnessing event occurring to another person
    • Learning about event affecting close family member or friend
    • Repeated exposure through job (e.g., first responders)

Symptom Patterns:

  1. Intrusion symptoms: recurrent, involuntary reexperience of traumatic event
    • Distressing memories and dreams related to the event
    • Dissociative reactions (flashbacks)
    • Intense or prolonged psychological/physiological distress on exposure to reminders
  2. Persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with trauma:
    • Deliberately avoiding thoughts, memories, feelings about traumatic event
    • Avoiding activities, objects, situations, or people that arouse uncomfortable recollections
  3. Negative changes in cognitions and mood associated with the event:
    • Inability to remember important aspects of what happened during the event
    • Persistent negative beliefs about self, others, or the world
    • Distorted thoughts about cause or consequences of the event
    • Persistent feelings (fear, horror, anger, guilt, shame)
    • Diminished interest in previously enjoyed activities
    • Feeling detached or estranged from others
    • Inability to experience positive emotions
  4. Alterations in arousal and reactivity:
    • Irritability, angry outbursts
    • Recklessness or self-destructive behavior
    • Hypervigilance
    • Exaggerated startle response
    • Problems concentrating
    • Sleep disturbance

Duration:

  • Symptoms must have lasted for at least 1 month and caused clinically significant impairment in functioning
  • Briefer but similarly intense reactions are diagnosed as Acute Stress Disorder

Age Modifications:

  • Age-appropriate modifications for children under age 6 years (e.g., reenactments in play, social withdrawal instead of detachment)
  • If more than 6 months elapse between trauma exposure and full expression of symptoms, use "With Delayed Expression" specifier

Prevalence:

  • More common in the United States than most Asian, African, or Latin American countries
  • Higher rates among war veterans, people whose work puts them at risk for exposure to traumatic events (e.g., police, firefighters), survivors of rape, military combat, captivity, and ethnically/politically motivated internment and genocide
  • Women have higher rates than men
  • Variable course with some recovering within months while others have symptoms for decades.
The Singer

Ms. Natasha Blackman's Case

Background:

  • 27-year-old nightclub singer
  • Referred to a psychologist by friend for evaluation
  • Experienced traumatic event: boyfriend stabbed during mugging, escaped unharmed

Symptoms and Diagnosis:

  • Recurrent nightmares and vivid memories of the crime
  • Avoidance of places/situations reminding her of the event (going out after dark)
  • Negative changes in cognitions and mood: withdrawal from friends, feelings of guilt and self-blame
  • Alterations in arousal: exaggerated startle response, trouble concentrating, sleep disturbance
  • Mild dissociative experiences: daydreaming, forgetting what she intended to buy

Diagnosis Discussion:

  • Likely case of PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) (DSM-5)
  • Symptoms began after a short latency period, but not delayed expression
  • If only mild and nonspecific anxiety symptoms: Adjustment Disorder with Anxiety
The Wreck

The Wreck: Case Study of Enrique Casales

Background:

  • 40-year-old married carpenter, Mr. Casales
  • Motor vehicle accident 2 years ago with no head trauma or loss of consciousness
  • Hospitalized for neck strain and inflammation of spinal nerve to trapezius muscle in back
  • Diagnosis: neck strain and inflammation
  • Treatment: physical therapy and anti-inflammatory medication

Symptoms After the Accident:

  • Occasional involuntary thoughts of the accident
  • Trouble falling asleep, irritability, anxious mood, impaired concentration, increased appetite, weight gain
  • Symptoms waxed and waned over months
  • No avoidance behavior or loss of interest in usual activities (including sexual interest)
  • Continued socializing with friends
  • Transient anxiety when driving past accident site
  • Orthopedic injuries prevented return to work as a carpenter, but he continued working at "side businesses"
  • Marital life deteriorated due to irritability
  • Able to enjoy himself on camping trips

Surgery and Postsurgery Symptoms:

  • Decided to undergo recommended surgery for temporary disability in right shoulder and arm
  • Developed more dramatic symptoms:
    • Unable to sleep due to terrifying dreams, unable to return to sleep for hours
    • Loss of interest in sex
    • Exaggerated startle response to loud noises (e.g., honking horns, slamming doors)
    • Acute anxiety when a passenger in a car, nausea, outbursts of anger while driving or passing an accident site
    • Unable to concentrate on side businesses
    • Marital situation deteriorated due to emotional isolation from wife and planned divorce

Diagnosis:

  • After 6 weeks of symptoms, sought assistance from orthopedic surgeon who made a psychiatric referral
  • Treated with antidepressant (sertraline) and supportive psychotherapy, which promptly controlled the symptoms
  • Postsurgery disability resolved after 2 months, allowing full range of motion and nearly full strength
  • Attempts to reduce dosage of sertraline resulted in return of dreams, sleep disturbances, and high level of anxiety.

Conclusion:

  • In the months following the accident, Mr. Casales exhibited nonspecific anxiety symptoms that could have been diagnosed as Adjustment Disorder with Anxiety.
  • The full clinical picture of PTSD (with delayed expression) developed about 2 years later after undergoing surgery for injuries related to the accident.
Flashbacks

Michael Bennett's Case:

  • Admitted to hospital in 1975, age 23, after experiencing depression, insomnia, and flashbacks related to his Vietnam War experiences
  • Honorably discharged two years prior with minimal difficulties adjusting to civilian life
  • Wife noticed reluctance to discuss military experiences but wrote it off as normal reactions
  • Symptoms began around the time of Saigon's fall in 1975
  • Preoccupation with war news and avoidance due to distress
  • Flashbacks: nightmares, dissociative experiences, increased arousal, persistent negative emotions
  • Avoided all sources of war news
  • Symptoms indicate PTSD (DSM-5): intrusion symptoms, persistent negative emotions, avoidance behavior, and symptoms with delayed expression.

Michael Bennett's Diagnosis:

  • PTSD diagnosis based on DSM-5 criteria: intrusive memories, persistent negative emotions, avoidance behavior, and symptoms with delayed expression.
  • Symptoms of guilt for surviving when others did not (survivor guilt).

Impact of Trauma:

  • Increased risk for chronic health issues such as cardiovascular diseases, nervous system disorders, musculoskeletal disorders.
  • Higher mortality rate: Vietnam War veterans with PTSD are twice as likely to die over a 25-year period compared to those without PTSD.
  • Recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have produced approximately 270,000 veterans diagnosed with PTSD, half of whom receive disability benefits.
  • Prolonged deployments may contribute to these issues.
Memories

Mrs. Zelda Podlevner's Case Study:

Background:

  • Referred for psychiatric evaluation in preparation for Workmen's Compensation appeal
  • Problems began 6 months prior after a minor fire at her workplace
  • Developed abdominal pains, nausea, heart palpitations, depression, anxiety, and fear of leaving home

Fire Incident:

  • Triggered reliving of traumatic experience from Auschwitz concentration camp
  • Patient was selected to work in a gas chamber during selection process
  • Smell of the fire reminded her of the gas chamber

Symptoms of PTSD:

  • Intrusion symptoms: nightmares, distressing recollections
  • Avoidance of situations that remind her of trauma
  • Lost interest in activities, negative thoughts about self
  • Increased arousal: difficulty sleeping and concentrating

Current Status:

  • Still afraid to go back to work despite therapy
  • Dealing with feeling her life stopped at age 17 during the Holocaust

Discussion of "Memories":

  • Mrs. Podlevner's case is an example of PTSD With Delayed Expression (DSM-5)
  • The minor fire uncovered a deeply buried memory of a horrendous experience after many years
  • Symptoms of PTSD: traumatic experience involving actual or threatened death, intrusion symptoms, avoidance, negative thoughts, increased arousal.

Holocaust Survivors:

  • Estimated 140,000 Holocaust survivors alive in the United States (2016)
  • Growing old and suffering from physical and emotional problems related to traumatic experiences as well as normal aging.
Sniper

Leah's Case Study

Background:

  • Leah, a 6-year-old girl, referred for evaluation due to tearfulness, irritability, and difficulty concentrating in class
  • Two and a half months prior, Leah was pinned down by sniper fire on her school playground
  • One child was killed; several others injured during the 15-minute shooting incident
  • No personal connection to victim or perpetrator before the incident

Behavioral Changes:

  • Withdrew from friends, became argumentative and fearful
  • Irritable, moody at home
  • Apprehensive about new situations, fearful of being alone
  • Regularly asked to sleep with parents, restless sleep, crying out in her sleep
  • Susceptible to minor physical problems, frequent complaints of fatigue
  • Nearly walked in front of moving car without awareness
  • Engaged in "nurse games" frequently

Symptoms:

  • Terrified of being killed or injured again
  • Nightmares and dreams about the shooting incident
  • Afraid of loud noises, public address systems
  • Difficulty focusing on schoolwork, disrupted attention
  • Avoided playground area where shooting occurred, sniper's street
  • Particularly afraid during Fridays (day of shooting)
  • Unable to express feelings to parents, fearful and anxious

PTSD Diagnosis:

  • Leah experienced a traumatic event involving potential death or injury for herself and her classmates
  • Exhibited severe PTSD symptoms within days of the trauma: intrusive images, recurrent dreams, avoidance behaviors, negative alterations in cognition, increased arousal.

Additional Information:

  • Age-specific indicators of PTSD apply for children aged 6 years and younger
  • Leah did not experience flashbacks as adults might, but had recurrent intrusive images and recollections through games, play, dreams instead.
Nighttime Visitor

Christina's Case: A Child Victim of Sexual Abuse

Background:

  • Christina, 8 years old, referred to family treatment center due to disruptive behavior
  • Diagnosed with vaginal warts and gonorrhea
  • Revealed father had been sexually molesting her and sister Sara for 2 years
  • Father jailed, mother cited for neglect

Symptoms:

  • Difficulty sleeping, nightmares about father
  • Fearful of divulging secrets to others
  • Irritable and aggressive at home
  • Avoidance of friends, fear of rejection
  • Clinging to therapist
  • Traumatic play in therapy sessions

Stressor Requirement:

  • Repeated sexual abuse by father meets stressor requirement for PTSD

Symptoms of PTSD:

  • Intrusion symptoms: nightmares about trauma
  • Avoidance: avoiding thinking about the trauma, distraction with TV
  • Increased arousal: difficulty falling asleep, irritability and aggression
  • Negative emotions: depressed mood, guilt, fear of rejection

Possible Diagnosis:

  • PTSD due to sexual abuse by father
  • Depressive Disorder possible but not diagnosed based on given symptoms.

7.4 Acute Stress Disorder

Acute Stress Disorder (ASD)

  • Similar manifestations to PTSD but duration lasts from 3 days to 1 month after exposure to trauma
  • Characteristics of stressor: exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence (DSM-5, p. 280)
  • Symptoms:
    • Any 9 out of 14 symptoms regardless of category
    • Fewer than 20% of people exposed to traumatic events develop ASD
    • Higher prevalence among women
    • May progress to PTSD (approximately half of PTSD cases had Acute Stress Disorder immediately after the stressor)
  • Symptoms of Acute Stress Disorder:
    • Distressing memories and recurrent nightmares
    • Negative mood changes, such as no joy about past events or difficulty concentrating on work
    • Dissociative symptoms, like being in a daze or unaware of surroundings
    • Avoidance behavior, refusal to discuss the traumatic event
    • Symptoms of increased arousal, such as sleep disturbances and exaggerated startle response (DSM-5, p. 281)
  • Example: Vicky Lawson's case - a woman with a 28% burn injury and her experience after the trauma
    • Fearful and anxious
    • Nightmares and recurring distressing memories
    • Dissociative symptoms (in a daze, unable to remember husband's death)
    • Avoidance behavior (refuses to talk about what happened)
    • Symptoms of increased arousal (sleep disturbances, hypervigilance, and exaggerated startle response)
  • Diagnosis: Acute Stress Disorder (DSM-5, p. 280)

Acute Stress Disorder vs. PTSD

  • ASD requires symptoms to persist for at least 3 days but less than 1 month
  • Transient acute symptoms are common following traumatic events and most people recover within a few days or weeks
  • DSM-5 uses the diagnosis of Acute Stress Disorder when PTSD-like symptoms interfere with social or occupational functioning (DSM-5, p. 280)
  • Example: Karen Davidoff's case - eyewitness to a murderer's execution
    • Detached feeling and in a daze after the event
    • Unable to concentrate on work, dissatisfied with it
    • Difficulty sleeping, nightmares of the execution
    • Reexperiences trauma through intrusive recollections, flashbacks (vivid "snapshot" images), negative mood state, and dissociative symptoms.
  • Diagnosis: PTSD (not met criteria for ASD as symptoms persisted beyond a month) (DSM-5, p. 273)

7.5 Adjustment Disorders

Adjustment Disorders

Definition: Distressing emotional or behavioral reaction to a stressful life event that causes significant distress or interferes with social or occupational functioning.

Types of Stressors:

  • Single event (e.g., breakup of a relationship)
  • Series of events (e.g., loss of job and need to move)
  • Ongoing situation (e.g., illness, poverty)

Diagnosis:

  • Adjustment Disorder if stressor does not meet criteria for another mental disorder or normal bereavement
  • Adjustment Disorders can manifest in various ways:
    • With Depressed Mood
    • With Anxiety
    • With Mixed Anxiety and Depressed Mood
    • With Disturbance of Conduct
    • With Mixed Disturbance of Emotions and Conduct
  • Duration: Begins within 3 months of onset of stressor and lasts no longer than 6 months after the stressor or its consequences have ceased.

Case Examples:

  1. Happy Ending (Esther):

    • Reacted with bouts of sadness and crying after boyfriend wanted to stop seeing her
    • No other signs of depressive syndrome
    • Diagnosis: Adjustment Disorder, With Depressed Mood
  2. Abducted (Kaitlyn):

    • Demonstrated various symptoms of anxiety since being abducted by father 5 months previously
    • No evidence of other Anxiety Disorders or Generalized Anxiety Disorder
    • Diagnosis: Adjustment Disorder, With Anxiety.
No One Hits the Baby

Carol's Case Study:

  • Four-year-old girl referred for evaluation due to behavioral issues at school
  • Problems began with birth of sister three months ago
  • Teacher noticed change in behavior: pushing other children, hitting classmate, causing injury
  • Family evaluation revealed father's physical abuse towards Carol and her own feelings of neglect
  • Father's increased drinking and irritability, arguments between parents over infant care
  • Mother had little time for Carol due to infant's colic
  • Carol experienced difficulty sleeping, repeated tantrums, demands for attention
  • Father responded with physical violence, hitting her with a belt
  • Diagnosis: Adjustment Disorder With Mixed Disturbance of Emotions and Conduct (DSM-5)

Consequences of Child Abuse:

  • Children who are physically or sexually abused at risk for various disorders
  • Major Depressive Disorder, Separation Anxiety Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Conduct Disorder, Suicidal Behavior, Psychoactive Substance Use in adolescents (long-term consequences: Borderline Personality Disorder, Dissociative Identity Disorder)
  • Abused children may abuse their own children
  • The level of abuse identified in this case is not as severe as some other cases where multigenerational abuse has been identified.

CHAPTER 8 Dissociative Disorders

Dissociative Disorders

  • Dissociation: mental process disrupting connection between conscious awareness and aspects of self (memory, identity, perception)
  • On a continuum of severity
  • Mild dissociation: daydreaming, getting lost in a book, altered states from drug use
  • Problematic dissociation: 3 specific DSM-5 disorders present

Characteristics of Dissociative Disorders

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)

  • Disruption of identity
  • Two or more distinct personality states
  • Recurrent gaps in recall of everyday events

Dissociative Amnesia

  • Inability to recall important autobiographical information, usually traumatic or stressful

Depersonalization/Derealization Disorder

  • Persistent or recurrent experiences of:
    • Depersonalization (unreality or detachment from self)
    • Derealization (unreality or detachment from surroundings)

Additional Considerations

  • Dissociative symptoms not necessarily indicative of a Dissociative Disorder
  • Can occur in other disorders: Panic Attack, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
  • May not indicate any disorder at all.

8.1 Dissociative Identity Disorder

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)

Characteristics:

  • Multiple distinct personality states, or "alters"
  • Each alter has unique traits, history, thought processes, and ways of relating to surroundings
  • Some alters may be of different genders with distinct names and mannerisms
  • Stress or trauma triggers switch between alters
  • Symptoms include amnesia, time loss, unfamiliar people claiming to know the person, and missing items

Causes:

  • Severe childhood trauma, often involving extreme physical, sexual, or emotional abuse
  • Dissociative coping mechanism for dealing with unassimilable trauma

Controversy:

  • Some argue it is underdiagnosed due to the shifting nature of symptoms
  • Others claim diagnoses are based on suggestion from therapists or famous cases like "The Three Faces of Eve" or "Sybil"

Case Study: Mary Kendall (Mary Quite Contrary)

  • 35-year-old social worker referred for treatment of reflex sympathetic dystrophy
  • Highly hypnotizable and used self-hypnosis to control pain
  • Competent at work but had a lackluster personal life
  • Strange occurrences: unexplained car gas tank drops, memory gaps, nighttime driving without recall
  • Psychiatric evaluation revealed dissociative disorder and six additional personality states
  • Personality states organized along dependent-aggressive continuum, tension between them
  • Memories of physical/sexual abuse by father and others, guilt about not protecting siblings
  • Four years of psychotherapy resulted in partial integration of personality states.

8.2 Dissociative Amnesia

Dissociative Amnesia:

Definition: Unconscious blocking out of important personal information, often related to a stressful or traumatic event like child abuse or combat.

Types:

  • Situation-specific: Memory loss for particular incidents
  • Global: Complete gap in memory lasting months to years
  • Localized amnesia: Failure to recall events during circumscribed period of time
    • Selective: Remembering some parts but not others
    • Generalized: Complete loss of memory for life history and personal identity

Characteristics:

  • Memories still exist but deeply buried
  • Can resurface on their own or after being triggered
  • Some episodes resolve rapidly, while others persist for long periods
  • High prevalence of suicidal and self-destructive behaviors

Statistics: 1.8% 12-month prevalence among adults in the U.S., more common in females than males, can occur at any age group.

The Sailor

The Sailor's Case

Background:

  • 18-year-old male named Joshua brought to hospital by police
  • Appeared exhausted, sun exposure
  • Incorrectly identified date as September 25 instead of October 1
  • Difficulty focusing on specific questions
  • Recalled sailing with friends off Florida coast on September 25
  • Unable to recall events after September 25 or what happened to his companions
  • Initially uncertain of his whereabouts

Initial Examination:

  • No evidence of head injury or dehydration
  • Permitted to sleep for 6 hours, became more attentive upon awakening
  • Still unable to recall events after September 25 but aware of hospital environment
  • Able to remember personal details like student status, friends, family, and denial of psychiatric history

Additional Interview:

  • Conducted under influence of amobarbital (truth serum)
  • Revealed he and companions were inexperienced sailors
  • Lost control during storm, secured only with a lifeline
  • Consumed food supplies for 3 days before being rescued by Coast Guard
  • Never saw sailing companions again after they were washed overboard

Diagnosis:

  • Inability to remember specific period of time indicates dissociative amnesia (DSM-5, p. 298)
  • Rule out external causes: no evidence of head trauma, stroke, medical conditions, drug or alcohol use, or physical disturbance in brain functioning.
  • Memory loss caused by psychological stress confirmed during amobarbital interview.
Burt Tate

Patient Background:

  • 42-year-old white male brought to emergency room by police
  • Known as "Burt Tate" but no identification found
  • Had been working as a short-order cook at diner for several weeks
  • No charges against him, kept overnight for observation

Identity Crisis:

  • Police background check revealed patient was a missing person, Gene Saunders
  • Mrs. Saunders confirmed identity and provided history
  • Previously a middle-level manager at manufacturing company
  • Struggling at work, passed over for promotion, criticized by supervisor
  • Could not meet production goals, staff left the company
  • Withdrawn and critical of wife and children
  • Violent argument with 18-year-old son preceded disappearance

Memory Loss:

  • Unable to recall details of past life
  • No evidence of alcohol or drug abuse
  • Physical examination revealed no abnormalities
  • Knew town name, current date but anxious and confused upon meeting wife

Diagnosis:

  • Dissociative Amnesia with Dissociative Fugue (DSM-5)
  • Previously separate disorder in DSM-IV, now folded into Dissociative Amnesia
  • Onset linked to severe stressors: job promotion issues, work stress, family conflict

Rarity:

  • Quite rare in real life with a prevalence of less than 0.2%
  • Commonly used as plot device in books, TV shows, and movies.

8.3 Depersonalization/Derealization Disorder

Depersonalization/Derealization Disorder

Characteristics:

  • Lack of integration of one or more components of perception
  • Persistent or recurrent episodes of depersonalization, derealization, or both
  • Depersonalization: feeling unreal or detached from self, thoughts, feelings, sensations, body, or actions
  • Derealization: surroundings feel unreal, others appear dreamlike, foggy, lifeless, visually distorted
  • Altered subjective experience of reality, but not a form of psychosis
  • Can last from minutes to years

Statistics:

  • Approximately 50% of the general population has had an episode
  • Occurs in many mental and physical disorders, including Panic Disorder, PTSD, BPD, seizure disorders
  • Persistent or recurrent depersonalization/derealization: occurs in about 2% of the population

Case Study: Edward Alvarez

  • College student experiencing increasing frequency and duration of episodes
  • Sense of deadness in body, uncertain balance, lack of easy control over thoughts and actions
  • Feeling outside himself, uncertain of identity
  • Foggy thoughts reminiscent of anesthetic experiences
  • Anxiety about return of symptoms, fear of accidents while driving
  • Distressing symptoms led to decreased affection from girlfriend
  • No significant impairment in concentration or daily functioning
  • Slept well and maintained unimpaired college grades.

Diagnosis:

  • Depersonalization/Derealization Disorder (DSM-5, p. 302)
  • No evidence of derealization symptoms in Edward's case
  • Not indicative of psychotic disorder despite feelings of going insane or fear of institutionalization.

CHAPTER 9 Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders

Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders

DSM-5 Diagnoses:

  • Somatic Symptom Disorder: Distressing or impairing somatic symptoms
  • Illness Anxiety Disorder: Preoccupation with having or acquiring a serious illness in the absence of prominent somatic symptoms, high anxiety about health
  • Conversion Disorder (Functional Neurological Symptom Disorder): Symptoms of altered motor or sensory function not compatible with known neurological conditions
  • Psychological Factors Affecting Other Medical Conditions: Psychological or behavioral factors negatively influencing a medical condition
  • Factitious Disorder: Feigning a medical illness or disorder in the absence of obvious external incentives

Key Characteristics:

  • Somatic Symptom Disorder: Distressing or significant disruption of daily life, excessive thoughts, feelings, or behaviors related to somatic symptoms/health concerns
  • Illness Anxiety Disorder: Preoccupation with having or acquiring a serious illness, high anxiety about health, excessive health-related behaviors or avoidance
  • Conversion Disorder: Symptoms of altered motor or sensory function incompatible with known neurological conditions
  • Psychological Factors Affecting Other Medical Conditions: Psychological or behavioral factors adversely affecting a medical condition, additional health risks, influencing underlying pathophysiology
  • Factitious Disorder: Falsification of physical or psychological signs/symptoms, induction of injury or disease, treated by mental health professional rather than non-psychiatric medical clinic

Diagnostic Shift in DSM-5:

  • Diagnosis based on presence of somatic symptoms and level of distress/impairment, rather than unexplained medical symptoms
  • Patients often rejected psychological origin of physical symptoms, preferring medical treatment
  • Limited ability of mental health clinician to determine medically unexplained symptoms

9.1 Somatic Symptom Disorder

Somatic Symptom Disorder

Definition:

  • Distress or disruption of life due to physical symptoms
  • Multiple current somatic symptoms lasting at least 6 months
  • Can be specific or nonspecific, sometimes only one severe symptom (e.g., pain)
  • Normal bodily sensations may also be a concern
  • May be accompanied by another medical condition
  • Excessive worry and focus on health concerns

Characteristics:

  • Individuals believe they have physical ailments despite negative test results
  • Preoccupation with symptoms and their consequences
  • Difficult to reassure
  • Central role in the individual's life
  • Anxiety about health, sensitivity to drug effects

Specifiers:

  • With Predominant Pain (for chronic pain presentations)
  • Persistent (for severe and chronic cases)

Statistics:

  • Approximately 5%-7% prevalence in adult population
  • More common in females than males
  • Can begin at any age but often starts in early adulthood

Case Study: Gloria Jackson

  • Divorced, unemployed secretary
  • Hospitalized for unusual physical complaints
  • Contorted position with jerking movements
  • Bedridden for extended periods, experiencing "seizures" several times a week
  • Worry about serious disease, no definitive diagnosis despite numerous doctor visits
  • History of abdominal pain since age 17, multiple hospitalizations for various symptoms (hiatal hernia, neurological, hypertensive, renal issues)
  • Preoccupation with symptoms and fear of disease dominates conversations and thoughts.
No Parking

Vanessa Abernathy's Case:

  • Background: Vanessa Abernathy, a 36-year-old traffic enforcement agent, was referred for psychiatric examination by her lawyer after an incident 10 months prior.
  • Incident Details: She wrote a ticket and placed it on an illegally parked car; a man swore at and attacked her, knocking her down with enough force to fracture her jaw. She was hospitalized and diagnosed with a hairline fracture, but recovered after a month.
  • Physical Symptoms: Post-recovery, she experienced severe pain and muscle tension in her neck and back, becoming virtually immobilized. She spent most of her time sitting or lying down.
  • Behavioral Patterns: She talked about her pain constantly to family and friends, who grew tired of it. She also hired a lawyer to challenge Workers' Compensation Board's decision to cut off payments and threatened her employer for not returning to work.
  • Diagnosis: The psychiatrist diagnosed Ms. Abernathy with Somatic Symptom Disorder, With Predominant Pain (DSM-5, p. 311).
  • Malingering vs. Somatic Symptom Disorder: The question was raised if her pain symptoms were being fabricated or exaggerated to avoid work and receive financial compensation. However, her genuine suffering and desire to return to work made this unlikely.

