PSY101 MODULE 4 CASE: PERSONALITY AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS

Jessica is a 28-year-old married female. She has a very demanding, high stress job as a second year medical resident in a large hospital. Jessica has always been a high achiever. She graduated with top honors in both college and medical school. She has very high standards for herself and can be very self-critical when she fails to meet them. Lately, she has struggled with significant feelings of worthlessness and shame due to her inability to perform as well as she always has in the past.

For the past few weeks Jessica has felt unusually fatigued and found it increasingly difficult to concentrate at work. Her coworkers have noticed that she is often irritable and withdrawn, which is quite different from her typically upbeat and friendly disposition. She has called in sick on several occasions, which is completely unlike her. On those days she stays in bed all day, watching TV or sleeping.

At home, Jessica’s husband has noticed changes as well. She’s shown little interest in sex and has had difficulties falling asleep at night. Her insomnia has been keeping him awake as she tosses and turns for an hour or two after they go to bed. He’s overheard her having frequent tearful phone conversations with her mother and her grandmother, both of whom have struggled with depression throughout their lives. When he tries to get her to open up about what’s bothering her, she pushes him away with an abrupt “everything’s fine”.

Although she hasn’t ever considered suicide, Jessica has found herself increasingly dissatisfied with her life. She’s been having frequent thoughts of wishing she was dead. She gets frustrated with herself because she feels like she has every reason to be happy, yet can’t seem to shake the sense of doom and gloom that has been clouding each day as of late.

Assignment Expectations

• Verify that Jessica seems to be suffering from Major Depression. Does she meet the criteria?
• Describe what the biopsychosocial model would say about the cause of her struggle, applying the information you were given in the scenario.
• Briefly describe what treatments might be effective in helping her overcome her disorder.

NOTE: You should use a MINIMUM of three scholarly references in support of your ideas for this submission. This submission should be 4-6 pages long.