Case Study Of Casey Weston's Vignette

Casey Weston’s vignette describes symptoms such as anxiety, fear, social isolation, heavy feelings of loneliness, extreme restlessness/irritability, feelings of overwhelming dread, and perceptions of low self-worth and bouts of crying. He also experienced somatic symptoms such as muscle tension, heart palpations, trembling/shaking, chest pain, increased heart rate, and difficulty breathing. When considering the 5 D’s of abnormality, he possesses characteristics of them all. For dysfunction, he experiences social dysfunction by being unable to create and maintain relationships. He also experiences emotional dysfunction by having a fear of being alone, bouts of crying, and feelings of low self-worth. Physiological symptoms such as insomnia,

Weston is social anxiety disorder. Criterion A and B list that the individual has marked fear or anxiety about one or more social situations where the person is exposed to possible scrutiny by others, and in return, he/she will act in a way or show anxiety symptoms that may be negatively evaluated. For both of these criteria, I listed him as not meeting them due to there not being significant evidence in his vignette that implies he is particularly fearful of what others think of him. Criterion C and D list that the social situations almost always provoke fear or anxiety and are avoided or endured with intense fear or anxiety. He stated many times that he experiences fear and anxiety in certain social situations. Criterion E and F state that the fear/anxiety is out of proportion to the actual threat posed, and it is persistent, lasting for six months or longer. These criterion are listed in both generalized anxiety disorder and agoraphobia, both of which I also listed as convergent evidence. Criterion G and H are also convergent evidence, and they state that the fear/anxiety causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, and other important areas of functioning. Also, none of this is attributable to substance abuse or another medical condition. This is also stated in the criterion of the previously discussed mental illnesses, both of which were proven accurate by the symptoms listed in his vignette. The last two criterion are convergent evidence; criterion I states that the fear, anxiety, or avoidance isn’t better explained by the symptoms of another mental disorder, and criterion J states that if another medical condition is present, the symptoms are exacerbated. I believe that agoraphobia provides a better explanation for his symptoms, and there is not another medical condition interacting with his symptoms to make his fear/anxiety more