9.2 Illness Anxiety Disorder

Illness Anxiety Disorder (IAD)

  • Individuals excessively focus on physical health and fear of developing serious diseases
  • Preoccupation impairs social and occupational functioning or causes significant distress
  • Symptoms may include normal physiological sensations, benign dysfunctions, or self-examination
  • Excessive anxiety about medical conditions or risk factors disproportionate to severity

Characteristics of Individuals with IAD:

  • Seek regular reassurance from family, friends, and healthcare providers
  • Relief is short-lived before worrying about symptoms again
  • May engage in repeated self-examination and diagnostic tests
  • Maladaptive avoidance of situations or activities due to fear of jeopardizing health
  • Easily alarmed by illness news or stories

The Radiologist Case Study:

  • Mr. Davies: 38-year-old radiologist with a history of excessive medical examinations and anxiety about potential diseases
  • Diagnosed with benign heart murmur as a teenager, which led to longstanding health concerns
  • Preoccupied with various symptoms, including abdominal sensations, fearing they indicate colon cancer or other serious conditions
  • Engages in self-diagnostic behaviors such as X-ray studies and stool tests
  • Spends significant time researching illnesses online
  • Strain on marriage due to time spent on health concerns

Diagnosis:

  • Mr. Davies exhibits symptoms of Illness Anxiety Disorder (IAD) rather than Somatic Symptom Disorder, as his focus is on the implications of symptoms rather than the discomfort itself.

9.3 Conversion Disorder

Conversion Disorder (Functional Neurological Symptom Disorder)

Symptoms:

  • Altered voluntary motor or sensory function: paralysis, weakness, abnormal movements (tremor, gait abnormalities), altered skin sensation, vision, hearing
  • Seizure-like episodes with impaired consciousness
  • Unresponsiveness resembling fainting or coma
  • Reduced speech volume, inability to speak clearly, double vision

Characteristics:

  • Symptoms not explained by neurological examination and diagnostic tests
  • Lack of conscious feigning or external incentives for symptoms
  • Inconsistency between complaint and findings
  • Clear evidence of incompatibility with neurological disease (e.g., positive physical signs under different testing methods)

Demographics:

  • Rare in general population, but more common among neurology patients (approximately 5%)
  • More common in women than men (two to three times)
  • Higher prevalence in developing countries and lower socioeconomic status

Case Study: Pari Chatterjee
Symptoms:

  • Fits with sudden onset, lasting 30-60 minutes
  • Unresponsiveness and rigid body during fits
  • Bizarre movements of extremities
  • Closed eyes, jaw clenched, frothing at the mouth
  • Abusive language or crying

Findings:

  • Normal physical examination (mild anemia only)
  • Negative neurological tests: skull X-ray, routine electroencephalogram (EEG), ambulatory EEG study
  • Absence of seizure activity during fits

Treatment and Discussion:

  • Family sessions to address misunderstandings about the nature of symptoms
  • Encouraging husband's active role in handling conflicts with in-laws
  • No more fits reported after 2 months of therapy.

Diagnosis:

  • Conversion Disorder, With Attacks or Seizures (DSM-5, p. 318)
  • Symptoms not explained by neurological causes based on normal test results and absence of seizure activity during fits.

9.4 Psychological Factors Affecting Other Medical Conditions

Psychological Factors Affecting Other Medical Conditions (DSM-5)

Condition Definition:

  • Diagnosed when psychological or behavioral factors adversely impact existing medical conditions, such as diabetes mellitus or heart disease, or symptoms like pain
  • Influence can be demonstrated through various means:
    • Close temporal association between psychological factors and development/exacerbation of medical condition
    • Interference with treatment, e.g., denial of significance or severity leading to poor adherence
    • Established health risks, such as chronic occupational stress increasing risk for hypertension

Examples:

  • Asthma exacerbated by anxiety
  • Denial of need for treatment in a patient with cancer
  • Manipulation of insulin by an individual with diabetes to lose weight

Types of Psychological Factors:

  • Symptoms of depression or anxiety
  • Stressful life events
  • Personality traits
  • Coping styles

Effects:

  • Acute: refusal to seek care during an acute myocardial infarction
  • Chronic: stress leading to overeating and obesity

Case Study: Eileen Cameron

  • 42-year-old trial lawyer with duodenal ulcer disease
  • Increased workload and stress at work and home
  • Denies significant mental disorder history
  • Manages stress by getting things done without thinking about the rest
  • Psychologist suggests exploring alternative coping mechanisms to reduce risk of another ulcer

Understanding Peptic Ulcers:

  • Multifactorial in etiology, involving biological, social, and psychological factors
  • Associated with H. pylori infection and NSAID use, but not all people with these conditions develop peptic ulcers
  • Incidence increased with disasters, job stress, family conflict, depression, and hostility.

9.5 Factitious Disorder

Factitious Disorder

Definition:

  • Characterized by falsification of medical or psychological signs and symptoms in self or others
  • Individuals misrepresent, simulate, or cause signs or symptoms of illness or injury

Types:

  • Factitious Disorder Imposed on Self: individual presents him/herself as ill, impaired, or injured
    • Desire for sympathy and attention
  • Factitious Disorder Imposed on Another (formerly Factitious Disorder by Proxy)
    • Individual produces or fabricates symptoms in a dependent person
    • Perpetrator takes victim for medical care while denying knowledge of problem

Symptoms:

  • Misrepresentation, simulation, or manipulation of illness or injury
  • False reporting of symptoms (e.g., seizures, dizziness)
  • Alteration of laboratory tests (e.g., adding blood to urine)
  • Falsification of medical records
  • Self-inflicted injuries or induction of illness in others

Diagnosis:

  • Demonstrated misrepresentation, simulation, or causing signs/symptoms of illness
  • No obvious external rewards for appearing sick (e.g., insurance money, disability)
  • Not considered a mental disorder in DSM-5 but can be recorded as focus of clinical attention (Malingering)

Statistics:

  • Difficult to obtain accurate statistics due to dishonesty and multiple treatments at different facilities
  • Estimated that about 1% of hospitalized individuals may have Factitious Disorder.
Fraulein von Willebrand

Fraulein von Willebrand (Factitious Disorder Imposed on Self)

  • Patient: Jane Powell, 29-year-old female laboratory technician
  • Presented to emergency room with blood in urine
  • Background: Being treated for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) and von Willebrand's disease
  • Suspicious Behavior: Refused to discuss recent hospitalization, had anticoagulant medication cache
  • Diagnosis: Factitious Disorder Imposed on Self (DSM-5, p. 324)

Take Me Seriously (Factitious Disorder)

  • Patient: Clara Beaumont, 56-year-old unmarried female
  • Seeked therapy to refute Factitious Disorder diagnosis from medical providers
  • History: Long history of various medical problems, including osteonecrosis, COPD, and cancer
  • Behavior: Dramatic and exaggerated representations of medical conditions, selective record access
  • Diagnosis: Factitious Disorder (DSM-5, p. 324)
  • Similarities: Both patients presented with fabricated or exaggerated medical histories

Medical Miscreant (Factitious Disorder Imposed on Another)

  • Patient: Chris, an 11-year-old boy
  • Mother falsely claimed various illnesses and underwent unnecessary procedures
  • Mother's Behavior: Manipulation of medical system for sympathy and attention
  • Risks: Permanent disability or death if left unchecked
  • Diagnosis: Factitious Disorder Imposed on Another (DSM-5, p. 325)

CHAPTER 10 Feeding and Eating Disorders

Feeding and Eating Disorders (DSM-5)

Overview:

  • Eating disturbances may indicate various mental disorders, but not necessarily Feeding and Eating Disorders
  • DSM-5 chapter on "Feeding and Eating Disorders": persistent disturbances in eating behavior impairing physical health or psychosocial functioning

Types of Feeding and Eating Disorders:

  1. Pica: Eating nonnutritive, nonfood substances
  2. Rumination Disorder: Regurgitation of food before absorption
  3. Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID): Failure to meet nutritional and energy needs, intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat
  4. Anorexia Nervosa: Restriction of energy intake leading to significantly low body weight, disturbed body image
  5. Bulimia Nervosa: Binge eating followed by purging, self-evaluation influenced by body shape and weight
  6. Binge-Eating Disorder: Binge eating without purging, no inappropriate compensatory behaviors

Diagnostic Considerations:

  • Mutually exclusive diagnoses for a given episode (only one diagnosis can be given at a time)
  • Different longitudinal courses, outcomes, and treatment needs.

10.1 Pica

Pica

Definition:

  • Persistent eating of nonnutritive, nonfood substances (DSM-5, p. 330)
  • Examples: paper, soap, cloth, hair, etc.
  • Does not apply if infant accidentally ingests something
  • Can lead to medical emergencies and nutritional deficiencies

Characteristics:

  • May be associated with another mental disorder or pregnancy cravings
  • Serious disorder for potential risks

Case Study: "Omnivorous George"

  • 5-year-old admitted for nutritional anemia due to ingestion of nonnutritive substances (paint, plaster, etc.)
  • History of numerous hospitalizations since age 19 months (lighter fluid)
  • Parents described as immature and dependent, low socioeconomic status
  • Mother ate dirt during pregnancy
  • Father periodically abused drugs and alcohol

Additional Information:

  • May be developmentally appropriate for infants, but persistent behavior warrants diagnosis of Pica (DSM-5, p. 329)
  • In some cultural settings, eating nonnutritive substances may be sanctioned practice, but not in all cases.

10.2 Rumination Disorder

Rumination Disorder

Characteristics:

  • Repeated regurgitation of food after feeding or eating
  • Regurgitated food may be partially digested and re-chewed, re-swallowed, or spit out
  • Not caused by gastrointestinal conditions like gastroesophageal reflux or pyloric stenosis

Associated Conditions:

  • Anorexia Nervosa: individuals may regurgitate and spit out food to control weight gain
  • Bulimia Nervosa: individuals may regurgitate food as a means of getting rid of ingested calories

Diagnosis:

  • If rumination is a symptom of another mental disorder, Rumination Disorder is not diagnosed
  • If rumination requires special clinical attention, a diagnosis can be made even if associated with another mental disorder

Occurrence:

  • Can occur in infancy, childhood, adolescence, or adulthood
  • Most common among infants between ages 3 and 12 months

Consequences:

  • Can lead to malnutrition, growth delay, developmental and learning problems, and even be fatal in infants

Case Study: "Baby Olivia"

  • 6-month-old infant with failure to gain weight and regurgitation after every feeding
  • Parents making a marginal marital adjustment and often talking about separation or divorce
  • Lack of evidence of inappropriate social relatedness rules out Reactive Attachment Disorder
  • Regurgitation is the cause of weight loss, indicating Rumination Disorder

10.3 Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder

Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)

Characteristics:

  • Persistent failure to meet appropriate nutritional and/or energy needs
  • Lack of interest in eating or food
  • Food avoidance based on extreme sensitivity to sensory characteristics of food
  • Concern about negative consequences of eating, such as choking or vomiting
  • Results in weight loss or failure to gain weight (in children)
  • Nutritional deficiency
  • Need for food supplements
  • Impairment in psychosocial functioning

Diagnosis:

  • DSM-5 diagnosis: 334.10
  • Occurs most frequently in infancy and early childhood (failure to thrive)
  • Expanded to include food avoidance or restriction at any age
  • Not related to Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, or a concurrent medical condition
  • May occur with other mental disorders: Anxiety Disorders, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
  • Diagnosed in addition to the other disorder if food avoidance is severe or requires special clinical attention
  • Not warranted if gastrointestinal problems cause food avoidance (gastroesophageal reflux)

Case Study: Roberto

  • 6-month-old admitted for failure to gain weight, below the 15th percentile
  • Colic symptoms: recurrent episodes of prolonged crying and irritability
  • Poor synchrony between mother and baby during feeding
  • Disinterested in feeding, distressing experience for both mother and child
  • No specific medical condition accounting for difficulties

Maternal Depression and Marital Problems:

  • Contributed to mother's difficulties in feeding Roberto
  • Treatment of depression and underlying marital problems facilitated the mother's adjustment
  • Gradual diminishment of Roberto's feeding difficulties
  • Within a few weeks, he gained several pounds.
Picky Eater

Nicole's Case:

Background:

  • 14-year-old ninth grader brought to treatment due to concerns about her ability to socialize with peers and approach new situations
  • Prefers being alone, avoids eating in public and trying new foods
  • Has limited preferred foods: white bread, crepes, grilled cheese, pizza, yogurt drinks, milk, juice
  • Doesn't eat fruits, vegetables, meat or chicken
  • Worries about abdominal pain after trying new foods
  • Embarrassed by eating the same thing every day at school
  • Below normal curve for weight on growth chart (73 pounds), significantly underweight for height (5')
  • Has not started menstruating
  • Tall and lanky, no concerns about appearance
  • Early feeding concerns: refused formula as a baby, only ate slightly larger variety of foods at young age

Diagnosis:

  • ARFID (Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder): Significant weight loss or failure to gain expected weight due to food restriction and sensory characteristics/aversive consequences of eating.

Treatment:

  • Evidence-based treatments for Eating and Anxiety Disorders
  • Combination of medication (SSRI) and CBT for moderate to severe anxiety
  • Goals: increase ability to eat in different settings, expand food variety, implement parent management strategies for increasing food intake.

Additional Considerations:

  • Anorexia Nervosa: Intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, not applicable as Nicole doesn't have concerns about her appearance
  • Social Anxiety Disorder: Embarrassment in situations beyond eating behavior, some social anxiety present but not captured by embarrassment over eating.

10.4 Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia Nervosa

Characteristics:

  • Persistent refusal to maintain body weight
  • Fears of gaining weight or becoming fat
  • Disturbance in self-perceived weight or shape
  • Weight significantly below normal for age, sex, developmental stage, and physical health
  • Loss of significant amount of weight or failure to make expected gains through dieting, fasting, excessive exercise, or a combination of these

Subtypes:

  • Restricting Type: No binge eating or purging
  • Binge-Eating/Purging Type: Engages in binge eating and self-induced vomiting or misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or enemas

Symptoms:

  • Fear of gaining weight or becoming fat often persists or increases as weight is lost
  • Denial of fear of becoming fat but engaging in behaviors to interfere with weight maintenance
  • Focus on specific body parts that are perceived as "fat"
  • Weight loss perceived as a sign of self-control, weight gain seen as failure
  • Lack of recognition of medical seriousness of condition

Prevalence:

  • 12-month prevalence in young females: approximately 0.4%
  • 10 times more common in females than males
  • Usually begins during adolescence or young adulthood
  • Extremely serious and life-threatening condition due to malnutrition impacting major organ systems

Treatment:

  • Expert treatment is necessary for a good outcome
  • Diagnosis of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder if obsessions and compulsions are not related to food, body shape, or weight.

Case Study: Peggy Sims

  • 20-year-old woman with a weight of only 67 pounds
  • Began losing weight 4 years earlier, initially for weight loss and later through dieting and excessive exercise
  • Lost over 80% of her normal weight, leading to complications like peptic ulcer disease and amenorrhea
  • Recovered with inpatient treatment, including psychotherapy and weight gain strategies.
Close to the Bone

Anorexia Nervosa Case Study: Ms. Duval's Story

Background:

  • 23-year-old woman from Arkansas
  • College student who used extreme measures to lose weight, including laxatives and self-induced vomiting
  • Described as underweight, weighing around 90 pounds at her lowest point
  • Suffered from distorted body image, fear of gaining weight, and binge eating followed by purging

Symptoms:

  • Used laxatives for two years, eventually increasing dosage to 250-300 pills at a time
  • Experienced severe dehydration, gastrointestinal issues, and ulcer
  • Forced vomiting after eating small amounts of food
  • Maintained extremely low weight through rigorous exercise routine and restrictive diet
  • Fearful of gaining even a few pounds, avoiding water intake and certain foods

Diagnosis:

  • Anorexia Nervosa, Binge Eating/Purging Type (DSM-5)

History:

  • Started using laxatives in college to lose weight
  • Gradually increased dosage over time
  • Developed extreme fear of gaining weight and distorted body image
  • Lost nearly 50 pounds in a few months, reaching a low point of 90 pounds
  • Experienced hair loss, loose teeth, and other physical manifestations of malnutrition
  • Recognized her condition but continued to struggle with eating disorders

Treatment:

  • Participated in research studies on the research ward
  • Received psychoanalytically-oriented psychotherapy twice a week for approximately 6 months
  • Attended nutritionist sessions to learn about healthy diets and maintain normal weight
  • Continued to experience intermittent binge eating, vomiting, and diuretic abuse but with reduced frequency and severity

Significance:

  • Anorexia Nervosa is a long-standing disorder with irrational fear of becoming obese despite being underweight
  • Ms. Duval's case illustrates the binge eating/purging type of anorexia nervosa, which involves periodic binges followed by compensatory purging behaviors to lose weight
  • Anorexia Nervosa can lead to various complications such as malnutrition, osteoporosis, cardiac issues, and mental health disorders if left untreated.
Thin Tim

Emergency Evaluation: "Thin Tim"

  • Referred by pediatrician due to unexplained weight loss over past year
  • Concerned about weight, weighs himself daily, feels too fat despite being underweight
    • Loses 10 pounds in the past year
    • Parents remove scales from house, Tim keeps calorie record instead
  • Obsessed with cleanliness and neatness
    • Refuses to visit friends due to perceived "dirtiness"
    • Agitated when touched by others
    • Checks that things are done correctly
  • Wakes up early before school to prepare (up to 2 hours)
    • Recently woke up at 1:30 AM

Diagnosis:

  • Anorexia Nervosa, Restricting Type (DSM-5, p. 338)
    • Fear of becoming fat and feeling fat despite being underweight
    • Exclusive weight loss through dieting, no binge eating or purging behavior
  • Secondary diagnosis: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) (DSM-5, p. 237)
    • Preoccupation with dirtiness causes distress
    • Thoughts intrude into consciousness beyond control
    • Lengthy "getting ready" routines performed in response to these thoughts.

10.5 Bulimia Nervosa

Bulimia Nervosa

Characteristic Features:

  1. Recurrent episodes of binge eating
  2. Recurrent inappropriate behaviors to compensate for binge eating (purging or fasting)
  3. Self-evaluation that overemphasizes body shape and weight

Binge Eating:

  • Defined as eating a larger amount than most individuals under similar circumstances
  • Associated with loss of control, feeling dissociated during the episode
  • Triggered by psychosocial stress, depression, or anxiety
  • May result in serious medical complications (fluid and electrolyte imbalances, tears/rupture in esophagus or stomach, cardiac arrhythmias)

Compensatory Behaviors:

  • Purging: self-induced vomiting (most common), diuretic or laxative misuse, enema use
  • Excessive exercise or fasting instead of purging

Diagnosis:

  • Bulimia Nervosa if binge eating and compensatory behaviors occur regularly
  • Binge Eating Disorder if no regular compensation for overeating

Ms. Thurmond's Case:

  • Sold first screenplay, experienced "postpartum" letdown
  • Attended friend's daughter's wedding with emotional trigger
  • Experienced binge episode lasting several hours
  • Consumed a mix of savory and sweet foods
  • Ate in secrecy due to shame
  • Relapse into binge eating for 6 months, worsening depression and isolation
  • Seeked therapy and OA support but continued relapsing
  • Prescribed antidepressant medication and structured food plan, eventually discontinuing both while maintaining control over eating behavior.
The Fat Man

Case Study: Gregory James' Eating Disorder

Background:

  • 43-year-old theatre manager
  • Lost 58 pounds over 5 months (250 to 192 lbs)
  • Terrified of becoming "fat" despite losing weight

Dieting and Vomiting:

  • Strict diet: omelet, bran, coffee, salad, shrimp or chicken for meals
  • Induced vomiting after meals
  • Obsessed with food and weight
  • Frequent binges (3 hamburgers, 2 orders of French fries, pint of ice cream, 2 packages of Oreos)

Preoccupation with Thinness:

  • Revised weight goal: 190 lbs then 185 lbs
  • Exercises daily and with weights
  • Believes women look at him differently since losing weight

Diagnosis:

  • Anorexia Nervosa not applicable due to normal weight
  • Bulimia Nervosa (recurrent binges, inappropriate compensatory behavior)

Compensatory Behavior:

  • Vomiting
  • Less common methods: laxatives, diuretics, fasting, excessive exercise

Unusual Aspects:

  • Male gender
  • Onset of disorder later in life (adolescence or early adult life is usual)

10.6 Binge-Eating Disorder

Binge-Eating Disorder

Characteristics:

  • Recurrent episodes of binge eating
  • No inappropriate compensatory behaviors (unlike Bulimia Nervosa)
  • Eating binges involve consuming larger amounts than most people would over the same time period and under similar circumstances
  • Associated with a sense of lack of control over eating
  • Eating binges often characterized by:
    • Eating much more rapidly than normal
    • Eating until uncomfortably full
    • Eating large amounts when not hungry
    • Eating alone due to embarrassment
    • Feeling disgusted, depressed, or guilty afterward

Prevalence:

  • 12-month prevalence in U.S. adult population:
    • 1.6% in females
    • 0.8% in males
  • Ratio of women to men is more equal than Bulimia Nervosa
  • Found in as many women from racial and ethnic groups as in white women
  • Occurs in children, adolescents, and college-age people

Impact:

  • Associated with poor social adjustment
  • Impaired health-related quality of life
  • Increased medical morbidity and mortality
  • Increased health care utilization

Case Study: Andrea Simpson

  • Ms. Simpson, 35, weighed 230 pounds when seeking help for eating and weight problems
  • Suffered from uncontrollable binge eating, gaining over 50 pounds in 6 months
  • Memories of being bullied in childhood about her weight and arguments with mother about excessive eating
  • Began binge eating in college, alternating between dieting and overeating periods
  • Preoccupied with food and urges to eat during dieting periods
  • Struggled with weight fluctuations throughout life
  • Tried various diets, medications, and therapies without success
  • Found a combination of Overeaters Anonymous (OA) and psychotherapy helpful in losing 60 pounds over 5 years
  • Continues to attend OA meetings to manage her eating problem

CHAPTER 11 Elimination Disorders

Elimination Disorders

Developmental Milestones:

  • Toddler phase (1-3 years): interest in mastering elimination of body waste
  • By age 4: achieved bowel and bladder continence
    • Nighttime bowel control
    • Daytime bowel control
    • Daytime bladder control
    • Nighttime bladder control

Disorders:

  • Enuresis (wetting): Repeated voiding of urine into inappropriate places
    • Minimum age requirement: 5 years or equivalent developmental level
  • Encopresis (soiling): Repeated passage of feces into inappropriate places
    • Minimum age requirement: 4 years or equivalent developmental level

Key Characteristics:

  • Enuresis:
    • Urine in bed or clothes
    • Chronological age of at least 5 years or equivalent developmental level
  • Encopresis:
    • Passage of feces into inappropriate places
    • Chronological age of at least 4 years or equivalent developmental level

Other Features:

  • Disorders may be voluntary or involuntary
  • Can occur separately, but co-occurrence is possible

11.1 Enuresis

Enuresis

Definition:

  • Repeated voiding of urine during day or night into bed or clothes
  • Not under person's control for most cases
  • Diagnosis requires minimum frequency of twice a week for 3 months
  • Clinically significant distress or impairment in social, academic functioning
  • Age at which continence is expected: chronological or mental age of 5 years
  • Cannot be due to substance effects or general medical conditions

Types:

  1. Nocturnal Only (Monosymptomatic): Urinary incontinence during nighttime sleep
  2. Diurnal Only: Urinary voiding only during waking hours
    • With "urge incontinence"
    • Or "voiding postponement"
  3. Nocturnal and Diurnal (Nonmonosymptomatic): Incontinence during both daytime and nighttime

Prevalence:

  • 5%–10% among 5-year-olds
  • 3%–5% among 10-year-olds
  • Around 1% among individuals 15 years or older

Case Study: Angelo

Demographics:

  • 7-year-old boy
  • Parents concerned about nighttime and daytime wetting, temper tantrums, behavior problems

Medical History:

  • No physical abnormalities
  • Normal developmental motor milestones
  • Previous evaluation by urologist: normal intravenous pyelogram, IQ above average

Behavioral Symptoms:

  • Frequent temper tantrums at home (2–3 times a week)
  • Stubborn and persistent
  • Oppositional behavior towards parents
  • Normal eating and sleeping habits
  • Good rapport with interviewer, anxious about performance
  • No aggressive behaviors during play

Diagnosis:

  • Enuresis (Nocturnal and Diurnal subtype)
  • Possible Oppositional Defiant Disorder but not enough evidence for additional diagnosis.

