Case Study Peter Dickinson Case

1004 Words3 Pages

All diseases and disorders are categorized by a set of symptoms, or signs that are indicative of certain diseases or disorders. Thus, symptoms are important when diagnosing a person. They serve as a communication tool between the clinical psychologist and the client. When detecting symptoms of a person, it allows the clinician to understand the client’s physical, emotional, and mental discomforts. Using the symptoms reported by the client, the clinician can then determine what the client’s clinical diagnosis is. Based on Peter Dickinson’s case report, he reported the following symptoms: • Difficulty sleeping • Constant worries; feels like worry is uncontrollable • Difficulty concentrating/focusing • Repeated thoughts that causes anxiousness • Feeling tense • Stomach discomfort • Irritable • Restlessness • Preoccupied with perfection • Exclusion of social interaction III. CASE FORMULATION Peter Dickinson, a 28-year-old Caucasian male was referred to an outpatient mental health clinic by his current girlfriend of one year, Ashley. Ashley reported that about six months ago, she noticed changes in Peter’s behaviors after the announcement of his parents’ divorce proceedings. Peter is a motivated hard worker who devotes himself to his career and is currently working as a defense attorney at a small firm. However, he described himself as “obsessive” about his work in which he was afraid to make errors and would spend a lot of time worrying about failing the assignment rather than completing it. Since he spends a lot of time worrying about his work, he had little leisure time for friends and romantic relationships. Peter has also always felt anxious and is a “worrier”. After Peter’s parents’ divorce proceedings began, Peter had troubl... ... middle of paper ... ...ch as his last break up; that events such as divorces are threatening, therefore, causing him to be more vulnerable to stress in everyday life events. A possible rule/out in Peter’s case is obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD). Peter reported potential symptoms of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder as he mentioned that prior to his parents’ divorce; he was “obsessive” about his work. Peter showed preoccupation with perfectionism in which he worried about failing rather than actually completing the task. His obsessive behavior caused him to have little or no time for social interaction, therefore excluding his leisure time for activities with his partner and friends. Symptoms of OCPD such as excess devote to work and exclusion of leisure time for friendship and relationship is met. Further questioning is required to determine the diagnosis of OCPD.

Open Document