11.2 Encopresis

Encopresis: Diagnosis and Characteristics

Definition:

  • Involuntary passage of feces into inappropriate places (clothing, floor) for at least a month in children with chronological or mental age of 4 years or older
  • Not exclusive to medications or medical conditions causing incontinence

Symptoms:

  1. Involuntary fecal incontinence
  2. Fecal impaction and retention leading to overflow incontinence (with constipation)
  3. Soiling without constipation (without overflow incontinence)
  4. Enuresis (nighttime wetting)

Case Study: Lucas

  • 6-year-old boy exhibiting persistent fecal incontinence since first grade
  • Medical workup reveals no general medical condition causing this symptom
  • History of constipation and soiling patterns
    • Alternating constipation and diarrhea
    • Regular use of laxatives
    • Toilet training attempts with anxiety and distress
  • Soiled pants within 30 minutes after changing them
  • Enuresis at night
  • Preoccupied with death and witches
  • Timid and shy but becoming more assertive
  • Delayed developmental milestones (sitting, shuffling, walking, speaking)
  • Mother is timid, unsure of herself, embarrassed as a professional person
  • Father is reticent during interview, finds the situation difficult
  • Pediatric examination reveals fecal mass and soft feces in rectum

Diagnosis:

  • Encopresis (DSM-5, p. 357) with constipation and overflow incontinence subtype
  • Enuresis, Nocturnal Only (DSM-5, p. 355)

CHAPIER 12 Sleep-Wake Disorders

Sleep-Wake Disorders

Introduction:

  • Most individuals experience sleep problems at some point due to stress or external factors
  • When sleep problems persist and interfere with daily functioning, a DSM-5 Sleep-Wake Disorder may be appropriate
  • Individuals present with complaints about the quality, timing, and amount of their sleep, resulting in daytime distress and impairment

Sleep Stages:

  • There are five distinct stages of sleep:
    1. Rapid Eye Movement (REM) Sleep
    2. Four stages of Non-Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) Sleep:
      • Stage 1 NREM sleep
      • Stage 2 NREM sleep
      • Stages 3 and 4 NREM sleep
  • REM sleep occurs cyclically throughout the night, alternating with NREM sleep every 80-100 minutes
  • REM sleep increases in duration toward the morning

Measurement of Sleep Stages:

  • Polygraphy: measures brain waves, blood oxygen level, heart rate, breathing, and eye/leg movements during sleep
  • Used to diagnose certain DSM-5 Sleep-Wake Disorders (e.g., REM Sleep Behavior Disorder)

DSM-5 Sleep-Wake Disorders:

  • Insomnia Disorder: dissatisfaction with sleep quality or quantity, difficulty initiating/maintaining sleep, early-morning awakening
  • Hypersomnolence Disorder: excessive daytime sleepiness, unrefreshing prolonged main sleep episodes, difficulty being awake after abrupt awakening
  • Narcolepsy: recurrent periods of an irrepressible need to sleep, lapsing into sleep, or napping during the same day
    • Includes Cataplexy: bilateral loss of muscle tone
    • Includes Abnormal laboratory testing (e.g., REM sleep intrusion into non-REM sleep)
  • Obstructive Sleep Apnea: laboratory evidence of at least 5 obstructive apneas/hypopneas per hour of sleep, daytime fatigue
  • Circadian Rhythm Sleep-Wake Disorders: problem with the timing of sleep due to alteration or misalignment between circadian rhythm and sleep-wake schedule
  • Parasomnias: abnormal movements, behaviors, emotions, perceptions, or dreams during sleep (e.g., sleepwalking, nightmares, REM Sleep Behavior Disorder)
  • Restless Legs Syndrome: urge to move the legs, often accompanied by uncomfortable sensations in the legs, primarily at night
  • Substance/Medication-Induced Sleep Disorder: persistent and severe sleep disturbance due to direct effects of substances or medications on the central nervous system

Other Sleep Disorders:

  • Narcolepsy: a neurological condition involving the loss of the brain's ability to regulate sleep-wake cycles normally
  • Breathing-Related Sleep Disorders: sleep disruption caused by abnormal breathing during sleep (e.g., Obstructive Sleep Apnea Hypopnea, Central Sleep Apnea, Sleep-Related Hyperpnea)
    • These must be ruled out when a person presents with excessive daytime sleepiness

12.1 Insomnia Disorder

Insomnia Disorder

Characteristics:

  • Dissatisfaction with amount or quality of sleep
  • Difficulty initiating, staying asleep, or waking up too early
  • Frequency requirement: at least 3 nights a week
  • Duration requirement: minimum of 3 months
  • Clinically significant distress or impairment in functioning
  • Can coexist with other disorders or medical conditions

Symptoms:

  • Nighttime sleep difficulties
  • Fatigue, daytime sleepiness
  • Impaired cognitive performance
  • Difficulties with attention, concentration, memory
  • Irritability, mood lability
  • Depressive or anxiety symptoms

Prevalence:

  • About one-third of adults report insomnia symptoms
  • Only 6%-10% meet DSM-5 requirements for diagnosis
  • More common in women than men (gender ratio: approximately 1.5 to 1)

Case Study: "High-Strung" Ms. Harrington

  • Long-standing insomnia symptoms
  • Difficulty falling asleep, frequent awakenings, unable to return to sleep
  • Frequency and severity clinically significant
  • Contributing factors: workday stressors, late-night alcohol intake
  • Diagnosis: Insomnia Disorder (DSM-5)

Impact:

  • Daytime fatigue, impaired cognitive performance
  • Irritability, mood lability
  • Difficulties with attention, concentration, memory
  • Depressive or anxiety symptoms.

12.2 Hypersomnolence Disorder

Hypersomnolence Disorder

Symptoms:

  • Excessive sleepiness during daytime despite adequate nighttime sleep (at least 7 hours)
  • Compelled to nap at inappropriate times: work, meals, conversations, driving
  • Daytime naps provide no relief from symptoms
  • Not feeling refreshed after long sleep periods (e.g., 9 hours or longer)
  • Sleep inertia or sleep drunkenness following sleep episodes or naps

Diagnosis:

  • Minimum frequency of at least three times per week for hypersomnolence symptoms
  • Minimum duration of 3 months and causing clinically significant distress or impairment
  • Separate diagnosis given only if symptoms are a focus of clinical attention

Occurrence:

  • Approximately 5%-10% of individuals seeking consultation for daytime sleepiness are diagnosed with Hypersomnolence Disorder
  • Equal frequency in males and females

Case Study: Jerome Coopersmith

  • Excessive sleepiness since age 21
  • Regularly sleeps from 10:15 PM to 7:30 AM, takes naps between 9:00 and 10:15 AM, and 1:30 and 2:00 PM, irregularly in the evening
  • No symptoms suggestive of Narcolepsy or Breathing-Related Sleep Disorders
  • Organized, motivated individual with no significant medical history or substance use
  • Impaired daytime vigilance, normal time interval to sleep onset during polysomnography
  • Diagnosis: Hypersomnolence Disorder (DSM-5, p. 368) in the absence of other associated conditions.
Cry Me a River

Alison Campbell's Case

Background:

  • Alison Campbell, 38-year-old clerical worker
  • Suffers from disabling sleep problem for 11 years
  • Goes to bed at 6:00 PM and sleeps until 7:00 AM
  • Driver's license suspended due to falling asleep while driving

Symptoms:

  • Groggy and "out of it" upon waking
  • Frequently falls asleep on buses
  • Takes a sales job to stay awake during evenings
  • Sleeps all day on weekends, except for necessary activities
  • No signs of sleep disorders like snoring, nightmares, or muscle tone loss
  • Required 6-7 hours of sleep before the onset of problem

Self-medication:

  • Consumes up to 10 cups of coffee and 2 liters of cola daily

Psychiatric History:

  • Depression since age 13
  • Severe crying spells in office with no time to hide
  • Trouble concentrating, getting little pleasure from work
  • Angry and pessimistic feelings, diabetic and overweight
  • Previously treated for depression with psychotherapy and antidepressants
  • Fell asleep during evening group therapy sessions

Diagnosis:

  • Recurrent depression (Major Depressive Disorder)
  • Hypersomnia as a symptom of depression
  • No evidence of other sleep disorders or substance use causing hypersomnia.

12.3 Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy

Definition: Chronic neurological disorder involving poor control of sleep-wake cycle, characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness and uncontrollable bouts of falling asleep during the day.

Symptoms:

  • Daytime sleepiness with brief episodes lasting seconds to minutes (sleep attacks)
  • Cataplexy: Sudden loss of muscle tone precipitated by emotional reactions
    • Affects neck, jaw, arms, legs, or whole body
    • Head bobbing, jaw dropping, complete falls
  • Sleep paralysis: Temporary inability to talk or move upon awakening or falling asleep
  • Vivid hallucinations during transitions from sleep to wakefulness (hypnagogic) and vice versa (hypnopompic)

Diagnosis:

  • At least three lapses into sleep per week for 3 months + cataplexy episodes
  • Hypocretin deficiency or shortened REM latency on polysomnography

Characteristics of Narcolepsy:

  • Onset in childhood, adolescence, or young adulthood
  • Quite rare, affecting less than 0.05% of the general population

Case Study: Nora Thompson

  • Severe daytime sleepiness leading to catnaps
  • Episodes of cataplexy triggered by emotional arousal
  • Sleep paralysis and vivid hallucinations during sleep transitions
  • Delayed bedtimes, forgetfulness, automatic behaviors
  • Previous treatment with nortriptyline, dextroamphetamine, and zolpidem
  • Gradual improvement after record keeping and psychotherapy.

12.4 Obstructive Sleep Apnea Hypopnea

Obstructive Sleep Apnea Hypopnea (OSAH)

Definition: A breathing-related sleep disorder characterized by physical blockage of airflow during sleep, resulting in recurrent periods of partial or complete obstruction and decreased oxygen saturation.

Symptoms:

  • Chronic reduction of overnight blood oxygen
  • Long-term consequences: high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, depression
  • Daytime sleepiness, fatigue, moodiness, morning headaches

Diagnosis:

  • Polysomnography (overnight stay in sleep lab)
  • Five or more obstructive apneas or hypopneas per hour of sleep
  • Sleep-related breathing disturbances, such as snoring, snorting/gasping
  • Complaints of daytime sleepiness, fatigue, unrefreshing sleep
  • Absence of normal periods of deep sleep on polysomnogram

Prevalence: Affects at least 1%-2% of children, 2%-15% of middle-aged adults, and over 20% of older individuals. Male-to-female ratio ranges from 2:1 to 4:1. Associated with obesity.

Case Study: Thomas Grim

  • 46-year-old advertising salesman and writer with sleep apnea
  • Snoring, pauses in breathing lasting 10-15 seconds during sleep
  • Restless during longer periods of not breathing
  • Groggy upon waking, daytime sleepiness, headaches
  • Diagnosed with severe OSAH through polysomnography and daytime cognitive testing
  • Deviated nasal septum, enlarged pharyngeal structures, collapsed pharyngeal walls
  • Treated with Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) therapy for relief of sleep apnea symptoms.

Impact on Quality of Life: Chronic excessive daytime sleepiness due to nocturnal breathing pauses interferes with daily activities and reduces overall quality of life. Patient's motivation, diet, and compliance with treatment are essential for successful management of OSAH.

12.5 Circadian Rhythm Sleep-Wake Disorders

Circadian Rhythm Sleep-Wake Disorders

Overview:

  • Circadian rhythms controlled by an internal body clock in the hypothalamus
  • Primarily controls sleep-wake cycle, influencing desire and ability to fall asleep
  • Mismatch between internal body clock and external environment can disrupt sleep patterns

Types of Circadian Rhythm Sleep-Wake Disorders:

  1. Delayed Sleep Phase Type (DSP):
    • Person's tendency to feel sleepy is delayed relative to conventional bedtimes
    • Wakes up later in the morning and has difficulty falling asleep earlier
  2. Advanced Sleep Phase Type (ASP):
    • Person experiences sleepiness several hours earlier than normal
  3. Irregular Sleep-Wake Type:
    • Lack of discernible circadian rhythm, with no major sleep period or consistent pattern
  4. Non-24-Hour Sleep-Wake Type:
    • Pattern of sleep-wake cycles not synchronized to the 24-hour environment
    • Consistent daily drift of sleep onset and wake times
  5. Shift Work Type:
    • Frequently rotates shifts or works at night
    • Difficulty adjusting to changes in schedule

Case Studies:

  1. The Director (DSM-5, p. 390):
    • Mr. Neeley exhibits a Delayed Sleep Phase Type
    • Mismatch between his normal circadian sleep-wake pattern and societal expectations
  2. Evening Shift (DSM-5, pp. 390-391):
    • Mr. Symanski's sleep rhythm persists despite working evening shift
    • Insomnia due to misalignment between circadian rhythm and work schedule demands

12.6 Non-Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Arousal Disorders

Non-Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Arousal Disorders

Types:

  • Sleepwalking Type:
    • Repeated occurrence of incomplete awakening from non-REM sleep (stage 3 or 4)
    • Common in children, more likely to occur when sleep deprived
    • May involve benign behaviors like sitting up, looking awake, and walking around
    • Unresponsive to efforts to communicate, difficult to awaken
    • Can engage in sexual activity or sleep eating
  • Sleep Terror Type:
    • Recurrent episodes of abrupt physical arousal during non-REM sleep
    • Begin with panicky scream
    • Frightened expression, signs of intense anxiety (rapid heartbeat, rapid breathing, sweating)
    • Unresponsive to efforts to comfort or awaken
    • No memory of the episode afterward

Characteristics:

  • Occur during first third of major sleep episode
  • Amnesia for episodes upon awakening
  • No evidence of impairment minutes after awakening
  • Isolated or infrequent episodes common in general population

Prevalence:

  • Sleepwalking: 10%-30% children, 29% adults (4% frequent)
  • Sleep terrors: 40% children at 18 months, 20% at 30 months, 2% adults

Diagnosis:

  • DSM-5 diagnosis requires episodes to cause clinically significant distress or impairment
  • Prevalence of Sleepwalking Type likely in the range of 1%-5%

Case Studies:

  • Meghan: 11-year-old girl experiencing sleepwalking episodes with amnesia and unresponsiveness
  • Matthew: 8-year-old boy experiencing sleep terror episodes with intense anxiety, disorientation, and unusual behaviors.

12.7 Nightmare Disorder

Nightmare Disorder

Characteristics:

  • Repeated awakenings from major sleep period or naps
  • Detailed recall of extended, frightening dreams
  • Threats to survival, security, or self-esteem
  • Rapid orientation and alertness upon awakening
  • Occur during REM sleep stages (more common in second half)
  • Onset between ages 3-6 years, most severe in late adolescence/early adulthood
  • Relatively common, occurring at least once a month in 6% of adults

Diagnostic Criteria:

  • Significant distress or impairment from nightmares
  • Awakenings result in avoidance of sleep, excessive daytime sleepiness, poor concentration, depression, anxiety, or irritability

Case Study: "Bad Dreamer" (Mrs. Cobiella)

  • Suffers from nightmares every night since teenage years
  • Denies sleep disorders, such as Narcolepsy or Sleep Paralysis
  • No history of trauma exposure, medication use, substance abuse, or mental disorders
  • Normal cognitive functioning, except for 3 mistakes on serial 7s test
  • No reports of nightmares during sleep recording

Treatment Approach:

  • Psychotherapy to control dream content through lucid dreaming routine
  • Trials of antidepressant and anticonvulsant medications

12.8 Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Behavior Disorder

Rapid Eye Movement (REM) Sleep Behavior Disorder

Symptoms:

  • Muscle paralysis during REM sleep is incomplete or absent
  • Acting out of dreams: vocalizations, shouting, screaming, physical behaviors (falling, jumping, flying, punching, hitting, kicking)
  • Often confusing for NREM Sleep Arousal Disorders (sleepwalking or terrors) due to rapid alertness upon awakening

Diagnosis:

  • Persistent muscle activity during REM sleep, occasionally associated with vocalizations and twitching
  • No seizure activity on EEG that can explain the clinical behaviors

Causes:

  • Adverse reactions to certain drugs or drug withdrawal
  • Associated with older age and neurodegenerative disorders: Parkinson's disease, Lewy body dementia
  • Affects approximately 0.5% of individuals in general population
  • Mostly affects males over age 50

Case Study: Ethan Bonner

  • 65-year-old married English professor with sleeping disturbances
  • Progressive disruption of sleep due to vocalizations, shouting, and increasing motor behaviors
  • Fell out of bed during an episode, sustaining head injury
  • Wife reported action-packed dreams with themes of being chased or attacked
  • Neurological examination unremarkable except for mild postural instability and gradual symptoms of Parkinson's disease (tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia)
  • Formal polysomnographic study revealed persistent muscle activity during REM sleep

Treatment:

  • Heavy draperies over bedroom windows to prevent injury from falling out of bed
  • Removal of bedside furniture
  • Infrared alarm for bedroom door
  • Treatment with clonazepam and melatonin, with some improvement in symptoms but continued medication use and referral to Parkinson's disease clinic.

12.9 Restless Legs Syndrome

Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS)

  • Neurological disorder characterized by:
    • Throbbing, pulling, creeping, or unpleasant sensations in the legs
    • Uncontrollable urge to move them
  • Symptoms occur primarily at night during relaxation or rest
  • Affects both legs but can involve other parts of the body (arms, torso, head, phantom limbs)
  • Relieved by movement, which temporarily alleviates discomfort
  • Prevalence rates vary from 2% to 7.2%, depending on criteria used (DSM-5)
  • Affects both men and women, but more common in women with a twice-as-high incidence rate
  • Can begin at any age, with symptoms becoming more frequent and lasting longer with age
  • Up to 90% of people with RLS also experience periodic limb movements in sleep (PLMS)

Case Study: Mrs. Bianchi

  • Referred for depression and anxiety treatment
  • Initially prescribed escitalopram and diphenhydramine
  • Suffered from insomnia, worsening after taking escitalopram
  • Unable to fall asleep due to irresistible urge to pace and uncomfortable sensations in her legs (RLS)
  • Symptoms described as "bugs crawling"
  • Urgency starts in the late evening, worsens during rest or inactivity, and subsides with movement
  • Diurnal pattern, more focused on legs than other parts of the body
  • Exacerbated by alcohol consumption
  • Gabapentin treatment effectively subsidized symptoms
  • RLS diagnosis confirmed based on DSM-5 criteria: urge to move starts in the late evening, relief from movement, occurs at least three times a week for 3 months, distress or impairment in functioning, not attributable to another mental disorder or medical condition, or drug abuse or medication.

12.10 Substance/Medication-Induced Sleep Disorder

Symptoms:

  • Insomnia: difficulty falling asleep or maintaining sleep, frequent awakenings during the night, nonrestorative sleep
  • Daytime sleepiness: excessive sleepiness or fatigue during daytime hours
  • Parasomnia: abnormal behavior occurring during sleep (e.g., nightmares)

Diagnosis:

  • Substance/Medication-Induced Sleep Disorder is diagnosed when an individual has a prominent sleep disturbance that is the direct physiological effect of a medication or drug of abuse

Causes:

  • Intoxication or withdrawal from: alcohol, caffeine, cannabis, opioids, sedatives/hypnotics/anxiolytics, stimulants (including cocaine)
  • Withdrawal from tobacco
  • Medications: adrenergic agonists and antagonists, dopamine agonists and antagonists, cholinergic agonists and antagonists, serotonergic agonists and antagonists, antihistamines, corticosteroids

Case Study: Ms. Lazarus

  • Frequent anxiety and upset around bedtime, difficulty falling asleep (insomnia type)
  • Groggy, incapacitated on awakening, missing work due to late sleep patterns
  • Asthma treatment regimen interfering with ability to fall asleep: aminophylline, beclomethasone inhaler, albuterol inhaler, caffeine, alcohol, short-acting sedatives
  • Diagnosis: Caffeine / Aminophylline/ Albuterol /Beclomethasone-Induced Sleep Disorder (DSM-5)

CHAPTER 13 Sexual Dysfunctions

Sexual Dysfunctions (DSM-5)

  • Description: Group of disorders characterized by a clinically significant disturbance in sexual response or pleasure
  • Phases and Disorders
    • Desire Phase: Male Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder
      • Lack of erotic thoughts, fantasies, and desire for sex
    • Excitement Phase: Erectile Dysfunction (Male)
      • Failure to obtain or maintain erections during sex
    • Orgasm Phase: Female Sexual Interest / Arousal Disorder, Premature (Early) Ejaculation (Male), Delayed Ejaculation (Male), Female Orgasmic Disorder
      • Difficulty with orgasms or lack of sexual pleasure/sensations
  • Resolution Phase: No dysfunction associated
  • Other Sexual Dysfunctions
    • Genito-Pelvic Pain/Penetration Disorder
      • Difficulties with vaginal penetration during intercourse, pelvic pain
    • Substance/Medication-Induced Sexual Dysfunction
      • Direct effects on central nervous system functions
  • Diagnosis Considerations
    • Exclusion of specific explanations (inadequate stimulation, symptom of another disorder)
    • Cultural and religious factors, age
    • Persistence of symptoms for at least 6 months
    • Distress caused by the dysfunction
  • Subtypes and Contexts
    • Lifetime or acquired
    • Situational or generalized

13.1 Male Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder

Male Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD)

Characteristics:

  • Dysfunction in the first phase of sexual response cycle: reduction or absence of erotic thoughts, fantasies, and desire for sexual activity
  • Men may not initiate or respond to partner's desire for sexual activity
  • Less troubled by condition than partners who miss out on physical affection, touch, and opportunities for procreation
  • May be specific to a partner or not limited to any potential partner
  • Approximately 20% of men are affected (DSM-5)
  • More common in older men: 40% among ages 65+ vs. 6% among younger men (DSM-5)

Case Study: Jim Benson

  • Lifelong history of minimal interest in sex
  • Infrequent masturbation, no masturbatory fantasies, and normal endocrinological workup
  • First sexual experience at high school due to group pressure
  • College years focused on studies with limited dating
  • Married at age 28, wife initially impressed by his gentlemanly behavior
  • Sexual desire only initiated by wife, pleasurable but happy with once a year frequency
  • Denies sexual fantasies or other sexual preferences
  • No evidence of paraphilic interests or homosexual orientation.

Diagnosis and Discussion:

  • Other causes for low sexual desire need to be considered before making diagnosis: medical conditions, mental disorders, medications, substance abuse, mood disturbances, etc.
  • Mr. Benson has normal hormone levels and does not use any medications or drugs of abuse; no evidence of depression or other mental disorders.
  • Lifelong nature of his low sexual desire suggests it's not caused by paraphilic interests or homosexual orientation.
  • DSM-5 diagnosis: Male Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD) - Lifelong and Generalized subtypes apply.

13.2 Erectile Disorder

Erectile Dysfunction (ED)

  • Sexual dysfunction affecting men during the excitement phase of sexual activity
  • Characterized by difficulty obtaining or maintaining erections:
    • Marked difficulty in obtaining an erection during sex
    • Marked difficulty in maintaining an erection until completion
    • Marked decrease in erectile rigidity
  • Diagnosis only given if no specific causes identified and ruled out first
    • Medical causes (e.g., heart disease, diabetes, Parkinson's)
    • Side effects of medications (e.g., diuretics, antidepressants)
    • Substance abuse (alcohol, cocaine)
    • Mental disorders (depression, PTSD)
  • Prevalence increases with age, particularly after 50 years old
  • Affects approximately 2% of men younger than 40-50 years and up to 40%-50% of men over 60-70 years.

Case Study: Paul Petersen and Annie

  • Couple contemplating marriage after living together for 10 months
  • Annie experiences Paul's persistent inability to maintain erections during intercourse for the past six months
  • Paul embarrassed, unsure of cause
  • Psychologist diagnoses Erectile Disorder based on symptoms, duration, and absence of other causes.

Treatment Approach:

  • Sensate focus exercises to improve physical intimacy without pressure to perform sexually.
  • Couple's relationship issues not deemed severe enough to preclude diagnosis of Erectile Dysfunction.

13.3 Female Sexual Interest/Arousal Disorder

Female Sexual Interest/Arousal Disorder

Diagnosis:

  • DSM-5 diagnosis for dysfunctions involving desire and arousal phases of female sexual response cycle

Symptoms:

  • Reduced or absent interest in sexual activity
  • Reduced or absent erotic thoughts or fantasies
  • Lack of initiation of sexual activity, often being unreceptive to partner's attempts
  • Reduced or absent sexual excitement or pleasure during sexual activity
  • Reduced or absent sexual interest or arousal in response to written, verbal, or visual cues
  • Reduced or absent genital or nongenital sensations during sexual activity

Causes:

  • Specific medical and substance-induced causes must be ruled out
  • Low estrogen levels, especially after menopause, can cause desire and arousal difficulties
  • Testosterone is important for female sexual functioning, and low levels are associated with low sexual desire
  • Certain medical conditions (diabetes, thyroid disease, cancer) can cause desire or arousal problems
  • Reduction in desire and arousal is a common side effect of certain medications (antidepressants, antihypertensives, anticancer drugs)

Case Study: Mrs. Diaz

  • 45-year-old woman referred for further evaluation and treatment of low sexual desire and arousal
  • Experiencing perimenopause with symptoms like hot flashes, menstrual irregularity, and vaginal dryness
  • Gradually decreased interest in sex over time, rarely initiating and having difficulty becoming aroused when husband initiates
  • Sometimes experiences mild discomfort during intercourse due to insufficient lubrication
  • Has not achieved orgasm as easily as in the past, but still capable of orgasm with oral sex
  • Struggling with heavy time commitments from work and family responsibilities
  • Occasionally notices a "sparkle" of desire for younger male coworker, but feels guilty and confused about these thoughts
  • Previously took flibanserin medication without improvement and discontinued use
  • No signs of depression or anxiety, but resumed drinking alcohol occasionally
  • Treatment included cognitive-behavioral sex therapy (sensate focus) and partner involvement to enhance pleasure.

13.4 Premature (Early) Ejaculation

Premature (Early) Ejaculation

  • DSM-5 includes two disorders involving orgasmic functioning in males: Premature Ejaculation and Delayed Ejaculation
  • Premature Ejaculation:
    • Defined as "ejaculation occurring during partnered sexual activity within approximately 1 minute following vaginal penetration and before the individual wishes it" (DSM-5, p. 443)
    • May also apply to non-vaginal sexual activities, but specific duration guidelines not established
    • Biological causes include:
      • Excess thyroid hormone
      • Inflammation and infection of the prostate or urethra
      • Nerve damage from surgery or trauma
    • Men with Premature Ejaculation often complain of a sense of lack of control over ejaculation, apprehension about future encounters, decreased self-esteem, and adverse consequences for partner relationships
    • It is one of the most common forms of male sexual dysfunction, with approximately 30% reporting at least one occurrence in the previous year

Delayed Ejaculation

  • Characterized by a marked delay in or inability to achieve ejaculation despite adequate sexual stimulation
  • Usually involves partnered sexual activity
  • DSM-5 does not define "delayed", so it is likely when the delay causes distress, frustration, or requires stopping due to fatigue, physical irritation, loss of erection, or partner request
  • Men with Delayed Ejaculation may be able to reach orgasm without difficulty during masturbation but have trouble during intercourse
  • Prevalence is unknown, but it is the least common male sexual complaint

Case Studies

  1. No Control (Premature Ejaculation):
    • Liam and Melissa Crane, a successful couple married for 15 years
    • Mr. Crane has a rapid ejaculation problem that threatens their marriage
    • He becomes anxious, moves quickly to intercourse, and ejaculates immediately or within a few strokes, causing wife's dissatisfaction
    • Feels inadequate and guilty, unable to discuss the issue with his wife
    • Diagnosis: Premature Ejaculation (DSM-5, p. 443)
  2. In Jeopardy (Delayed Ejaculation):
    • Dennis Collins, a college professor, has never been able to ejaculate during intercourse
    • Able to maintain erections and stimulate partner to orgasm, but unable to reach his own orgasm
    • Attitude is distant and disinterested, describing the problem as if he's an observer
    • Diagnosis: Delayed Ejaculation (DSM-5, p. 424)

13.6 Female Orgasmic Disorder

Female Orgasmic Disorder

Characteristics:

  • Difficulty experiencing orgasm or reduced intensity of orgasmic sensations despite adequate sexual stimulation
  • Variability in type and intensity of stimulation required for orgasm among women
  • Diagnosis should only be considered if problems are experienced on almost all occasions

Normal Variability:

  • Many women require clitoral stimulation to reach orgasm, not during intercourse
  • Physiological factors like medical conditions and medications can influence orgasms

Diagnostic Considerations:

  • Substance / Medication-Induced Sexual Dysfunction if problems are side effects (see Section 13.8)
  • Approximately 10% of women do not experience orgasm throughout their lifetime

Case Study: Lola Alvarez

  • Inability to experience orgasms despite sufficient stimulation
  • Anxiety about losing control and expressing anger or hostility
  • No mental disorder, general medical condition, substance abuse, or medication use apparent
  • Persistent problem causing distress

Diagnosis:

  • Female Orgasmic Disorder, Lifelong, Generalized (DSM-5 p. 429)

13.7 Genito-Pelvic Pain/Penetration Disorder

Genito-Pelvic Pain/Penetration Disorder (GPPD)

Characteristics:

  • Difficulty having vaginal intercourse
  • Marked vulvovaginal or pelvic pain during intercourse or penetration attempts
  • Fear and anxiety about potential pain before, during, or after vaginal penetration
  • Involuntary tensing of pelvic floor muscles (vaginismus) during attempted penetration

Diagnostic Criteria:

  • Not explained by another mental disorder
  • No relationship distress or partner violence
  • No general medical condition causing pain or infertility
  • No medication side effect

Prevalence and Demographics:

  • Prevalence unknown, approximately 15% of women in North America report recurrent pain during intercourse
  • Diagnosed only for women, but urological chronic pelvic pain syndrome in men is a related condition

Case Study: Claire Whitaker's Story

  • Unable to allow vaginal penetration since marriage due to spasms and anxiety
  • Previous therapy helped with episodic intercourse, but fear of pregnancy remained
  • History of chronic endometriosis, premature birth, religious upbringing, lack of education on sexual health
  • Treatment included couple sessions for husband's frustration and cooperation, individual sessions, antianxiety medication, vaginal dilation exercises.

Treatment Approach:

  • Addressing anxiety related to vaginal penetration through therapy and medication
  • Gradual vaginal dilation exercises in warm water to improve comfort with body
  • Sensate focus exercises for pleasure without intercourse
  • Group therapy for nonorgasmic women for additional support.

13.8 Substance/Medication-Induced Sexual Dysfunction

Substance/Medication-Induced Sexual Dysfunctions

  • Wide range of medications and substances can cause sexual dysfunctions
  • Antidepressants: most commonly cause problems with orgasm or ejaculation, desire, and erection
    • 25% to 80% of individuals report sexual side effects
    • Antipsychotic medications, antianxiety agents also cause sexual side effects
    • Other medications associated with sexual dysfunction: statins, blood pressure medications, histamine type 2 receptor blockers, anticonvulsant medications, hormonal contraceptives
  • Illicit substance use can lead to sexual problems, especially among chronic drug abusers
    • Higher rates of erectile dysfunction in individuals who abuse heroin (approximately 60%-70%) compared to amphetamines or ecstasy
    • Chronic alcohol abuse and nicotine abuse linked to higher rates of erectile problems
  • Premature ejaculation can sometimes occur after cessation of opioid use
  • Substance/Medication-Induced Sexual Dysfunctions are usually reversible by lowering dosage or stopping the medication

Case Study: "Bad Side Effect"

  • Amy Harris, 36-year-old bank officer, experiences extreme difficulty reaching orgasm
    • Orgasmic capacity in her teenage years and early 20s
    • Loss of sexual interest after husband's affair and non-promotion at work
    • Diagnosed with Major Depressive Episode
    • Treated with antidepressant medication, Paroxetine 20 mg/day
    • Orgasmic difficulties worsened when dosage was increased to 40 mg/day and returned after lowering the dose again to 20 mg/day
  • Diagnosis: Paroxetine-Induced Sexual Dysfunction (DSM-5, p. 446)

CHAPTER 14 Gender Dysphoria

Gender Dysphoria

Definition:

  • Gender: publicly recognized lived role as boy or girl, man or woman
  • Sex: biological indicators of male and female (reproductive capacity, sex chromosomes, gonads, sex hormones, external genitalia)
  • Gender dysphoria: emotional and cognitive discomfort with assigned gender, distress due to incongruence between experienced/expressed gender and biological sex

Characteristics of Gender Dysphoria:

For Children (prepubescent)

  • Strong preference for cross-gender expressions: clothing, role-playing, toys, activities
  • Rejection of assigned gender toys, games, activities, dislike of own sexual anatomy
  • Desire for sex characteristics of experienced gender

For Adolescents and Adults

  • Incongruence between experienced gender and own sex: desire to be rid of own sex characteristics, have sex characteristics of other gender
  • Desire to be the other gender and be treated as such
  • Convinction that one has feelings and reactions of other gender.

Diagnostic Criteria:

  • DSM-5 presents two lists for children (prepubescent) and adults
  • Children's criteria are age appropriate, inferential, concrete, and specific
  • Adult criteria focus on distress as the clinical problem rather than gender identity itself
  • When there is a physical disorder of sex development, specify with "With a Disorder of Sex Development".

14.1 Gender Dysphoria in Children

Gender Dysphoria in Children

Definition:

  • "Marked incongruence between one's experienced/expressed gender and assigned gender" (DSM-5)
  • Persists for at least 6 months
  • Strong desire to be another gender or alternative gender

Characteristics:

  • Boys: preference for cross-dressing as a girl, rejection of masculine toys/activities
  • Girls: preference for boyish attire, resistance to feminine clothing
  • Strong preferences for cross-gender roles in play and fantasy life
  • Dislike of own sexual anatomy, desire for different characteristics

Diagnosis:

  • Distinguish from nonconformity to gender role behavior
  • Diagnose when distress and impairment occur

Prevalence:

  • Rare, more common in boys than girls
  • Onset usually between ages 2-4
  • Persistence rates vary, up to 50% in girls

Case Study: Rocky

  • 8-year-old boy wanting to be a girl
  • Preferences for female roles and toys
  • Cross-dressing behavior
  • Parents report normal development, no overt psychopathology
  • Family history of younger sister's medical needs may have contributed.

Assessment:

  • Persistent identification as female
  • Desire to be a girl
  • Preoccupation with stereotypical female activities and toys
  • Aversion towards male toys/activities.

14.2 Gender Dysphoria in Adolescents

Gender Dysphoria in Adolescents and Adults

Characteristics of Gender Dysphoria:

  • Marked incongruence between experienced/expressed gender and primary/secondary sex characteristics
  • Discomfort with or desire to change/prevent development of:
    • Primary sex characteristics (e.g., penis, testes, ovaries, vagina)
    • Secondary sex characteristics (e.g., breasts, fat distribution, muscle mass, facial hair)
  • Strong desire to have sex characteristics of the other gender
  • Belief that has typical feelings and reactions of the other gender
  • May attempt to hide secondary sex characteristics or take hormones/surgery to align with desired gender

Onset and Sexual Orientation:

  • Early onset: Most common in biological males, often associated with sexual attraction to men
  • Late onset: May engage in transvestic behavior for sexual excitement, attracted to women or other posttransitional males
  • In biological females, most commonly early onset, may later seek hormones/surgery after identifying as lesbian

Distinction from Transvestic Disorder:

  • Cross-dressing behavior in Gender Dysphoria is part of overall pattern of gender expression
  • Transvestic Disorder involves cross-dressing for sexual arousal, rarely occurs in females

Additional Challenges:

  • Significant interpersonal problems, including sexual relationship difficulties
  • Low self-esteem, risk of other mental disorders (e.g., Major Depressive Disorder), school/work challenges
  • Difficulty accessing accepting and informed medical/psychological care
She Wants to Be a Boy

Kelly's Case Study

Background:

  • 16-year-old girl from British Columbia, Canada
  • Suggested to a gender identity clinic by family physician
  • Parental agreement and participation
  • Longstanding desire to be a boy since age 2
  • Relationship with another girl, Anna, precipitated referral

Symptoms:

  • Discomfort with being female
  • Hates menstruation and wearing a bra
  • Desire for gender reassignment surgery (mastectomy, hormone injections)
  • Unsure about penis construction possibility
  • Preference to be seen as "human being"
  • Quit school after 7th grade
  • Training in military youth group
  • Delight in using AK-47 assault rifle
  • Attracted to "gory things, blood, and living dangerously"
  • Uncertain about sexuality (lesbianism, heterosexuality)
  • No history of sexual experiences or masturbation
  • Physical examination: XX chromosomes, normal testosterone level, no signs of intersex condition

Diagnosis:

  • Gender Dysphoria in Adolescents and Adults (DSM-5)
  • Strong and persistent desire to be a male
  • Desire for gender reassignment surgery
  • Masculine appearance and behaviors
  • Discomfort with being female.

Follow-up:

  • Continued preoccupation with changing her gender
  • Ambivalent gender role (masculine occupation, but no clear identity)
  • Application to adult gender identity clinic for reassignment surgery
  • Failed to keep appointment.
Living as a Man

Case Study: Charles Northrop

Background:

  • 25-year-old patient from North Dakota
  • Born female, now identifies as "Charles Northrup"
  • Lived socially and employed as a man for 3 years
  • Housemate, economic provider, and "husband-equivalent" for a bisexual woman
  • Affectionate bond with her children

Appearance:

  • Passed as a "not very virile man"
  • Low but not baritone voice
  • Bulky clothing to conceal tightly bound, flattened breasts
  • Strap-on penis produced masculine bulge in pants

Medical History:

  • Unsuccessfully tried to obtain mastectomy, hysterectomy, oophorectomy, and testosterone prescription
  • Experienced distress and incongruence with primary female sex characteristics

Desired Outcomes:

  • Hopes for successful phalloplasty (surgical construction of a penis) as long-term goal
  • Wanted to eliminate primary female sex characteristics and acquire male secondary traits

Diagnosis:

  • Gender Dysphoria in Adolescents and Adults (DSM-5, p. 452) suggested diagnosis

Characteristics of the Disorder:

  • Desperate desire to change primary female sex characteristics into male traits
  • Strong and persistent cross-gender identification
  • No evidence of physical intersex or genetic abnormality
  • Onset often occurs in late adolescence or early adulthood

CHAPTER 15 Disruptive, Impulse-Control, and Conduct Disorders

Disruptive, Impulse-Control, and Conduct Disorders

Characteristics:

  • Characterized by problems in self-control of behavior and emotions
  • Behaviors violate the rights of others or go against social norms/authority
  • Underlying personality dimension: externalizing - acting negatively toward people or things in environment

Disorders:

  1. Conduct Disorder: Poor behavioral regulation, aggressive impulses, and violation of rights
  2. Intermittent Explosive Disorder: Uncontrolled emotions, recurrent behavioral outbursts
  3. Oppositional Defiant Disorder: Angry/irritable mood, argumentative or defiant behavior
  4. Pyromania: Deliberate fire setting, tension before act, fascination with fire
  5. Kleptomania: Recurrent failure to resist impulse to steal, pleasure at time of theft
  6. Substance Use Disorder: Behavioral loss of control over substance use (classified elsewhere in DSM-5)
  7. Gambling Disorder: Behavioral loss of control over gambling (classified elsewhere in DSM-5)

Age of Onset:

  • Conduct Disorder: Childhood or adolescence
  • Intermittent Explosive Disorder: Not specified
  • Opposite Defiant Disorder: Childhood

Additional Information:

  • These disorders are related to externalizing dimension, where individuals express problems outwardly
  • Pyromania involves tension-relieving function
  • Kleptomania involves recurrent failure to resist impulse
  • Substance Use Disorder and Gambling Disorder also involve behavioral loss of control and classified elsewhere in DSM-5.

15.1 Oppositional Defiant Disorder

Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)

Definition:

  • Pattern of angry/irritable mood, argumentative/defiant behavior, or vindictiveness persisting for at least 6 months
  • Causes distress or impairs functioning

Symptoms:

  1. Angry or irritable mood:
    • Frequent loss of temper
    • Being easily annoyed or angry
    • Resentment
  2. Argumentative/defiant behavior:
    • Arguments with adults/authority figures
    • Refusal to comply with requests
    • Deliberate annoyance of others
    • Blaming others for mistakes
  3. Vindictiveness or spitefulness

Diagnostic Considerations:

  • Symptoms not entirely explained by sibling rivalry
  • Four or more symptoms present within preceding 6 months, causing significant impairment in functioning
  • Exceeds normative behavior for age, gender, and culture

Severity:

  • Mild: One social setting
  • Moderate: Two or more social settings
  • Severe: Three or more social settings

Onset:

  • Earliest symptoms appear in preschool years, rarely after early adolescence

Comorbidities:

  • Conduct Disorder: May develop from defiant types of ODD
  • Anxiety or Depressive Disorders: Angry, irritable types of ODD may predispose to these disorders

Prevalence:

  • Average estimated prevalence is 3.3%
  • Slightly more common in males before adolescence but inconsistent difference in adults.
No Brakes

Jeremy's Behavior Issues

Background:

  • Brought to mental health clinic by mother due to disruptive behavior at school
  • Suspended from school for swearing at teacher, reprimanded by police for riding bike unsafely, and broke a window with his bike
  • Difficulty managing behavior since nursery school

Problems Escalated:

  • Teasing, kicking other children, tripping them, calling names
  • Bad-tempered and irritable, but sometimes charming and helpful
  • Unpredictable moods, upsets easily, shouts and screams
  • Spiteful and mean toward younger brother

Behavioral Patterns:

  • Defiant and rude to mother at times, needs multiple reminders to comply
  • Good concentration, but tells minor lies
  • High energy level, not aimlessly hyperactive
  • Persistent argumentative, irritable, defiant, annoying, and resentful behaviors

Diagnostic Considerations:

  • Conduct Disorder: Does not violate basic rights or display serious forms of behavior
  • Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): High energy level but no other characteristics
  • Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD): Persistent argumentative, irritable, defiant, annoying, and resentful behaviors. Severity is Severe as behaviors occur at home, school, and with peers. Some clinicians consider ODD a mild form of Conduct Disorder, but many children with the disorder do not develop more serious behavioral problems.
Special Dinners

Caleb's Behavioral Issues

  • Parents brought son to child psychologist due to marital conflict over behavior
  • Mother complained father "overindulged" Caleb, allowing delayed bedtimes and multiple meal choices
  • Caleb became easily annoyed, argued with parents, and refused to follow rules
  • No evidence of property destruction, excessive lying, or stealing
  • Child appeared cheerful but minimalized problems during interview

Diagnosis:

  • Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) based on confined home behavior
    • Mild severity as behaviors not apparent at school or with peers
  • No signs of Conduct Disorder, Schizophrenia, or Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Behavioral Patterns:

  • Frequent temper tantrums and arguing with parents
  • Delayed bedtimes due to resistance to going to bed
  • Refusal to eat prepared meals, insisting on multiple choices

Impact on Family:

  • Strain on already shaky marriage due to conflict over Caleb's behavior
  • Father's inability to set appropriate limits perpetuating ODD.

Recommended Treatment:

  • Family therapy to address the relational component and establish appropriate limits.

15.2 Intermittent Explosive Disorder

Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED)

Features:

  • Recurrent emotional and behavioral outbursts reflecting failure to control aggressive impulses
  • Outbursts can be verbal or physical

DSM-5 Criteria:

  • Minimum frequency:
    • Verbal assaults or physical assaults without significant harm: twice weekly for 3 months
    • Physical assaults causing harm or property damage: at least 3 episodes in a year
  • Outbursts must be:
    • Out of proportion to provocation/stressor
    • Impulsive, not premeditated or for personal gain
    • Cause distress, impairment, or legal/financial consequences

Associated Disorders:

  • Bipolar Disorder (Chapter 3)
  • Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (Section 4.1)
  • Psychotic Disorder (Chapter 2)
  • Personality Disorders: Antisocial or Borderline (Section 18.5, 18.1)
  • Other mental, medical, substance-related causes rule out IED diagnosis

Additional Diagnoses:

  • ADHD, Conduct Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder if severe and requiring additional attention

Prevalence:

  • 1-year prevalence in the US: 2.7%
  • More common in younger adults, rarely begins after age 40
  • Affects men slightly more often than women
  • Has devastating social, occupational, financial, and legal consequences
Hothead Harry, Gnome Assassin

Background

  • Marketing director named Harry Axelrod
  • Called anger and aggression treatment clinic after heated argument with fiancée
  • Destroyed lawn gnome during dispute over mowing the lawn
  • Frequent aggressive outbursts throughout adulthood
    • Kicked in TV screen, smashed car window, threw phone at wall
    • Approximately three arguments and one act of property destruction per week
    • Ruined past relationships, alienated coworkers, jeopardized job
  • Anger issues were not new for him or his family

Childhood

  • Grew up in middle-class suburban family
  • Father had a "hair trigger" and would berate him in front of friends
  • Family functions turned into "war zones" due to verbal and physical aggression
  • Academically successful but struggled with getting along with classmates
  • Occasional destruction of small toys or school supplies when angry or frustrated

Adolescence

  • Frequent arguments (1-4 per week) with friends, classmates, family members
  • Nicknamed "Hothead Harry" after breaking a chair in response to poor test score
  • Left college after 6 months due to issues with coworkers and the company

Adulthood

  • Worked at marketing firm for 3 years but left due to interpersonal problems
  • Dated woman for 3 years and broke up over his irritability and outbursts
  • Considered seeking help but did not feel there was a "pill to stop you from being an asshole"
  • Clinical depression for approximately 1 month after breakup
  • Occasional drinking, but never felt it was out of control

Workplace Issues

  • Verbal outbursts alienated coworkers
  • Grabbed and pushed a coworker after altercation, mandated to see employee assistance program counselor for five sessions

Current Relationship

  • Tumultuous relationship with fiancée
    • Warned him to control his anger
    • Pattern of guilt, apology, and defensive verbal aggression
  • Admitted he never threatened or put hands on her but felt "not that bad a guy" due to his temper.
Calisthenics

Ms. Fortunato's Case History

  • 31-year-old housewife sought help for temper outbursts, increasing marital discord
  • Difficulty with husband's suspected affair, ruminated angrily during ruminative episodes
  • Attempted to "discharge tension" through calisthenics, still lost control upon husband's return
  • Violent outbursts: threw glass at husband, banged walls, put hand through window
  • Felt headache and "strangeness" before losing control, became violent during husband's presence
  • Depressed and remorseful after outbursts, recognized they were "crazy" but justified
  • Overzealous discipline towards children during ruminative periods, slapped them harshly
  • Episodes increasing in frequency over past year, 1-2 per month

Diagnostic Considerations

  • Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED): outbursts result in serious assault or property damage
  • Nonspecific abnormality on EEG suggests underlying central nervous system issue
  • Potential for child abuse due to violent behavior towards children
  • Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) or Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) considered as possible causes, but no history of severe head trauma.

Discussion and Conclusion

  • Ms. Fortunato's behavior suggests Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED)
  • Diagnosis hinges on the frequency and severity of outbursts, potential for child abuse
  • EEG abnormality may indicate underlying central nervous system issue
  • Further testing needed to rule out other neurological disorders like TBI or CTE.

15.3 Conduct Disorder

Conduct Disorder

Definition:

  • Repetitive and persistent pattern of behavior violating others' rights or societal norms (DSM-5, p. 469)

Diagnostic Criteria:

  • Minimum of three behaviors from four groups present within a 12-month period
  • Impairment in social, academic, or occupational functioning

Groups and Behaviors:

  1. Aggression to people and animals: bullying, threatening, intimidating; physical fights; using weapons; cruelty towards people or animals; mugging, extortion, armed robbery; forcing sex
  2. Destruction of property: deliberate fire setting; destructive behavior in other ways
  3. Deceitfulness or theft: breaking and entering; lying or conning; stealing non-trivial items without confrontation
  4. Serious violations of rules: staying out past curfew; truancy; running away from home

Subtypes:

  • Childhood-Onset Type: symptoms appear before age 10, more aggressive behavior, poorer prognosis
  • Adolescent-Onset Type: no symptom before age 10, less severe behavior, better prognosis

Additional Specifiers:

  • With Limited Prosocial Emotions: callousness, lack of empathy, insincere emotions, poor prognosis

Severity:

  • Mild: few conduct problems causing minor harm to others
  • Moderate: more conduct problems with some harmful effects on others
  • Severe: many conduct problems causing considerable harm to others

Prevalence:

  • 2%-10%, median of 4% among children and adolescents (one-year prevalence)
  • Higher in males than females
  • Implications: school suspension/expulsion, legal difficulties, substance abuse, risky behavior, serious impairments for individual and society.
Killer

Pattern of Antisocial Behavior: "Killer" Alfred's Case

Behavioral Pattern:

  • Staying out late at night
  • Truancy from school
  • Engaging in intimidation and physical aggression with peers
  • Setting fires and destroying property (breaking windows)
  • Horrific killing of a young girl

Diagnostic Indications:

  • Severe Conduct Disorder, Childhood-Onset Type (DSM-5, p. 469)
  • Lack of remorse
  • Callous lack of empathy
  • Lack of concern about school performance
  • Unemotional reaction to actions

Symptoms:

  • With Limited Prosocial Emotions for Conduct Disorder

Prognosis:

  • Grave prognosis.
Shoelaces

Javier's Case Summary

Background:

  • Age: 16 years old
  • Admitted to hospital after serious suicide attempt
  • History of conduct disorder with antisocial behavior (onset after age 10)
    • Truancy from school
    • Threatening principal, leading to expulsion
    • Purchasing and using illegal drugs
    • Running away from home
    • Breaking and entering, car theft

Conduct Disorder:

  • Diagnosis: Conduct Disorder, Adolescent-Onset Type (DSM-5)
  • Severity: Severe
  • Specifier: No "With Limited Prosocial Emotions"

Major Depressive Episode:

  • Symptoms: Depressed mood, many characteristic symptoms
  • Onset: 2 weeks before suicide attempt
  • Additional diagnosis: Major Depressive Disorder, Single Episode, Severe (DSM-5)

Substance Use Disorders:

  • Cannabis Use Disorder (DSM-5)
  • Other Hallucinogen Use Disorder (LSD) (DSM-5)
  • Sedative, Hypnotic, or Anxiolytic Use Disorder (DSM-5)
  • Manifestations indicate at least Mild Substance Use Disorder.

Complications:

  • Co-occurring mental disorders requiring treatment.
Seizure

Rene's Case: Behavioral Problems and Seizure Incident

Background:

  • Rene, a 16-year-old high school junior, hospitalized for behavior problems since age 12.
  • History of truancy, petty thefts, marijuana use, and setting a fire in a vacant lot leading to court involvement and psychiatric ward admission.
  • Parents unable to control her.

Hospitalization:

  • Befriended other adolescents but demanding and emotionally volatile.
  • Stormed out of community meetings when disagrees with decisions.
  • Attempted to monopolize activities, then became angry and pouty when not permitted to do so.
  • Insecure and dependent despite superficial bravado.

Seizure Incident:

  • Refused pass to go out of hospital, stormed back to her room.
  • Violent shaking with jerking movements in pelvis, arms, legs, and rolling eyes upward.
  • No urinary or fecal incontinence.
  • Fully alert when asked questions by nurse 15 minutes later.
  • Walked to examining room for doctor evaluation.

Diagnostic Challenges:

  • Possible diagnostic options: Conversion Disorder (Functional Neurological Symptom Disorder), Factitious Disorder, or Malingering.
  • No evidence of voluntary control over the seizure symptoms, so prefer to assume it was not faked.
  • Diagnosis: Provisionally, Conversion Disorder with Acute Episode and With Psychological Stressor.

Additional Considerations:

  • If Rene acknowledges faking fit for attention or privileges, diagnose Malingering.
  • Unlikely event of exhibiting fake fits without purpose, then diagnosis changes to Factitious Disorder Imposed on Self.

15.4 Pyromania

Pyromania:

  • Defined as deliberate and purposeful fire setting on multiple occasions (DSM-5)
  • Preceded by tension or emotional arousal, pleasure, gratification, or relief upon setting the fire
  • Fascination with fire and its contexts: watching fires, false alarms, spending time at fire department
  • Not for financial, political, criminal purposes, anger/vengeance, delusion/hallucination, impaired judgment
  • Rare mental disorder, most cases not due to Pyromania
  • Occurs more often in men
  • In adults: monetary gain, improve living circumstances, express anger or vengeance, conceal criminal activity, attract attention
  • When related to a mental disorder: Substance Intoxication, Major Neurocognitive Disorder, delusion/hallucination
  • Children and adolescents: developmental experimentation (playing with matches), Conduct Disorder, Intellectual Disability.
Brrr

Kelvin's Case Study

Background:

  • Attractive 6-year-old boy
  • Single mother brought him to emergency room due to fire setting behavior
  • Several incidents over the past year and a half
  • Fears mother won't be able to control or prevent further fires
  • Mother reports Kelvin sets fires out of anger towards her

Symptoms:

  • Sets fires with various methods: plastic sheets, lighters, matches
  • Began fascinated with setting fires two years ago
  • Unhappy in school, no new friends outside school
  • Difficult to discipline, ignores mother

Psychological Evaluation:

  • Initial guarded and distrustful behavior
  • Play revolves around themes of fires getting bigger and out of control
  • Affect is either inappropriate (laughter) or blunted (emotionless) when discussing fires
  • Nonchalant and unconcerned about "command hallucinations" from "man in his head"
  • Denied suicidal ideation, but mother reported recent wish to die

Diagnosis:

  • Pyromania according to DSM-5 (476)
  • Tension or affective arousal before the act can only be inferred
  • Possible command hallucination raising question about responsibility for behavior.

15.5 Kleptomania

Kleptomania

Characteristics:

  • Recurrent failure to resist impulses to steal objects not needed for personal use or monetary value (DSM-5, p. 478)
  • Increasing sense of tension before stealing
  • Pleasure, gratification, or relief after committing act
  • Not an act of anger or vengeance
  • Not caused by delusion or hallucination
  • Not explained by another mental disorder (e.g., manic episodes, antisocial behavior)
  • Individuals attempt to resist impulse and are aware that stealing is wrong
  • Frequent fear of being apprehended and guilt about thefts

Demographics:

  • More common in females than males
  • Rare mental disorder

Onset:

  • Can begin at any time from childhood to late adulthood
  • Most common onset during adolescence

Consequences:

  • Serious legal, family, and career problems

Case Study: Lobsterman Mario Rossi

  • 42-year-old married man with no criminal record or particular need for stolen lobster
  • shoplifting pattern of random items without specific purpose
  • Increasing sense of tension before stealing, relief after committing act
  • No other explanations for the behavior (e.g., manic episodes, antisocial behavior)
  • Guilt and resolve to never steal again but succumbs to impulse

Case Study: The Heiress Martha Wellington

  • 34-year-old wealthy woman with marital problems
  • Periodically experiences urge to steal articles of clothing
  • Steals items she does not need or like, feels relief and anxiety after stealing
  • No evidence of other motivations or psychopathology explaining the behavior.

CHAPTER 16 Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders

Substance-Related Disorders

Drug Classes (simplified):

  • Depressants: alcohol, sedatives, hypnotics, or anxiolytics
  • Stimulants: controlled substances (amphetamine and cocaine), caffeine and tobacco
  • Cannabis
  • Hallucinogens: phencyclidine (PCP) and other hallucinogens
  • Opiods
  • Inhalants and other drugs (inhalants, anabolic steroids, etc.)

Gambling Disorder:

  • Presented alongside Substance-Related Disorders due to similarities in reward systems and behavioral symptoms

Substance Use vs. Induced Disorders:

  • Substance Use Disorder: Problems with substance use leading to impairment or distress
  • Substance-Induced Disorder: Psychological or behavioral symptoms caused by direct effects of the substance on the central nervous system

Co-occurrence of Disorders:

  • Substance Use Disorder and Substance-Induced Disorder can co-occur, but are distinct conditions

Substance Classes Associated with Specific Disorders:

  • Table 16-1: Depressants, stimulants, cannabis, hallucinogens, opioids, and inhalants/other drugs associated with Substance Use Disorder, Substance Intoxication, or Substance Withdrawal
Substance Use Disorders

Substance Use Disorders

Characteristics:

  • Cluster of cognitive, behavioral, and physiological symptoms
  • Individual continues using substance despite significant problems
  • Underlying brain circuitry change may persist beyond abstinence
  • Prone to repeated relapses and intense drug craving

Diagnostic Criteria (DSM-5):

  1. Impaired control over substance use:
    • Exceed own preset limits
    • Persistent desire to cut down or regulate use
    • Spend significant time obtaining or using the substance
  2. Social and occupational impairment:
    • Unable to fulfill major role obligations due to substance use
    • Continue use despite social/interpersonal problems caused by substance use
    • Give up important activities because of substance use
  3. Risky use of the substance:
    • Repeatedly use in physically hazardous situations
    • Continue use despite physical or psychological problems caused by substance use
  4. Physiological dependence on the substance:
    • Tolerance (increased amount or reduced effect)
    • Withdrawal symptoms when stopping use

Classes of Substances:

  • Depressant drugs: Hand tremor, sweating, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, agitation, fever
  • Opioid drugs: Withdrawal symptoms less obvious but can involve dysphoric mood and fatigue
  • Stimulants or cannabis: Less obvious withdrawal, involving dysphoric mood and fatigue
  • PCP and other hallucinogens/inhalants: No documented significant withdrawal symptoms in humans

Medication Abuse:

  • If tolerance and withdrawal develop during appropriate medical treatment, do not count toward diagnosis if taken as prescribed
  • However, if taken at higher doses or more often than prescribed, should be considered part of the diagnosis.

Severity Levels:

  • Mild: 2 to 3 symptoms
  • Moderate: 4 to 5 symptoms
  • Severe: 6 or more symptoms

Remission Status:

  • Early Remission: No criteria met for at least 3 months but less than 12 months
  • Sustained Remission: No criteria met for 12 months or longer.
Substance-Induced Disorders

Substance-Induced Disorders

Types of Substance-Induced Disorders:

  • Substance Intoxication:
    • Diagnosed during use of a substance
    • Causes problematic behavioral or psychological changes
    • Symptoms depend on specific substance: alcohol, sedative drugs, anxiolytic medication, caffeine
      • Alcohol: inappropriate sexual or aggressive behavior, mood lability, impaired judgment, slurred speech, incoordination, impairment in attention and memory
      • Caffeine: restlessness, nervousness, excitement, insomnia, flushed face, sweating, muscle twitching, increased heart rate, rambling flow of thought and speech
    • Common among those with Substance Use Disorder but also occurs in individuals without one
  • Substance Withdrawal:
    • Develops after prolonged use of a substance
    • Characterized by substance-specific behavioral changes and physiological and cognitive disturbances
    • Symptoms often the opposite of intoxication symptoms: dysphoric mood, fatigue, increased appetite (stimulants vs. depressants)
    • Associated with Substance Use Disorder but can develop without one
  • Substance/Medication-Induced Mental Disorders:
    • Potentially severe and temporary psychiatric syndromes caused by substances of abuse, medications, or toxins
    • Nine specific types: Psychotic Disorder, Bipolar and Related Disorder, Depressive Disorder, Anxiety Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorder, Sleep Disorder, Sexual Dysfunction, Delirium (Substance-Induced, Substance Withdrawal, Medication-Induced), Neurocognitive Disorder
    • Not all combinations of substances and mental disorders exist due to specific substance effects on psychiatric symptoms.
Substance-Related Disorders in Case Examples

Substance-Related Disorders: Case Examples

Section 16.1: Depressants

  • Alcohol Use Disorder ("Vodka")
  • Alcohol Intoxication ("Joe College")
  • Alcohol Withdrawal ("The Reporter")

Section 16.2: Diazepam

  • Diazepam Use Disorder
  • Diazepam Withdrawal ("August Days")

Section 16.3: Stimulants - Cocaine

  • Cocaine Use Disorder ("Cocaine Problem")

Section 16.4: Caffeine and Tobacco

  • Caffeine Withdrawal ("Coffee Machine")
  • Tobacco Use Disorder ("Junkie")

Section 16.6: Cannabis

  • Cannabis Intoxication ("Freaking Out")
  • Cannabis Withdrawal ("Fidgety and Grumpy")

Section 16.7: Hallucinogens - Phencyclidine

  • Phencyclidine Use Disorder
  • Phencycliidine Intoxication ("Peaceable Man")

Section 16.8: Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder

  • "A Man Who Saw the Air"

Section 16.9: Opioids

  • Opioid Use Disorder ("Cough Medicine")

Section 16.10: Inhalants and Other Drugs

  • Inhalant Intoxication ("Better Living Through Chemistry")

Section 16.11: Gambling Disorder

  • "Loan Sharks"

Other Substance/Medication-Induced Mental Disorders:

  • Substance/Medication-Induced Psychotic Disorder: "Agitated Businessman," "Threatening Voices" (Section 2.7)
  • Substance/Medication-Induced Bipolar and Related Disorder: "Sleepless Housewife" (Section 3.4)
  • Substance/Medication-Induced Sleep Disorder: "Mystery Mastery" (Section 12.10)
  • Substance/Medication-Induced Sexual Dysfunction: "Bad Side Effect" (Section 13.8)
  • Substance/Medication-Induced Delirium: "Traction," "Thunderbird" (Section 17.1)
  • Substance/Medication-Induced Neurocognitive Disorder: "Chief Petty Officer," "Disabled Vet" (Section 4.3)
DEPRESSANTS

Depressants

  • Drugs that lower neurotransmission levels, reducing arousal or stimulation in the brain
  • Two DSM-5 drug classes included: Alcohol-Related Disorders and Sedative-, Hypnotic-, or Anxiolytic-Related Disorders
  • Reasons for grouping together:
    • Both alcohol and sedative, hypnotic, and anxiolytic medications are brain depressants, resulting in behavioral sedation
    • Both act on the same cell receptors in the brain
    • Cross-tolerance between alcohol and sedative, hypnotic, and anxiolytic medications (e.g., tolerance to alcohol also applies to these medications)
  • DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for Alcohol Intoxication and Sedative, Hypnotic, or Anxiolytic Intoxication, as well as Alcohol Withdrawal and Sedative, Hypnotic, or Anxiolytic Withdrawal, are nearly identical.

16.1 Alcohol-Related Disorders

Alcohol-Related Disorders:

Prevalence and Impact:

  • Most frequently used intoxicating substance in many cultures
  • Affects nearly every organ system, especially gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and nervous systems
  • Increased risk of suicide during severe intoxication
  • Prevalence in the US: 4.6% among 12-17 year olds, 8.5% among adults (highest in 18-29 age group)
  • Variations across race/ethnic subgroups
  • Higher prevalence among Native Americans and Alaska Natives (12.1%) than whites (8.9%)
  • Lower prevalence in Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (4.5%)
  • Greater impact on males but females more vulnerable to physical consequences

Characteristics of Alcohol Use Disorder:

  • Periods of remission and relapse
  • First episode often occurs during mid-teens
  • Impaired control over alcohol use
    • Setting drinking limits that are exceeded
    • Unsuccessful efforts to cut back or stop drinking
    • Drinking throughout the day
    • Continuing to drink despite negative consequences
    • Developing tolerance
  • Negative social and occupational consequences, including job loss
  • Memory lapses and potential for dangerous behavior
  • Onset of withdrawal symptoms may not be apparent with changes in alcohol consumption.
Joe College

Joseph Schiavone's Case:

  • Joseph, a college freshman, becomes drunk for the first time after drinking beer with his fraternity brothers
  • He displays signs of alcohol intoxication: argumentative, impaired judgment, mood lability, physiological signs (incoordination and unsteady gait)
  • No prior history of aggressive or disruptive behavior
  • Diagnosis: Alcohol Intoxication (DSM-5, p. 497)

The Reporter's Case:

  • Heavier drinker for 10 years with sudden increase in drinking and withdrawal symptoms
  • Symptoms of alcohol withdrawal: tremors, nausea, vomiting, visual hallucinations
  • Intact reality testing and orientation
  • Diagnosis: Alcohol Withdrawal (DSM-5, p. 499)
  • Specifier With Perceptual Disturbances indicated due to presence of hallucinations
  • Pattern of drinking meets criteria for Mild Alcohol Use Disorder
  • Tolerance and withdrawal symptoms present.

16.2 Sedative-, Hypnotic-, or Anxiolytic-Related Disorders

Sedative-, Hypnotic- or Anxiolytic-Related Disorders

Class Description:

  • Wide range of medications prescribed for calming down, aiding sleep, and reducing anxiety (sedative, hypnotic, anxiolytic)
  • Includes benzodiazepines and benzodiazepine-like medications (e.g., diazepam, lorazepam, clonazepam, alprazolam, zolpidem, zaleplon)
  • Some historical uses: carbamates (meprobamate), barbiturates (secobarbital), and barbiturate-like sleep aids (methaqualone)
  • Available by prescription and illegally
  • High liability to cause addiction or death from overdose compared to modern medications

Disorders:

  • Sedative, Hypnotic, or Anxiolytic Use Disorder
    • Onset in teens or 20s
    • Escalation in use leading to problems and diagnosis criteria
    • Intermittent social use evolving into daily use and high tolerance
    • Initial prescription for anxiety treatment may lead to substance-seeking behavior
    • Justified continued use on basis of original symptoms
    • High levels of tolerance, withdrawal (including seizures and delirium) possible

Prevalence:

  • 12-month prevalence among 12-17 year olds: 0.3% (twice as high in females as males)
  • Adults age 18+: 0.2% (slightly higher rate in males than females).
August Days

August Days Case Study:

Background:

  • Ms. Dudek is a 55-year-old divorced schoolteacher who signed herself out of a psychiatric unit against medical advice to be detoxified from benzodiazepine (diazepam) drug.
  • She had a 5-year history of mouth pain, diagnosed as trigeminal neuralgia or TMJ dysfunction.
  • Ms. Dudek had increased her diazepam dosage to 90 mg/day despite experiencing shakiness, weakness, difficulty sleeping, and anxiety.
  • She was absent from work due to feeling hungover or exhausted in the morning.
  • Attempted treatments with carbamazepine, amitriptyline, and imipramine resulted in short-term relief but also side effects.
  • Her ex-husband's sudden death worsened her pain and anxiety.

Intervention:

  • Ms. Dudek called Dr. Sharkey for help as she had exhausted her diazepam supply and could not reduce the dosage further.
  • She reported withdrawal symptoms, such as rapid heartbeat, sweating, shaking hands, nausea, anxiety, and insomnia.

Diagnosis:

  • Diazepam Use Disorder: Tolerance, inability to reduce use, dependence, and withdrawal symptoms (DSM-5).
  • Diazepam Withdrawal Syndrome: Rapid heartbeat, sweating, weakness, shaking hands, nausea, anxiety, insomnia.

Considerations:

  • Ms. Dudek's diazepam use was not under medical supervision.
  • She had increased the dose on her own and attempted to obtain more than prescribed.
  • Possible justification for a temporary prescription of diazepam to prevent a full-blown withdrawal syndrome.
  • Unclear if Ms. Dudek has an underlying Anxiety Disorder or if her symptoms were solely related to diazepam use.

16.3 Stimulant-Related Disorders

Stimulant-Related Disorders

Types of Stimulants:

  • Amphetamines (e.g., dextroamphetamine, methamphetamine)
  • Other stimulants with similar effects (e.g., methylphenidate)
  • Cocaine in various forms (powder, freebase, crack)

Use and Abuse:

  • Prescribed for treatment of obesity, ADHD, and narcolepsy, sometimes diverted illegally
  • Instant feeling of well-being, confidence, euphoria upon use
  • Dramatic behavioral changes with Stimulant Use Disorder:
    • Chaotic behavior
    • Social isolation
    • Aggressive behavior
    • Sexual dysfunction
  • Tolerance and withdrawal symptoms (e.g., excessive sleepiness, increased appetite, dysphoria)
  • Chronic or episodic use, with binges and brief abstinence periods
  • High-dose use: anxiety resembling Panic Disorder or Generalized Anxiety Disorder, paranoid ideation, psychotic episodes
  • Depressive symptoms during withdrawal resolving within a week

Prevalence:

  • 12-month prevalence of Amphetamine-Type Use Disorder: 0.2% in both 12-17 year olds and adults 18+
  • 12-month prevalence of Cocaine Use Disorder: 0.2% in 12-17 year olds, 0.3% in adults 18+

Societal Impact:

  • Occurs across all levels of society
  • More common among individuals ages 12-25 years than 26 and older
  • Some individuals use to control weight or improve school/work performance
Cocaine Problem

Cocaine Problem: Al Santini's Case

Background:

  • 39-year-old restaurant owner referred for cocaine problem evaluation
  • Marital issues leading to physical violence, affecting family life and children's behavior
  • Wife insists on treatment after failed attempts at dealing with marital problems
  • Previous denial of having a problem, later agrees to seek professional help

History:

  • First tried cocaine 5 years ago, enjoyed euphoric feeling but no unpleasant side effects
  • Infrequent use for nearly 3 years, rarely purchased own supplies
  • Escalation to current level of usage: 3-5 days a week, 1-2 grams weekly
  • Initial denial of addiction, but acknowledges impairment in work and family life

Significant Changes:

  • Financial success leading to access to large sums of cash
  • Growing business pressures causing entitlement and relief through cocaine use

Symptoms:

  • Inability to avoid using cocaine once at work
  • Occasional usage on weekday evenings or during weekends at home
  • Denies current use of other illicit drugs but takes diazepam or drinks beer instead
  • History of marijuana use in college, infrequent and did not enjoy it
  • No history of emotional problems except marriage counseling

Diagnosis:

  • Severely addicted to cocaine based on DSM-5 criteria: impaired control over substance use, continuation despite adverse consequences.
CAFFEINE AND TOBACCO (NONCONTROLLED STIMULANTS)

Caffeine and Tobacco (Noncontrolled Stimulants)

Caffeine-Related Disorders:

  • Caffeine is the most widely consumed psychoactive substance, available in various sources
  • 85% of adults and children in the US regularly consume caffeine, with an average of 280 mg/day
  • Caffeine Use Disorder not included in DSM-5 due to lack of clinical significance and prevalence data
  • Caffeine Intoxication:
    • Symptoms at doses as low as 200 mg: restlessness, nervousness, excitement, insomnia, flushed face, sweating, gastrointestinal complaints
    • At higher levels (1,000+ mg): muscle twitching, rambling thought/speech, irregular heartbeat, periods of inexhaustibility, physical restlessness
    • Symptoms may cause clinically significant distress or impairment
  • Caffeine Withdrawal:
    • Develops after abrupt cessation of prolonged daily caffeine ingestion
    • Headache is the hallmark feature
    • Other symptoms: fatigue, depression/irritability, difficulty concentrating, flu-like symptoms (nausea, vomiting, muscle pain)
    • Symptoms may occur during medical procedures, religious rituals, or missed doses
    • Should be considered worthy of diagnosis if causing significant distress/impairment

Case Example: "Coffee Machine":

  • Eliot Evans, a 41-year-old attorney with fatigue, loss of motivation, sleepiness, headaches, nausea, and other symptoms
  • Symptoms occur mostly on weekends when he stops drinking coffee
  • Psychiatrist diagnosed Caffeine Withdrawal based on the relationship between cessation of weekend coffee and symptom onset
  • Evans tried to decrease daily coffee intake but could not function without his usual dose

16.5 Tobacco-Related Disorders

Tobacco Use Disorder

Nicotine:

  • Primary psychoactive substance in tobacco products
  • Cigarettes are most commonly used tobacco product (90% of use)

Prevalence of Tobacco Use Disorder:

  • Approximately 50% of current daily smokers have Tobacco Use Disorder
  • Uncommon among individuals who do not use tobacco daily or nicotine medications

Indications of Tobacco Use Disorder:

  • Smoking within 30 minutes of waking
  • Daily smoking
  • Larger number of cigarettes per day
  • Waking at night to smoke

Withdrawal from Tobacco Use:

  • Can impair ability to stop tobacco use
  • Symptoms due to nicotine deprivation
  • More intense among cigarette/smokeless tobacco users than nicotine medications

Tobacco Withdrawal:

  • Common among daily tobacco users who stop or reduce use
  • Can also occur in nondaily users
  • Approximately 50% of tobacco users who quit for 2 days experience withdrawal symptoms
  • Most commonly endorsed symptoms: anxiety, irritability, difficulty concentrating
  • Least commonly endorsed symptoms: depression, insomnia

Nicotine Replacement Therapy:

  • Used to help smokers stop smoking by reducing withdrawal symptoms
  • Example: clonidine, a medication used for high blood pressure, was used by "Junkie" Stuart Havel

Dependence on Nicotine:

  • "Junkie" referred to himself as a "junkie" because he recognized his dependence on nicotine
  • Smoked despite knowledge of physical problems
  • Attempted to avoid withdrawal symptoms with drugs like clonidine or nicotine patch

16.6 Cannabis-Related Disorders

Cannabis-Related Disorders

DSM-5 Definition: Cannabis refers to all forms of cannabis-like substances, including synthetic cannabinoid compounds. Synthetic oral formulations of THC are available by prescription for medical indications like nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy. Other synthetic cannabinoid compounds have been manufactured for nonmedical use in the form of plant material sprayed with a cannabinoid formulation (e.g., K2, Spice).

Forms of Cannabis:

  • Smoked or ingested orally
  • Vaporized: heats plant material to release psychoactive cannabinoids for inhalation

Cannabis Use Disorder and Cannabis-Induced Disorders:

  • Problems associated with substances derived from the cannabis plant and chemically similar synthetic compounds
  • Commonly smoked but sometimes ingested orally
  • Onset of intoxication: minutes if smoked vs. hours for oral ingestion
  • Regular use may contribute to coping with mood, sleep, pain, or other problems
  • Frequent use can cause recurrent problems related to family, school, work, etc.
  • Occasional use without ill effects also possible

Concurrent Substance Use Disorders:

  • Cannabis Use Disorder frequently occurs concurrently with other substance use disorders (alcohol, cocaine, opioid, tobacco)

Cannabis Withdrawal Syndrome:

  • Abrupt cessation of daily or near-daily cannabis use can result in symptoms like: irritability, anger or aggression, anxiety, depressed mood, restlessness, difficulty sleeping, and decreased appetite or weight loss.

Prevalence of Cannabis Use Disorder:

  • 12-month prevalence among 12-17 years olds: approximately 3.4%
  • Prevalence among adults aged 18+: 1.5%
  • Highest rates among 18-29 year olds (4.4%) and lowest in those over 65 (0.01%)
Freaking Out

Mrs. Wolff's Experience with Marijuana (Cannabis)

Physical Symptoms:

  • Dry mouth
  • Increased heart rate

Psychological Symptoms:

  • Extreme anxiety
  • Paranoid ideation:
    • Belief the marijuana was poisoned
    • Concern neighbors would not let husband call doctor

Diagnosis:

  • Cannabis Intoxication (DSM-5, p. 516)
    • Maladaptive reaction to cannabis use
    • Extreme distress
  • Potential for Cannabis-Induced Psychotic Disorder (DSM-5, p. 110)
    • Delusions
    • Paranoid thinking did not reach delusional level
      • Reassurance from doctor
      • Realistic concern about neighbors and marijuana legality
Fidgety and Grumpy

Dorothy Calkins's Case

Background:

  • Dorothy, 24-year-old waitress
  • Anxiety problems for years, self-treated with cannabis
  • New symptoms of depression: anxiety, crying spells, poor sleep, weight loss, mild abdomen pain, headaches
  • Decided to stop cannabis use due to new job requirements and drug testing

Symptoms:

  • "Grumpy" behavior and fights with boyfriend
  • "Fidgety" and left work early due to poor sleep and wild dreams
  • Improvement in some symptoms but still experiencing anxiety
  • No changes in moderate alcohol or caffeine use, occasional tobacco use

Diagnosis:

  • Long-standing anxiety disorder that has worsened
  • Symptoms may be related to cannabis withdrawal syndrome
  • Lack of awareness due to:
    • Not widely known that daily cannabis use can lead to clinically significant withdrawal symptoms
    • Perceived marijuana as successfully treating anxiety, leading to the return of symptoms after cessation appearing as part of a withdrawal

Cannabis Withdrawal Syndrome:

  • Only introduced in DSM-5 in 2013
  • Symptoms can include irritability, anger, depression, anxiety, loss of appetite, vivid dreams, restlessness, and physical symptoms like sweating, tremors, and nausea. (Source: DSM-5, p. 517)
HALLUCINOGENS

Phencyclidine-Related Disorders

Hallucinogens:

  • Group of substances that produce similar alterations in perception, mood, and cognition
  • Includes PCP and related substances (e.g., ketamine, cyclohexamine, dizocilpine)
  • Lack a well-defined withdrawal syndrome in humans

Phencyclidine (PCP) Intoxication:

  • Characterized by disorientation, confusion, hallucinations or delusions, catatonic-like syndrome, and coma
  • Primary effects last for only a few hours, but can persist for weeks in vulnerable individuals, precipitating a persistent psychotic episode

Prevalence of Phencyclidine Use Disorder:

  • Approximately 2.5% of the population has ever used phencyclidine

Case Study: "Peaceable Man" Leo Boyer:

  • 20-year-old man brought to the hospital, trussed in ropes by his brothers
  • Seventh hospitalization in 2 years for similar behavior
  • Exhibited agitated, violent, and disorganized behavior, slurred speech, and ataxia
  • Denied PCP use, but blood and urine tests were positive
  • Previously normal, with above-average grades, part-time job, girlfriend, and outgoing personality
  • First episode of emotional disturbance was sudden onset and recovered quickly
  • Subsequent episodes became less encouraging, with more frequent hospitalizations
  • Frequently intoxicated, spends time recovering from PCP use, continues to use despite trouble
  • Diagnosis: Phencyclidine Intoxication and Use Disorder

16.8 Other Hallucinogen-Related Disorders

Other Hallucinogen-Related Disorders

Hallucinogens:

  • Phenylalkylamines (e.g., mescaline) and MDMA
  • Indole-amines (e.g., psilocybin, DMT)
  • Ergolines (e.g., LSD, morning glory seeds)
  • Cannabis and THC are not considered hallucinogens in DSM-5 due to differences in effects

Duration of Effects:

  • Some hallucinogens have extended duration (LSD, MDMA)
  • Others are short-acting (DMT)
  • MDMA has distinctive effects from both its hallucinogenic and stimulant properties

Other Hallucinogen Use Disorder:

  • Rare, with 12-month prevalence estimated at 0.5% for 12-17 year olds and 0.1% for adults
  • Symptoms may include anxiety, depression, ideas of reference, fear of losing one's mind, paranoid ideation, impaired judgment

Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder:

  • Condition where perceptual disturbances persist after sobriety
  • Primarily occurs after LSD use, but not strongly correlated with frequency of use
  • Prevalence estimated at approximately 4% among hallucinogen users

Case Study: "A Man Who Saw the Air"

  • 21-year-old undergraduate presented with visual disturbances (white pinpoint specks, false perception of movement, halos, etc.) after LSD use
  • Symptoms persisted long after cessation of use, causing marked distress and impairment

16.9 Opioid-Related Disorders

Opioids:

  • Prescribed as analgesics, anesthetics, antidiarrheal agents, or cough suppressants
  • Includes natural opioids (morphine), semisynthetics (heroin), synthetics with morphine-like action (codeine, hydromorphone, methadone, oxycodone, meperidine, fentanyl)
  • Medications like pentazocine and buprenorphine included due to agonist and antagonist effects

Opioid Use Disorder:

  • Signs and symptoms: compulsive self-administration of opioids without legitimate medical purpose or for recreational purposes
  • Obtained illegally or through multiple prescriptions/physicians
  • Tolerance leading to increased doses, dependence, and withdrawal on discontinuation

Case Study: Scott LaGrange

  • 42-year-old executive referred for psychiatric consultation after being caught with large quantities of codeine-containing cough medicine in the hospital
  • Heavy cigarette smoker with chronic hacking cough
  • Previously prescribed codeine for incisional pain 5 years ago and increased usage over time
  • Spending significant time obtaining supplies, unsuccessful efforts to stop use, tolerance, and use to avoid withdrawal symptoms all indicate Opioid Use Disorder (DSM-5).
INHALANTS

Inhalant-Related Disorders and Other Substance Use Disorders

  • Two DSM-IV-5 drug classes: Inhalant-Related Disorders, Other Substance-Related Disorders
  • Inhalant-Related Disorders: use of volatile hydrocarbons from glues, fuels, paints, etc.
    • Toluene, benzene, acetone, tetrachloroethylene, methanol involvement
    • Impairs neurobehavioral function and causes neurological, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, pulmonary problems
    • Inhalant Intoxication: develops during or immediately after inhalation of a volatile hydrocarbon substance
      • Clears within minutes to hours after exposure ends
      • Prevalence: 0.4% among 12-17 years old, 0.1% among 18-29 years old, 0.02% among all adults
      • Mostly affects males
    • Characteristic symptoms: blurry vision, double vision, slurred speech, unsteady gait, depressed reflexes, tremors, muscle weakness, irregular pupils, red rash around nose and mouth
  • Other Substance Use Disorders: nitrous oxide or "poppers" use, anabolic steroids, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, cortisol, antiparkinsonian medications, antihistamines, betel nut, kava, cathinones (khat plant agents and synthetic derivatives)
    • Produce stimulant effects, sedation, incoordination, weight loss, mild hepatitis, lung abnormalities
  • Examples of specific substances: Danny Bridges' case
    • Intoxicated from volatile inhalants like gasoline, glue, paint or paint thinner
    • Symptoms: blurred vision, double vision, slurred speech, unsteady gait, lethargy, depressed reflexes, tremors, muscle weakness.

16.11 Gambling Disorder

Gambling Disorder

Definition:

  • Gambling involves risking something of value for greater gain
  • Disrupts personal, family, academic or occupational pursuits for some individuals
  • Preoccupation with gambling: reliving past experiences, planning next venture
  • Tolerance-like picture: increasing bets for same thrill
  • Continued gambling despite efforts to control

Symptoms:

  • Restless or irritable when trying to cut back
  • Escaping from problems or relieving dysphoric mood through gambling
  • Chasing losses, urgent need to gamble
  • Lying to conceal time and money spent on gambling
  • Jeopardizing relationships, job opportunities due to gambling
  • Engaging in "bailout" behavior for financial situations caused by gambling

Prevalence:

  • Past-year prevalence rate: 0.2%-0.3%
  • Lifetime prevalence rate: 0.4%-1.0% (higher for males)

Case Study: Steven Dawson

  • 48-year-old male attorney
  • Interviewed while detained for embezzlement
  • Deeply humiliated and remorseful about gambling behavior
  • Lost relationship with wife, alienated friends
  • Borrowed from loan sharks to increase bets and pay off debts
  • Urge to gamble despite realizing problems stemmed from it.

Impact of Gambling:

  • Arrested for embezzlement and defaulting on debts
  • Destroyed relationships, lost job due to gambling
  • Relied on others to support gambling habit
  • Preoccupation with gambling led to antisocial behavior (borrowing, deceit) but did not meet criteria for Antisocial Personality Disorder.
CHARTER 17 Neurocognitive Disorders

Neurocognitive Disorders (NCDs)

Characteristics:

  • Acquired deficits in cognitive functioning
  • Decline from previously attained level
  • Cognitive domains affected: attention, executive function, learning and memory, language, perceptual-motor, social cognition

Complex Attention:

  • Difficulty sustaining attention
  • Inability to divide or focus on multiple tasks
  • Slow cognition due to attentional problems

Executive Function:

  • Planning and decision making difficulties
  • Problems with working memory
  • trouble utilizing feedback/error information
  • Mental flexibility issues

Learning and Memory:

  • Immediate memory deficits
  • Recent memory issues (free or cued recall)
  • Very long-term memory problems (semantic, autobiographical, procedural)

Language:

  • Expressive language difficulties: naming objects, fluency, grammar
  • Receptive language challenges: understanding speech, figurative language

Perceptual-Motor:

  • Visual perception issues: face recognition, object identification
  • Visuoconstructional problems: block assembly, drawing
  • Agnosia and apraxia symptoms: difficulty recognizing familiar objects or performing learned movements

Social Cognition:

  • Problems with emotion recognition in others
  • Lack of consideration for people's thoughts, desires, intentions

Neurocognitive Syndromes:

  • Delirium: Acute onset, fluctuating attention and awareness disturbance
  • Major Neurocognitive Disorder: Severe cognitive decline interfering with everyday independence
  • Mild Neurocognitive Disorder: Modest cognitive decline not significantly impairing daily activities

Diagnosis:

  1. Determine the presence of a neurocognitive syndrome (Delirium, Major or Mild) based on symptom pattern and course for Delirium, severity for others.
  2. Identify the etiology: medical condition, substance/medication use, or direct effects.
  3. Combine syndrome name with its etiology to determine DSM-5 diagnosis (e.g., Delirium Due to Metabolic Disturbances).

17.1 Delirium

Delirium Syndrome

Characteristics:

  • Disturbance of attention and awareness (sometimes called "clouding of consciousness")
  • Develops over a short period of time (hours to days)
  • Fluctuates in severity throughout the day, often worsening at night
  • Reduced ability to direct, focus, sustain, and shift attention
  • Disorientation: to self, environment, time, or people
  • Impairments in memory and learning, language abilities, and perception (visual)
  • Hallucinations or misinterpretations of stimuli

Causes:

  • Underlying medical conditions
  • Medication or substance use
  • Combinations of the above

Common Causes:

  • Medication use, particularly anticholinergics
  • Alcohol or psychoactive drug intoxication/withdrawal
  • Dehydration
  • Infections (pneumonia, septicemia)
  • Strokes
  • Head trauma
  • Endocrine disorders (Cushing's syndrome, hyperthyroidism)
  • Metabolic abnormalities (fluid and electrolyte, liver or kidney failure)

Diagnosis:

  • DSM-5 includes multiple diagnostic types: Substance Intoxication Delirium, Substance Withdrawal Delirium, Medication-Induced Delirium, Delirium Due to Another Medical Condition, and Delirium Due to Multiple Etiologies.
  • Treatment requires correcting the underlying cause.

Occurrence:

  • Can occur at any age but more common among the elderly
  • Hospital admission prevalence: 14%-24%
  • Incidence during hospitalization: 6%-56% in general populations
  • Common after surgery (15%-53%) and among nursing home residents, intensive care unit patients (70%-87%)
  • In younger people, usually due to drug use or life-threatening medical condition.
Traction

Mr. Hernandez's Medical History

Background:

  • Diego Hernandez, 32-year-old carpenter from Nevada
  • Sustained multiple injuries in a motor vehicle accident
  • Lost consciousness and had amnesia after the accident
  • Alert upon admission, but complained of severe back pain

Treatment:

  • Treated with narcotic pain killer (meperidine) and sleeping pill (zolpidem)
  • Diagnosed with Alcohol Withdrawal and given benzodiazepine (diazepam)
  • Experienced symptoms of anxiety, agitation, and constant scratching
  • Developed fever, which led to further investigation

Diagnostic Findings:

  • Negative blood cultures, urinalysis, and chest X-ray
  • Given antihistamine for itching
  • Became disoriented and delirious, with confusion about time and place
  • Underwent surgery for a fractured left acetabulum
  • Post-surgery, still disoriented and picking at things in the air
  • Elevated temperature with no documented source of infection

Medication Regimen:

  • Narcotic painkillers (oxycodone and meperidine)
  • Benzodiazepine (diazepam) for alcohol withdrawal
  • Muscle relaxant (diazepam)
  • Hypnotic (zolpidem)
  • Antihistamine (hydroxyzine)
  • Acetaminophen

Progression of Delirium:

  • Disoriented and delirious for several weeks
  • Frequently dismantled traction apparatus at night, then denied it the next day
  • Experienced severe pain and argued with doctors to give more medication
  • Observed playing with fecal matter and acting strangely
  • Asked for a "game plan" to stop the behavior

Conclusion:

  • Diagnosis: Delirium Due to Multiple Etiologies (DSM-5, p. 597)
  • Symptoms resolved once medical problems were addressed and medication was reduced.
Thunderbird

Patient Information:

  • Tremaine Graves
  • 43-year-old divorced construction worker
  • Heavy daily alcohol user for over 5 years: 1 bottle of wine or more
  • Consistently drunk for several hours every day since divorce
  • Unstable employment history due to alcohol use, missed work, and frequent blackouts
  • Recently ran out of money and wine, resorted to begging on the street
  • Poorly nourished, eating one meal a day, relied heavily on wine for nutrition
  • Sudden cessation of alcohol use led to severe withdrawal symptoms

Symptoms:

  • Apprehension and chatty, superficial warmth
  • Rambling speech
  • Confused and disoriented
  • Hand tremors at rest
  • Disorientation for time and place
  • Delusions: fear of impending holocaust
  • Perceptual disturbances: seeing "bugs" on bedsheets, hallucinations of car crashes
  • Inability to test memory or do calculations
  • Disturbed awareness, loss of track during interview

Diagnosis:

  • Alcohol Withdrawal Delirium (DSM-5, p. 597)
  • Symptoms include disturbance in attention and awareness, cognitive deficits, disorganized thinking, perceptual disturbances, confusion.
  • Autonomic hyperactivity: hand tremors indicate high risk for respiratory failure or cardiac arrhythmias.

Additional Diagnosis:

  • Alcohol Use Disorder (DSM-5, p. 490)
  • Heavy daily alcohol use for over 5 years
  • Poorly nourished and malnourished
  • Lost jobs due to alcohol use
  • Inability to control alcohol intake despite negative consequences.

17.2 Major Neurocognitive Disorder

Major Neurocognitive Disorder (MND)

  • Characterized by acquired cognitive decline in one or more domains: attention, executive function, learning and memory, language, perceptual-motor, social cognition
  • Formerly known as "dementia" to reduce stigma
  • Diagnosis requires evidence of cognitive decline from multiple sources (individual complaints, observable behaviors, mental status examination) and impairment on cognitive testing
  • Severe enough to interfere with independent functioning
  • Additional features may include: psychotic symptoms (paranoia, delusions, hallucinations), mood disturbances, agitation, sleep problems, apathy, behavioral symptoms
  • Diagnosis depends on etiology (Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal lobar degeneration, Lewy body disease, vascular disease, traumatic brain injury, Parkinson's disease, HIV infection, substance use)
  • Prevalence estimates: 1%-2% at age 65 and up to 30% by age 85.

Symptoms of Major Neurocognitive Disorder:

  • Cognitive decline in various domains
  • Evidence from multiple sources (individual complaints, observable behaviors, mental status examination)
  • Impairment on cognitive testing, two or more standard deviations below norms
  • Severe enough to interfere with independent functioning
  • Additional features: psychotic symptoms, mood disturbances, agitation, sleep problems, apathy, behavioral symptoms (With Behavioral Disturbance specifier)

Etiology of Major Neurocognitive Disorder:

  • Alzheimer's disease (60%-70%)
  • Frontotemporal lobar degeneration
  • Lewy body disease
  • Vascular disease
  • Traumatic brain injury
  • Parkinson's disease
  • HIV infection
  • Substance use (inhalant abuse, chronic heavy alcohol or sedative use)
  • Multiple etiologies.
The Hiker

Mr. Walling's Case

Background:

  • Age 61, high school science department head, experienced hiker and camper
  • Became fearful during mountain trek at age 61
  • Gradual loss of interest in hobbies and reading
  • Intellectual deterioration over next few months
  • Difficulty with computations, errands, and remembering familiar routes
  • Abrupt retirement from work without discussing plans with wife

Symptoms:

  • Memory impairment (short term and long term)
  • Abstract thinking impairment
  • Language problems
  • Personality change (stubborn, querulous)

Diagnosis:

  • Major Neurocognitive Disorder
  • Alzheimer's Disease (likely)

Characteristics of the Disorder:

  • Gradual decline in cognition with no extended plateaus
  • Clear evidence of decline in memory and learning
  • Impairment in at least one other cognitive domain
  • Absence of evidence suggesting other neurodegenerative or cerebrovascular diseases, neurological, mental, or systemic conditions contributing to cognitive decline

Diagnostics:

  • No objective laboratory tests for definitive diagnosis
  • Diagnosis based on clinical grounds and pattern of symptoms

Mr. Walling's Symptoms:

  • Memory impairment (both short term and long term)
  • Impairment in several other cognitive domains
  • Onset was insidious with a steady course of deterioration over the past 6 years

Additional Findings:

  • Normal neurological examination
  • Routine laboratory tests negative
  • No evidence of vascular disease on CT scan
  • Marked cortical atrophy (CT scan)

Conclusion:

  • Major Neurocognitive Disorder Due to Alzheimer’s Disease (DSM-5, p. 611).
Certified Public Accountant

Mr. Rosen's Case:

Background:

  • Age: 69 years old
  • Self-employed tax accountant
  • Noticed memory slipping, concentration issues interfering with work
  • Recent changes in tax laws difficult to learn
  • Withdrawn and reluctant to initiate activities
  • History of depression treatment since 20s
  • Previous treatments: Antidepressant medications, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)
  • Developed tremor in left hand and shuffling gait 2 years earlier, but no confirmation of Parkinson's disease

Evaluation Findings:

  • Neurological examination revealed hesitant and unclear speech (dysarthric), normal cranial nerve function, increased muscle tone, slow movement of hands, intermittent tremor in left arm
  • Diagnosis: Idiopathic Parkinson's disease
  • Treatment: Low dose of carbidopa-levodopa medication
  • Neuropsychological examination showed average intelligence (WAIS full-scale IQ 104), poor memory, difficulty with naming and constructional abilities
  • Additional evaluations: MRI - generalized atrophy; EEG - background slowing

Progression of the Disease:

  • Motor function improved with Parkinson's medication but memory worsened
  • Described difficulty in decision making, memory impairment, word-finding problems
  • Increasing difficulty in understanding speech and experiencing freezing episodes
  • Fell frequently due to foot "sticking" to the floor (freezing episodes)
  • Worsening of Parkinson's disease symptoms

Diagnosis:

  • Major Neurocognitive Disorder Due to Parkinson's Disease (DSM-5, p. 636)

Prevalence and Co-morbidities:

  • Prevalence of Parkinson's disease in the U.S.: 0.5% between ages 65 and 69 to 3% at age 85 years and older
  • More common in males than females
  • Up to 75% of individuals with Parkinson's disease will develop a Major Neurocognitive Disorder (DSM-5, p. 637)
Chief Petty Officer

Chief Petty Officer's Case:

  • Medical student presentation at rounds: 56-year-old retired chief petty officer, Will Genardo
  • Background:
    • Long-time heavy consumer of alcoholic beverages
    • Divorced, drinking became excessively heavy
    • Belligerent behavior, assaulted family members
    • Multiple hospitalizations for alcohol withdrawal and disturbing behavior
    • Lived in nursing home due to inability to care for himself, later admitted to hospital
  • Presenting Symptoms:
    • Somewhat peevish and inattentive during examination
    • Consciousness not clouded, no hallucinations
    • Couldn't retain names of five objects after distraction
    • Memory loss for recent events but recalled youth and young manhood
    • No recollection of the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq
    • Language normal, struggled with simple calculations and interpreting proverbs
    • Neurological examinations showed diminished ankle jerk reflexes, mild unsteadiness of gait
  • Diagnosis:
    • Major Neurocognitive Disorder
    • Absence of history of trauma
    • Failure to reveal etiology from laboratory tests
    • Prolonged heavy drinking most likely cause: Alcohol-Induced Major Neurocognitive Disorder (DSM-5, p. 627)
  • Differential Diagnosis:
    • Search for specific causes: head trauma, brain tumor
    • Absence of history of trauma rules out Major Neurocognitive Disorder Due to Alzheimer’s Disease (stable course over many years).

17.3 Mild Neurocognitive Disorder

Mild Neurocognitive Disorder (MNCD)

Definition:

  • Gradual decline in mental abilities greater than normal aging
  • Modest cognitive decline on neuropsychological testing
  • Does not interfere with independence in everyday activities
  • May require greater effort, use of compensatory strategies, or accommodations

Characteristics:

  • Greater forgetfulness than typical for age
  • Difficulty with directions and word recall
  • Not severe enough to impair daily functioning
  • Can't be attributed to other conditions (DSM-5, p. 605)

Distinguishing Features:

  • Less severe than Major Neurocognitive Disorder
  • Performance on neuropsychological testing between 3rd and 16th percentiles
  • No significant interference with independence in everyday activities

Prevalence:

  • Prevalence estimates vary from 2% to 10% at age 65 and 5% to 25% by age 85.

Etiology:

  • Caused by various conditions and substances (DSM-5, p. 605)
Backstage With Rosie!

Background:

  • Rosie Shapiro, a 70-year-old New Yorker, brought by her niece to an evaluation center due to concerns about her wellbeing
  • Niece noticed that her aunt's food supply was low and unopened mail was piling up
  • Aunt had been living alone since husband's death five years ago, with no children of her own

Assessment:

  • Psychiatrist found that Mrs. Shapiro had a rich past in the theater (husband managed productions, she designed wardrobes)
  • Struggled to recall current facts such as President's name or common events
  • Performed poorly on memory tests, but showed no signs of other cognitive impairments like agnosia, apraxia, aphasia, or constructional difficulties
  • Forgetfulness was becoming a problem for her
  • CT scan revealed beginning signs of cortical atrophy

Diagnosis:

  • Mild Neurocognitive Disorder due to possible Alzheimer's disease
  • Gradual decline in cognitive functioning primarily affecting memory
  • No evidence of other neurological or systemic conditions contributing to cognitive decline

Future Prospects:

  • Most individuals with Mild Neurocognitive Disorder do progress to Major Neurocognitive Disorder Due to Alzheimer’s Disease, but some remain stable or improve.
  • Longitudinal studies suggest that 10%-15% of people convert each year.

CHAPTER 18 Personality Disorders

Personality Disorders

  • Among most impairing mental disorders
  • Difficult to diagnose
  • Challenging to treat

Characteristics of Personality Disorders:

  • Significant problems in self-appraisal and self-regulation
  • Impaired interpersonal relationships
  • Up to 50% of clinical patients have a Personality Disorder
  • Co-occur with other mental disorders

DSM-5 Models for Personality Disorders:

  1. Main Section (Section I): Defined as an enduring pattern of deviant behavior, thought, and emotion that leads to distress or impairment. Manifested in two or more areas: cognition, affectivity, interpersonal functioning, impulse control.
  2. Alternative Model (Section III): Characterized by impairments in personality functioning and pathological personality traits. Impairments in personality functioning identify core features of personality psychopathology. Pathological personality traits manifest in presentations of personality pathology. Personality Disorders are relatively stable, with a tendency toward improvement or remission over time.

Co-occurrence of Mental Disorders:

  • Symptoms may vary together, leading to attempts to understand organization of psychopathology through dimensions like internalizing, externalizing, and thought disorder spectra
  • Disorders within these broad domains share risk factors, cognitive/emotional processing abnormalities, and respond to similar treatments

DSM-5 Alternative Model of Personality Disorders: Describes personality pathology in terms of five broad trait domains: Negative Affectivity, Detachment, Antagonism, Disinhibition, Psychoticism. Each domain includes specific facets as defined below.

TABLE 18-1. Definitions of DSM-5 Personali trait facets ORTRONICS lity Disorder (Alternative Model) Domains and facets Definition Negative Affectivit

DSM-5 Personality Disorder (Alternative Model) Domains and Facets

Negative Affectivity:

  • Emotional lability: Instability of emotional experiences and moods
  • Anxiousness: Fearful and apprehensive feelings, expecting the worst
  • Separation insecurity: Fears of being alone due to rejection or separation from significant others
  • Submissiveness: Adapting behavior to others' interests at the expense of own
  • Hostility: Persistent anger, irritability, and vengeful behavior
  • Perseveration: Continued behavior despite failure or lack of reason
  • Depressivity: Feelings of being down, hopeless, with deficits in pleasure and self-worth

Detachment:

  • Withdrawal: Preference for being alone, reticence in social situations
  • Intimacy avoidance: Avoidance of close relationships and intimate sexual relationships
  • Anhedonia: Lack of enjoyment from life's experiences, deficits in pleasure and interest

Antagonism:

  • Manipulativeness: Use of subterfuge to influence or control others
  • Dishonesty and fraudulence: Misrepresentation of self, embellishment or fabrication
  • Grandiosity: Belief of superiority and entitlement
  • Attention seeking: Engaging in behavior to make oneself the focus of attention

Disinhibition:

  • Impulsivity: Difficulty establishing and following plans, acting on spur of the moment
  • Risk-taking: Engagement in dangerous, self-damaging activities without regard for consequences
  • Psychoticism: Unusual beliefs, experiences, and behaviors

Cognitive and Perceptual Dysregulation:

  • Eccentricity: Odd, unusual behavior, appearance, and speech
  • Cognitive thought processes and experiences: Depersonalization, derealization, dissociative experiences
Whether consideréd from the main or alternative model presented in DSM-5, Per- sonality Disorders vary in their manifestations and complexity. Some P

Personality Disorders in DSM-5

Background:

  • Personality Disorders vary in manifestations and complexity
  • Classified based on traits of Negative Affectivity, Detachment, Antagonism, Disinhibition, and Psychoticism
  • Some related to internalizing or externalizing disorders, others to psychotic disorders
  • Complexity reflected by co-occurrence with other Personality Disorders and mental disorders

Personality Disorder Clusters:

  • Borderline Personality Disorder: central, most clinically important (internalizing and externalizing features)
  • Dependent Personality Disorder: excessive need for care, fears of separation
  • Avoidant Personality Disorder: social inhibition, feelings of inadequacy
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder: orderliness, perfectionism
  • Antisocial Personality Disorder: disregard for rights of others, history of Conduct Disorder
  • Narcissistic Personality Disorder: grandiosity, need for admiration
  • Histrionic Personality Disorder: excessive emotionality and attention seeking
  • Schizotypal Personality Disorder: detachment from social relationships, cognitive or perceptual distortions
  • Schizoid Personality Disorder: restricted range of expression of emotions
  • Paranoid Personality Disorder: persistent distrust and suspiciousness

Other Specified Personality Disorders:

  • Personality disturbance that does not meet full criteria for any Personality Disorder
  • Symptoms characteristic of a personality disorder but do not fit into existing categories

DSM-5 Alternative Model:

  • Six specific Personality Disorders: Antisocial, Avoidant, Borderline, Narcissistic, Obsessive-Compulsive, and Schizotypal
  • Level of Personality Functioning Scale for severity of impairment in identity, self-direction, empathy, and intimacy.

18.1 Borderline Personality Disorder Borderline Personality Disorder is defined by “a pervasive pattern of instability in interpersonal relationships

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)

Definition:

  • Pervasive pattern of instability in interpersonal relationships, self-image, and affects
  • Impaired capacity for attachment to others
  • Maladaptive behavior problems related to separation from depended-upon individuals

Characteristics:

  • Significant identity disturbance: unstable self-image or sense of self
  • Feel "empty" inside
  • Frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment
  • Unstable and intense interpersonal relationships:
    • Idealization (another person can do no wrong)
    • Devaluation (another person can do no right)
  • Affective instability or lability:
    • Mood swings with dysphoria, irritability, anxiety
    • Intense anger and difficulty controlling it
    • Transient dissociative or paranoid reactions under stress
    • Recurrent suicidal behavior, gestures, or threats
    • Self-mutilating behavior
    • Impulsivity: indiscriminate sex, substance abuse, reckless driving, binge eating, overspending

Diagnostic Criteria (DSM-5):

  • Poorly developed and unstable self-image
  • Instability in goals and values
  • Compromised ability to recognize needs and feelings of others (interpersonal hypersensitivity)
  • Intense and unstable close relationships
  • High prevalence: 1.6%-5.9% in population, up to 20% in psychiatric inpatients
  • Impairing effects on social relationships and work functioning

Treatment:

  • Appropriate treatment is necessary due to the waxing and waning course of BPD.
Empty Shell

Zoe Barnes' Background

  • Admitted for first psychiatric hospitalization: 23-year-old veterinary assistant
  • Arrived late at night, referred by a local psychiatrist
  • Initial statement: "I don't really need to be here"

Preceding Events

  • 3 months before admission: Learned mother became pregnant
  • Began drinking heavily, ostensibly to help sleep
  • Involved in "one-night stands" during drinking episodes
  • 2 weeks before admission: Experienced panicky feelings, feeling removed from her body and in a trance
  • Police stopped her on a bridge, fearing she was going to jump
  • Referred to psychiatrist and hospitalized

Appearance and Behavior at Hospitalization

  • Appeared as a disheveled and frail, but appealing, waif
  • Cooperative, coherent, and frightened
  • Acknowledged feelings of loneliness, inadequacy, frequent brief periods of depressed mood and anxiety since adolescence
  • Had fantasies of stabbing herself or a baby with a knife
  • Complained about being "just an empty shell that is transparent to everyone"

Family Background

  • Parents divorced when she was 3 years old
  • Lived with maternal grandmother and mother until age 6
  • Attended special boarding school for a year and a half, then withdrawn by mother
  • When 8, experienced the death of her maternal grandmother
  • Spent next 2 years living with various relatives, including father
  • At age 9, mother hospitalized with a diagnosis of Schizophrenia
  • Lived with aunt and uncle from age 10 through college, but had ongoing contacts with mother
  • Dated regularly since adolescence, but relationships ended abruptly after anger and devaluation
  • Manipulated efforts to keep roommates from seeing others

Work History

  • Worked steadily and well as a veterinary assistant since college
  • Quit therapy after 3 months with new boyfriend, complaining therapist "didn't really care or understand her"

Diagnosis Discussion: Empty Shell

  • Characteristic features of Borderline Personality Disorder: Unstable interpersonal relationships, self-image, affects, and impulse control
  • Relationships with men: Intense and unstable, end when she becomes angry and devalues them
  • Self-perception: "An 'empty shell', evidence of chronic feelings of emptiness and distorted self-image"
  • Affective instability: Frequent brief periods of depressed mood and anxiety since adolescence
  • Impulsivity: Drinking, sex, suicidal gestures or self-mutilating acts (slashing wrists)
  • Recent symptoms: Heavy drinking, depersonalization, anxiety, depression, suicidality
  • Brief auditory hallucinations suggesting Psychotic Disorder, but transient and not warranted as primary diagnosis
  • Depersonalization/Derealization Disorder also considered but found to be superfluous given Borderline Personality Disorder.
Disco Di

Ms. Miller's Background and History

  • Age 25, entered long-term treatment unit of a psychiatric hospital after serious suicide attempt
  • Cheerful and outgoing disposition changed drastically at age 12 to becoming demanding, sullen, and rebellious
  • Took up with "fast" crowd, became sexually promiscuous, abused marijuana and hallucinogens, ran away from home
  • Had stormy relationships with men: passion, unbearable longing, violent arguments
  • Craved excitement: got drunk and danced wildly in discos, left with strange men
  • Frequent suicide attempts (severe wrist cut, first hospitalization at age 17)

Symptoms During Outpatient Treatment

  • Afraid to travel without parents, depressed with suicidal preoccupations
  • Excessive alcohol use and diazepam abuse (up to 80 mg/day)
  • Eating binges followed by crash diets, obsessed with calories and food arrangement
  • Tantrums if mother fails to comply with rules, broke dishes, physically restrained by father
  • Refused to join AA or attend day program, languished at home, became more depressed and agoraphobic
  • Escalated diazepam use, serious suicide attempt led to 7th psychiatric hospitalization

Symptoms in Hospital and Recovery

  • Complained about "cruel" nurses and hated by other patients
  • Extremely sensitive to decreasing diazepam levels, weaned only 1 mg at a time
  • After 3 months off diazepam, progress was unexpectedly good: cheerful disposition, cooperative, friendly, learned secretarial skills
  • Developed friendship with another convalescing patient, continued therapy weekly as outpatient

Diagnoses and Discussion

  • Diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder or Persistent Depressive Disorder based on depression and suicide attempt
  • Benzodiazepine Use Disorder due to escalating diazepam use and tolerance
  • Binge-Eating Disorder possible due to frequent binges
  • Primary disturbance is likely Borderline Personality Disorder:
    • Unstable and intense interpersonal relationships, ideation, devaluation of men
    • Identity disturbance (no goals), impulsive behavior (sex, substance abuse, eating)
    • Recurrent suicidal behavior, affective instability, inappropriate anger, feeling of being "eaten alive" with boredom
    • Features of other personality disorders: Narcissistic, Histrionic, Obsessive-Compulsive, and Dependent.

18.2 Dependent Personality Disorder

Dependent Personality Disorder (DPD)

Characteristics:

  • Pervasive need to be cared for
  • Submissive and clinging behavior
  • Fear of separation
  • Underestimate abilities and judgment
  • View others as more capable
  • Seek support from others for decisions
  • Feel uncomfortable disagreeing with others
  • Need to find someone new to depend on when a close relationship ends

Diagnosis:

  • Personality Disorder—Trait Specified (DSM-5, p. 770)
  • Moderate impairment in personality functioning
  • Traits: submissiveness, separation insecurity, anxiousness (Negative Affectivity)
  • Prevalence: around 0.5%-0.6%
  • More common among women than men

Development and Cultural Norms:

  • Developmentally appropriate in children and adolescents
  • Becomes less acceptable as individuals mature
  • Cultural and subcultural norms should be considered

Impact on Quality of Life:

  • Moderate impairment
  • Psychosocial dysfunction

Case Study: "Blood Is Thicker Than Water"

Morgan Stewart:

  • Single man living with mother, works as an accountant
  • Unhappy after breaking up with girlfriend due to disapproval from his mother
  • Afraid of disagreeing with mother for fear of losing support and approval
  • Resentment towards mother but also admires her judgment
  • Fear of independence and responsibility
  • Lack of assertiveness, teased as a child
  • History of dependency on others (mother, elder sisters)
  • Difficulty leaving home, homesickness during college
  • Patterns of subordinating own needs to those of his mother
  • Diagnosed with Dependent Personality Disorder.

18.3 Avoidant Personality Disorder

Avoidant Personality Disorder (APD)

Characteristics:

  • Pervasive pattern of social inhibition
  • Feelings of inadequacy
  • Hypersensitivity to negative evaluation
  • Poor self-image
  • Avoidance of occupational activities with significant interpersonal interaction due to fear of criticism and disapproval
  • Reticent in social life, seeking guarantees of being liked
  • Afraid of rejection, shame, or ridicule
  • Risk averse

Symptoms:

  • Fear of embarrassment
  • Reluctance to pursue goals or take personal risks
  • Preoccupation with and sensitivity to criticism or rejection
  • Reluctance to get involved with others unless certain of being liked
  • Lack of criticalness or ability to get angry at others, except for social or political issues

Diagnosis:

  • Included as a specific Personality Disorder in the Alternative DSM-5 Model (DSM-5, p. 765)
  • Characterized by moderate impairments in personality functioning: self-appraisal as socially inept, reluctance to pursue goals or take personal risks, preoccupation with and sensitivity to criticism or rejection, reluctance to get involved with others unless certain of being liked
  • Traits of anxiousness, withdrawal, anhedonia, and intimacy avoidance from the Detachment domain

Prevalence:

  • Estimated population prevalence of about 2.4%
  • Equally common in men and women

Development:

  • Often begins in infancy or childhood with excessive shyness and fear of strangers or novel situations
  • Some individuals may get increasingly withdrawn in adolescence or early adulthood when expanding their social network becomes important for development

Impairments:

  • Impairs functioning in both the social and occupational spheres

Case Study: Barbara Nowak

  • 26-year-old teacher's aide seeking counseling due to feeling increasingly lonely and "lost" since her sister moved away
  • Only real social contacts are her sister and one high school friend
  • Afraid of men, characteristically cuts off potential relationships after two or three dates due to fear of rejection
  • Relationships with others are superficial, structured through work, civic groups, or church club
  • Discussion of "Sad Sister"
    • Long-standing difficulty establishing relationships with others due to significant impairments in self-concept and interpersonal relationships
    • Lack of criticism or ability to get angry at others, except for social or political issues
    • Poor self-esteem, feeling she has little to offer others
    • Reaction to sister's move is an expression of her Avoidant Personality Disorder rather than a new illness.
The Jerk

Leon Mitchell's Case Study:

Background:

  • 45-year-old single postal employee
  • Evaluated at a clinic for depression
  • Claims of constant depression since first grade
  • Depression accompanied by lethargy, lack of interest/pleasure, trouble concentrating, feelings of inadequacy, pessimism, resentment
  • Only periods of normal mood during solo activities (listening to music or watching TV)

Early Social Experiences:

  • Couldn't remember feeling comfortable socially
  • Felt overwhelming anxiety at children's social functions
  • Struggled with oral classroom participation
  • Met new children with eyes lowered, fearing scrutiny and humiliation

Adolescence and Adulthood:

  • Had few playmates as a child but no best friend
  • Poor school grades due to oral participation expectations
  • Terrified of girls, never dated
  • College attendance was good but dropped out with slipping grades
  • Difficulty finding jobs due to interview anxieties
  • Enjoyed job at post office for minimal social contact
  • Refused promotions due to fear of social pressures
  • Lack of friends, avoided coworker invitations

Diagnosis:

  • Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia) with Early Onset before age 21
  • Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia)
  • Avoidant Personality Disorder

Additional Information:

  • Gradual build-up of anxiety to a constant high level in anticipation of social situations
  • No psychotic symptoms or sudden anxiety/panic attacks
  • Symptoms overlap with Avoidant Personality Disorder
  • Future research needed for clarification on the relationship between Social Anxiety Disorder and Avoidant Personality Disorder.

18.4 Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder

Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD)

  • Characteristic personality pattern: preoccupation with orderliness, perfectionism, mental and interpersonal control (DSM-5)
  • Extreme traits cause distress or functional impairment: neatness, punctuality, organization, conscientiousness
  • Individuals forget point of activities, never finish tasks due to perfectionism
  • Reluctant to delegate, exert control over others in relationships and work
  • Emotionally unemotional, difficulty expressing caring feelings towards others
  • Hoarding of worthless objects (DSM-5, p. 678)

Impairments in Personality Functioning: moderate level impairment

  • Sense of self derived from work or productivity
  • Difficulty completing tasks and realizing goals
  • Difficulty understanding ideas and feelings of others
  • Rigidity and stubbornness negatively affecting relationships (DSM-5, p. 768)

Traits: rigid perfectionism, perseveration (Negative Affectivity), intimacy avoidance, restricted affectivity (all Detachment)

Prevalence: common Personality Disorder with prevalence ranging from 2.1% to 7.9%

  • More common in men than women

Impairment in Interpersonal Functioning: significant impairment due to need for control and restricted emotional range:

  • Few intimate relationships or history of breakups, separations, divorces. (cultures emphasizing work and productivity may see less impairment as long as individuals are willing to work excessively)
The Workaholic

The Workaholic: Jacob Nielsen's Case Study

Background:

  • 45-year-old lawyer seeking treatment due to marital issues at wife's insistence
  • Known for emotional coldness, rigidity, bullying behavior, sexual disinterest, long work hours, and frequent business trips
  • Agrees to consultation only to humor his wife

Problems at Work:

  • Hardest-driving member of a hardworking law firm
  • Youngest full partner in firm's history
  • Perfectionist with unrealistic expectations from himself and others
  • Constantly correcting assistants' work, unable to stay abreast of schedule
  • Critical of mistakes made by others
  • Unable to delegate responsibility
  • Difficulty making decisions when work expands beyond own control
  • Works 15-hour days to keep up
  • Secretaries cannot tolerate working for him due to criticism

Personality Traits:

  • Cold, rigid, excessively perfectionistic, preoccupied with details
  • Indecisive but insists others do things his way
  • Interpersonal relationships suffer due to excessive work devotion
  • Characteristic features of Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (DDM-5, p. 678)

Childhood:

  • Superior student, "bookworm"
  • Awkward and unpopular in adolescence
  • Competitive, high achiever
  • Struggles to relax on vacations, creates elaborate activity schedules for family members
  • Ferocious competitor, poor loser in sports.

18.5 Antisocial Personality Disorder

Antisocial Personality Disorder

Characteristics:

  • Pattern of socially irresponsible behaviors
  • Disregard for and violation of others' rights
  • Frequent unlawful acts
  • Personalities characterized by deceitfulness, impulsivity, irritability/aggression, recklessness, irresponsibility, callousness/lack of remorse
  • Diagnosis only for individuals age 18 and older with a history of Conduct Disorder before age 15

Traits:

  • Egocentrism
  • Absence of prosocial internal standards
  • Lack of concern for others' feelings or needs
  • Exploitation, intimidation as means of relating to others

Diagnosis:

  • Included in Alternative DSM-5 Model for Personality Disorders
  • Impairments in personality functioning at a moderate level
  • Pathological personality traits: Antagonism (manipulativeness, callousness, deceitfulness, hostility) and Disinhibition (irresponsibility, impulsivity, risk taking)

Prevalence:

  • Estimates of prevalence in the general population range from 0.2% to 3.3%
  • Higher prevalence among males with Alcohol Use Disorder and substance abuse clinics, prisons, and forensic settings

Course:

  • Chronic beginning with evidence of Conduct Disorder before age 15
  • Often with oppositional behavior and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
  • Criminal behavior and manifestations may decrease by mid-40s

Case Study: Belligerent Boy

  • History of multiple arrests for drug charges, robbery, assault, truancy, fighting, poor school performance
  • Expelled from junior high school
  • Placed in juvenile detention center after car theft at age 14
  • Disruptive and threatening behavior towards parents, admitted to psychiatric hospital and signed out against medical advice
  • Lives as a "loner and drifter", has not worked consistently
  • Expresses no remorse for past behaviors or feelings about people he has harmed
  • Terminated from vocational training program due to fighting and poor attendance.

18.6 Narcissistic Personality Disorder

Narcissistic Personality Disorder (DP) Characteristics:

  • Pervasive pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration, lack of empathy (DSM-5, p. 669)
  • Grandiose self-image hides feelings of inferiority (modern perspective)
  • Vulnerable presentations: anxiety, depressivity, anxiousness, and depressivity from Negative Affectivity trait domain (DSM-5, p. 768)
  • Inflated or deflated self-appraisal
  • Excessive reference to others for self-esteem regulation
  • Goal setting based on gaining approval of others
  • Inability to recognize feelings and needs of others
  • Suceptibility to strong reactions towards rejections, criticisms, or defeats
  • Social withdrawal and a facade of self-sacrifice (hidden superiority)

Diagnostic Criteria:

  • Narcissistic personality traits interfere with academic achievement and relationships
  • Appropriate diagnosis: Narcissistic Personality Disorder (DSM-5, p. 669)
  • Long duration of symptoms (assumption based on no description of episodic narcissism in literature).

Narcissistic Personality Traits:

  • Grandiosity about importance of thesis or work
  • Preoccupation with fantasies of great success in career and relationships
  • Belief of being special and entitled to admiration
  • Self-centeredness and lack of empathy
  • Envy towards others
  • Quickly forming and dissolving friendships
  • Anger, self-doubt, and shame (vulnerable side)
  • Infatuation with women followed by disappointment in their intelligence or personality.
False Rumors

Bob Bailey's Case: Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD)

Background:

  • 21-year-old man seeking help due to parental pressure, denies having problems
  • Spread false rumors about teachers and classmates
  • Excellent academic performance in certain areas but dismissed importance of development

Behavior:

  • Grandiose and insensitive (lack of empathy)
  • Jealous of siblings and peers
  • Arrogant and withdrawn in school
  • Loner, distanced himself from parents
  • Cold or insensitive behavior dismissed as unimportant
  • Believed others envied him
  • Occasional dating with no steady girlfriends
  • History of conflict with authorities
  • Spreading rumors to gain attention and admiration

Diagnostics:

  • Narcissistic Personality Disorder (DSM-5, p. 669)
  • Grandiosity and insensitivity
  • Jealousy
  • Spreading rumors about teachers and peers
  • Trouble with authorities
  • Interpersonally exploitative
  • Entitlement
  • Deceitful and manipulative behavior (false rumors)
  • Masked vulnerable self-concept
  • Signs of Antisocial Personality Disorder in severe cases.

18.7 Histrionic Personality Disorder

Histrionic Personality Disorder

Characteristics:

  • Pervasive pattern of excessive emotionality and attention seeking (DSM-5)
  • Needs to be the center of attention
  • Uses physical appearance and sexually seductive/provocative behavior to draw attention
  • Exaggerated, effusive, but labile and shallow emotions
  • Dramatic interpersonal style
  • Impressionistic speaking style
  • Believes relationships are closer than they actually are

Diagnosis (Alternative DSM-5 Model):

  • Personality Disorder—Trait Specified
  • Impairment in personality functioning is moderate
  • Domains and personality traits:
    • Emotional lability (Negative Affectivity domain)
    • Attention seeking and manipulativeness (Antagonism domain)

Prevalence:

  • Approximately 2% in community population
  • Slightly more common in women

Coquette Carla Peters' Case:

  • Initially tearful and suicidal, but became animated and dramatic during sessions
  • Attractively and seductively dressed, wore makeup, and revealed clothing
  • Dramatic storytelling, shallowness, self-indulgent behavior causing interpersonal problems
  • Lacks grandiosity or sense of uniqueness (precludes Narcissistic Personality Disorder)
  • No evidence of most Borderline Personality Disorder characteristics

18.8 Schizotypal Personality Disorder

Schizotypal Personality Disorder

Characteristics:

  • Cognitive or perceptual distortions: ideas of reference, bodily illusions, unusual beliefs
  • Eccentricities of behavior: talking to self, strange dress, odd speech
  • Disorder-specific impairments: confused boundaries, unrealistic goals, misinterpreting others
  • Traits in two domains: Psychoticism (cognitive and perceptual dysregulation), Detachment (restricted affectivity, withdrawal, suspiciousness)

Symptoms:

  • Depersonalization: feeling detached from reality
  • Derealization: world seems unreal
  • Magical thinking: ability to read minds, ideas of reference
  • Social isolation, odd speech, suspiciousness

Prevalence: 0.6% to 4.6% in community studies

  • Can begin in childhood or adolescence as solitary behavior, poor peer relationships, social anxiety

Prognosis: Impairing Personality Disorder with a relatively stable course over time

  • Strong genetic relationship to Schizophrenia but rare evolution into Psychotic Disorders

Case Study: "Clairvoyant" Ms. Carter:

  • 32-year-old single unemployed woman with feelings of detachment and unreal world
  • Ability to read people's minds, social isolation, suspiciousness, odd speech
  • Long-standing maladaptive pattern suggesting Schizotypal Personality Disorder
  • Belief in clairvoyance not firmly held, likely magical thinking rather than delusion.
Wash Before Wearing

Patient: Seymour Goldstein

  • Referred to community mental health center for help with social skills
  • Lifelong pattern of social isolation, no real friends
  • Spends long hours worrying about angry thoughts about older brother
  • Previously worked as clerk in civil service, lost job due to poor attendance and low productivity
  • On intake interview:
    • Distant and somewhat distrustful
    • Describes uneventful routine life in elaborate, irrelevant detail
    • Spends hours deciding between fish food brands, studying washing instructions
    • Buys multiple identical items, reluctant to spend money on things he needs
    • Knows bank account balance but gets anxious about checks clearing
  • Reluctant to reveal personal information in groups due to fear of manipulation

Diagnosis:

  • Prominent symptoms: absence of close friends or confidants, magical thinking, constricted affect, odd speech, social anxiety with paranoid fears
  • Schizotypal Personality Disorder (DSM-5): absence of close friends, eccentricities of thought and speech, social anxiety, paranoia
    • Differs from Autism Spectrum Disorder: lack of awareness and emotional reciprocity, stereotyped behaviors and interests
    • Differs from Schizoid Personality Disorder: presence of eccentricities of thought and speech
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCDE): concerns with fish food and jeans instructions, preoccupation with organizing finances, miserly spending
    • Does not meet full criteria for OCPD due to lack of intrusive, unwanted thoughts or compulsions

18.9 Schizoid Personality Disorder

Schizoid Personality Disorder (SPD)

Characteristics:

  • Pervasive pattern of detachment from social relationships
  • Restricted range of emotional expression in interpersonal settings
  • Preference for solitary activities
  • Little interest in sexual experiences or close friendships
  • Indifference to praise or criticism from others
  • Lack of emotional expressivity, appearing cold and aloof
  • Avoidance of conversational contacts with others

Diagnosis:

  • Personality Disorder—Trait Specified (DSM-5, p. 770)
  • Impairment in personality functioning: extreme
  • Relevant pathological personality traits from Detachment domain: withdrawal, intimacy avoidance, anhedonia, restricted affectivity

Demographics:

  • Rare Personality Disorder
  • More common in men than women
  • Often first apparent in childhood and adolescence with solitariness, poor peer relationships, underachievement in school

Case Study: Mr. Murphy's Story

Background:

  • 50-year-old single man seeking treatment after the death of his dog
  • Preferred solitude, found talk a waste of time, felt awkward when others initiated relationships
  • Occasionally spent time in bars but always alone
  • Employed as security guard, known as a "cold fish" and "loner"
  • Loved and expressed tenderness towards his dog, considered dogs more sensitive than people
  • Indifferent to family members, believed he was different from others

Symptoms:

  • Sadness and tiredness after the dog's death
  • Trouble sleeping and concentrating
  • Absence of relationships except with his deceased dog
  • Intense reaction to the pet's death, longer than normal grieving period

Diagnosis:

  • Schizoid Personality Disorder (DSM-5, p. 652)
  • Adjustment Disorder, With Depressed Mood (DSM-5, p. 286) due to the death of his dog.

18.10 Paranoid Personality Disorder

Paranoid Personality Disorder (PPd)

Characteristics:

  • Pervasive distrust and suspiciousness of others
  • Interprets motives as malevolent
  • Questions loyalty or trustworthiness of friends and associates
  • Unjustified suspicions about spouse's fidelity
  • Reluctant to confide in others for fear of being used against them
  • Sensitive to perceived attacks on character and reputation
  • Quick to react angrily and counterattack when threatened
  • Extremely litigious
  • Aloof, hostile or openly angry behavior (DSM-5, p. 649)

Diagnosis:

  • Personality Disorder—Trait Specified (PPdTS) according to Alternative DSM-5 Model for Personality Disorders
  • Severe impairment in personality functioning
  • Relevant descriptive pathological personality traits: suspiciousness and hostility from Negative Affectivity domain (DSM-5, p. 770)

Prevalence:

  • Common Personality Disorder with a prevalence rate of 2.3% to 4.4% in community populations (DSM-5, p. 649)

Onset:

  • Often first manifested in childhood or adolescence by solitary behavior, poor peer relationships, social anxiety, school underachievement, and hypersensitivity to teasing.

Case Study: Mr. Grace

  • 85-year-old man caring for bedridden wife
  • Never treated for mental illness but claims immunity to psychological problems
  • Career as a lawyer and businessman
  • Married for 60 years, only trusts his wife
  • Extremely careful about revealing personal information
  • Suspects others have underlying motives
  • Displayed exaggerated suspiciousness throughout life
  • Involved in "useful work" during waking hours
  • Spends many hours monitoring stock market investments
  • Quiet, tense presentation with an inability to relax and restricted affectivity.

Common Features:

  • Expects exploitation or deception by others
  • Quick to react angrily and counterattack when threatened
  • Reluctant to confide in others
  • Social isolation due to trouble with intimate relationships, bosses, and co-workers.

18.11 Personality Change Due to Another Medical Condition

Personality Change Due to Another Medical Condition

Diagnosis:

  • Personality disturbance that represents a change from the individual's previous characteristic pattern
  • Occurs as a result of another (nonmental) medical condition, such as brain tumor or head trauma

Subtypes:

  • Labile Type: Emotional lability
  • Disinhibited Type: Poor impulse control
  • Aggressive Type: Aggressive behavior
  • Apathetic Type: Marked apathy and indifference
  • Paranoid Type: Suspiciousness and paranoid ideation
  • Other Type, Combined Type, or Unspecified Type

Description of Personality Features:

  • Any of the 25 DSM-5 pathological personality traits can be used to describe the personality features
  • Level of associated impairment and clinical course depends on the nature and extent of the causative medical disorder

Case Study: Dominick Wozniak

  • 34-year-old white male, former schoolteacher
  • Unemployed, separated from wife and children for 2 years
  • Suffered a serious auto accident resulting in coma
  • Gradual recovery with only supportive medical treatment
  • No significant neurological signs except minor visual field loss
  • Verbal IQ and performance IQ around 120

Changes in Personality and Functioning:

  • Impulsive, argumentative
  • Frequently misses buses, trains, gets lost
  • Poor social judgment, financially irresponsible
  • Disheveled appearance, undercurrent of bitterness and hostility

Neurocognitive Disorder:

  • Abrupt change in personality and functioning suggests a Neurocognitive Disorder
  • High IQ inconsistent with generalized loss in intellectual functioning
  • Prominent features: Impulsivity, argumentativeness, poor judgment, deterioration in self-care

Personality Change Due to Head Trauma:

  • Changes in personality associated with specific medical factor (history of trauma and CT scan indicating frontal lobe brain damage)
  • Indicates a Personality Change Due to Head Trauma (DSM 5, p. 682)

18.12 Other Specified Personality Disorder

Personality Disorders: Other Specified

Introduction:

  • Diagnosis for clinical disturbances not meeting criteria of specific Personality Disorders
  • Significant distress or impairment in psychosocial functioning
  • Commonly used diagnosis in previous DSM editions: Personality Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDNOS)
  • New diagnosis in DSM-5: Other Specified Personality Disorder (OSPD)

Background:

  • Residual category for personality psychopathology not fitting specific types
  • Alternative Model for Personality Disorders offers flexibility in describing presentations of personality pathology

Case Study: Stubborn Psychiatrist

  • Dr. Derek Cooper: 34-year-old psychiatrist with long-standing pattern of difficulties with authority and resistance to demands
  • Childhood history of severe temper tantrums, bossy behavior, sulkiness, insubordination
  • Brilliant but erratic student, argumentative, self-righteous
  • Unreliable husband, impaired work performance, marital difficulties
  • Behavior includes procrastination, stubbornness, forgetfulness (passive resistance)

Characteristics of OSPD:

  • Resistance to demands for adequate role functioning
  • Behavior occurs in situations where more assertive behavior is possible
  • Long-standing pattern

Diagnosis and Discussion:

  • Diagnosis: Other Specified Personality Disorder (OSPD) with passive-aggressive features
  • Previous diagnosis: Passive-Aggressive Personality Disorder, no longer included in DSM-5
  • Behavior patterns do not correspond to one of the 10 specific Personality Disorders.
Goody Two-Shoes

Patient Profile: Maryann West

Background:

  • Attractive 35-year-old single woman from San Diego
  • Magazine editor living in Boston neighborhood
  • Originally referred for psychotherapy by female doctor
  • Initially resisted therapy, preferring to give help over receiving it
  • Has a history of problematic relationships with men
  • Mistrustful of men due to past experiences
  • No close women friends, except her doctor

Relationship History:

  • Previously in a "destructive" relationship with an outlaw love who was a heroin addict
  • Felt responsible for his actions and continued to support him financially
  • New relationship with another substance abuser
  • Attracted to unfaithful and abusive men
  • Avoids nice, monogamous men because they seem "boring"

Personality Traits:

  • Self-sacrificing and martyrlike behavior
  • Repeatedly incites angry responses from others, then feels hurt when rejected
  • Hardworking and good at solving disputes but gets into trouble with her boss
  • Oldest of four children, often had to care for younger siblings
  • Rebelled as a teenager after being a "goody two-shoes" in church and school
  • Engaged in excessive self-sacrifice that is unsolicited by recipients

Psychiatric Diagnosis:

  • Previously diagnosed with Masochistic Personality Disorder or Self-Defeating Personality Disorder (DSM-III-R)
  • Controversial diagnosis, as some clinicians argue it perpetuates victim-blaming
  • Currently classified as Other Specified Personality Disorder in DSM-5 (p. 684)

CHAPTER 19 Paraphilic Disorders

Paraphilic Disorders

Definition: Involves intense sexual arousal to atypical or inappropriate objects, situations, or individuals.

Distinction from Normal Sexual Interest: Difficult to define clear boundary, varies culturally.

Paraphilia vs Paraphilic Disorder:

  • Paraphilia: Atypical focus of sexual arousal without causing distress or impairment.
  • Paraphilic Disorder: Paraphilic focus leads to significant negative consequences for the person or others.

Examples of Paraphilic Disorders:

  1. Voyeuristic Disorder: Sexual arousal from observing an unsuspecting naked person.
  2. Exhibitionistic Disorder: Sexual arousal from exposing one's genitals to an unsuspecting person.
  3. Frotteuristic Disorder: Sexual arousal from touching or rubbing against a nonconsenting person.
  4. Sexual Masochism Disorder: Sexual arousal from the act of being humiliated, beaten, bound, or suffering.
  5. Sexual Sadism Disorder: Sexual arousal from inflicting physical or psychological suffering on another person.
  6. Pedophilic Disorder: Sexual arousal from prepubescent children.
  7. Fetishistic Disorder: Sexual arousal from nonliving objects or specific body parts.
  8. Transvestic Disorder: Sexual arousal from cross-dressing.

Characteristics of Paraphilic Disorders:

  • Fantasies, urges, or behaviors cause distress or impairment.
  • Mostly diagnosed in men; approximately 1 in 20 cases are women.
  • Onset before age 13 for most people.

Table 19-1: Characteristic features of specific Paraphilic Disorders.

19.1 Voyeuristic Disorder

Voyeuristic Disorder

Definition:

  • Sexual arousal from observing an unsuspecting, nonconsenting person who is naked, disrobing, or engaging in sexual activity

Diagnosis:

  • DSM-5 diagnosis requires:
    • Extended period (6 months or more) of recurrent and intense sexual arousal
    • Urges have been acted upon with a nonconsenting person
    • Or urges and fantasies cause clinically significant distress or impairment in functioning

Exceptions:

  • Normal during adolescence and puberty
  • No diagnosis if individual is under 18 years old

Case Study: Mr. Weber

  • Diagnosed with Voyeuristic Disorder due to:
    • Repeated peeping into neighboring apartments using binoculars
    • Frequent voyeuristic acts resulting in orgasm or immediate return home
    • Continuing appeal despite potential hazardous situations and fear of apprehension
  • Background:
    • Puritanical upbringing with no open displays of erotic behavior
    • Watched mother and sisters undress as a child, began peeping at age 10
    • First left home to engage in voyeurism at age 17
    • Increased activity during major life changes
  • Psychological Stress:
    • Fear of being apprehended is present but not related to anxiety about sexual intercourse.

Additional Information:

  • Voyeuristic behavior occurs normally during sexual curiosity in adolescence and puberty
  • Not all individuals with paraphilias can only become aroused during their focus, some may also experience pleasure from normal heterosexual intercourse.

19.2 Exhibitionistic Disorder

Exhibitionistic Disorder

  • Sexual arousal from exposing genitals to unsuspecting person
  • Most exhibitionists are men, targets are often women, girls or boys
  • Majority arrested between late teens and early twenties
  • One-third of male sexual offenders in US are exhibitionists

Case Study: "Ashamed" Martin Klein

  • 27-year-old engineer with irresistible urges to exhibit to females
  • Orthodox Jewish background, sex strongly condemned by parents
  • Father: authoritarian, punitive but relatively uninvolved
  • Mother: domineering, controlling, intrusive, preoccupied with cleanliness
  • Found mother's partial nudity sexually arousing as a child
  • Quiet, withdrawn adolescent, friendly but not intimate with males
  • Puberty at 13, first ejaculation during sleep
  • Resisted masturbation due to guilt until age 18
  • First exhibitionistic behavior occurred before final exams at 18
  • Exhibited himself to women he didn't know, found their shock and fear stimulating
  • Felt guilty and ashamed after each incident but couldn't resist urge
  • Met a woman willing to have intercourse, feared failure and shame
  • Panic lest he be arrested if he doesn't stop exhibiting behavior.

Diagnosis:

  • Mr. Klein qualifies for DSM-5 diagnosis of Exhibitionistic Disorder (DSM-5, p. 689)

19.3 Frotteuristic Disorder

Frotteuristic Disorder

  • Recurrent touching and rubbing against a nonconsenting person for sexual arousal and gratification (frottage)
  • No reported cases in females
  • Most common form: genitals rubbed against victim's thighs or buttocks
  • Alternative: hands rubbed over victim's genitals or breasts
  • Individuals select crowded places with multiple victims (subway, sports events, elevators, shopping malls)
  • Victims may not notice initially and do not protest due to lack of certainty
  • Fantasize exclusive relationship during contact but realize escape is important afterwards

Case Study: Chad Hughes

  • Referred for psychiatric consultation after second arrest for frotteurism in New York City subway
  • Engaged in frotteuristic behavior for 10 years, twice a week
  • Selected women in their 20s and pressed penis against them, fantasizing normal intercourse
  • Used plastic wrap to avoid staining clothes after ejaculation
  • Felt guilty but continued the behavior
  • Expressed extreme guilt during interview, cried about fear of exposure
  • No obvious mental problems other than being socially inept and unassertive with women.

Discussion: "Underground Sex"

  • Hughes engaged in frotteuristic behavior towards unsuspecting victims
  • Markedly distressed by his actions, qualifying for Frotteuristic Disorder diagnosis (DSM-5)
  • Typical characteristics include choosing crowded places with multiple potential victims.

19.4 Sexual Masochism Disorder

Sexual Masochism Disorder

Characteristics:

  • Sexually arousing fantasies of being humiliated, beaten, bound, or otherwise made to suffer
  • Markedly distressing or impairing to the individual's social and occupational functioning
  • Behaviors can be self-inflicted or with a consenting partner
  • Well-planned dominant-submissive relationships

Prevalence:

  • More people consider themselves masochistic than sadistic
  • Onset typically occurs during early adulthood
  • Slightly more prevalent in males than females

Specific Cases:

  • Ms. Romano's Case:
    • 25-year-old female graduate student
    • Marital discord and depression
    • Experienced sexual excitement from being beaten or punished, especially by strangers
    • Engaged in masochistic extramarital activities
    • Distressed about potential negative impact on marriage
    • Diagnosis: Sexual Masochism Disorder (DSM-5)

Additional Information:

  • Autoerotic partial asphyxiation: Dangerous, sometimes fatal masochistic activity involving induced state of asphxia at orgasm to enhance pleasure.
  • Masochistic sexual fantasies often begin in childhood.

19.5 Sexual Sadism Disorder

Sexual Sadism Disorder

Definition: Arousal from the physical or psychological suffering of another person. Derived from Marquis de Sade's novels on inflicting pain as a source of sexual pleasure.

Diagnosis:

  • DSM-5 diagnosis for acting upon sadistic urges with an unwilling person
  • Markedly distressing fantasies or behaviors negatively impacting relationships

Characteristics:

  • Desire for sexual/psychological domination
  • Range from non-physically harmful acts to criminal behavior
  • Domination through restraint, imprisonment, whipping, burning, biting, cutting, rape, murder, mutilation

Case Study: "Leather Jason"

  • 35-year-old married writer, Mr. Stavros
  • Homosexual fantasies since childhood
  • Aroused by homoerotic sadistic pornography
  • Married for social propriety and to diminish sadistic impulses
  • Typical masturbation fantasies: man bound, tortured, killed
  • Intense arousal from criminal activities described in magazines
  • Engaged in sadistic sexual activities with consenting partners at homosexual S&M bars
    • Whipping, threatening to burn, forcing oral sex
  • Wife dissatisfied with marriage, became more hostile and demanding
  • Increasing work pressures and sadistic impulses led to bounding a partner and cutting his arm
  • Fear of losing control and killing a sexual partner

Conclusion:

  • Mr. Stavros' long history of recurrent sadistic fantasies and acting on them qualifies for the DSM-5 diagnosis of Sexual Sadism Disorder.

19.6 Pedophilic Disorder

Pedophilic Disorder

Definition: Recurrent and intense sexually arousing fantasies, urges, or behaviors involving sexual activity with prepubescent children.

Diagnosis: DSM-5 diagnosis for individuals experiencing such attractions causing distress or interpersonal difficulty.

Characteristics:

  • Strong sexual interest in children around puberty
  • No cure developed but therapies can reduce incidence of child sexual abuse

Case Study: Dr. Conrad

  • 36-year-old child psychiatrist arrested and convicted for fondling neighborhood boys
  • Considered caring and supportive of children, had been Cub Scout leader and Big Brothers member

Background:

  • Father was a workaholic physician spending little time with family
  • No marriage or sexual attraction toward females or adults
  • Childhood experiences: dismayed by male friends' attraction to girls, "Doctor" games with other boys leading to mutual masturbation, first sexual experience at age 6 by a 15-year-old male counselor

Psycho-sexual Development: Suspected he was homosexual, continued erotic urges and fantasies about boys between ages 6 and 12.

Actions and Concerns: Fondled young boys, believed they were sharing pleasurable feelings together, feared destroying reputation, friendships, and career.

Diagnosis for Dr. Conrad: Pedophilic Disorder (DSM-5) with Exclusive Type subtype and Sexually Attracted to Males specifier.

19.7 Fetishistic Disorder

Fetishistic Disorder

Characteristics:

  • Atypical sexual focus on nonliving objects (fetishes)
  • Articles of clothing or footwear, rubber and rubber items, leather, soft materials or fabrics, or nongenital body parts
  • Sexual urges, fantasies, or behaviors causing significant psychosocial distress
  • Detrimental effects on important areas of the individual's life

Case Study: Kurt O’Brien

  • 32-year-old single, successful freelance photographer
  • Chief complaint: "abnormal sex drive"
  • Sexual arousal began at age 7 with discovery of pornographic magazine
  • Preferred sexual activity involves women's panties
  • Stolen panties from his older sister and other women
  • Masturbated into stolen panties, saved in private cache
  • Preferred partners were prostitutes wearing panties
  • Avoided socializing with "nice women" due to fear of rejection
  • Feels uncomfortable with intimate romantic relationships
  • Sought consultation after mother's death, unsure about giving up fetishistic activities

Diagnosis:

  • Fetishistic Disorder (DSM-5) if the fantasies, urges, or behaviors cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.
  • Not a disorder if the fetishistic urge is accepted and incorporated into sexual activities with a willing partner.

Implications:

  • Fetishistic Disorder is not based on the intensity of sex drive but rather the atypical focus of sexual arousal.
  • Treatment may involve finding an accepting partner who is willing to incorporate the fetishistic desire into their sexual activities, eliminating the disorder diagnosis.

19.8 Transvestic Disorder

Transvestic Disorder (TD)

  • Sexual arousal from dressing as opposite sex
  • Diagnosis requires distress or impairment
  • No diagnosis for habitual cross-dressing without sexual excitement
  • DSM-5 definition: "clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning" (p. 702)
  • Can include purging and acquisition behavior
  • Not applicable to individuals with Gender Dysphoria (Section 14.2)
  • Individuals may progress from search for sexual excitement to simple relief from stress
  • Diagnosis does not guarantee development of gender dysphoria or need for hormonal/surgical procedures
  • Rare in females, but some reported cases exist
  • X-Dressing: a form of Transvestic Disorder
    • Individual is distressed by cross-dressing behavior and its impact on functioning
    • Characteristics: heterosexual, masculine demeanor, occasional use of female clothing
      • Inconspicuous items (underwear, pink ring)
      • Progression from occasional to regular dressing as a woman
      • Increased intensity with age and exposure to related materials
      • Tranquilizing effect during stressful times
    • Onset in childhood or adolescence
    • History of family conflict and disruptions
    • Intensity varies based on circumstances
    • Cross-dressing may be a source of sexual excitement but not always necessary for it.