PS440 unit 8 Worksheet

PS440 | Abnormal Psychology

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Abnormal Psychology: Case Study Case Study 2: Harrison: Major Depressive Disorder

The Case Harrison is a 39-year-old mechanical engineer, employed as a design manager for an automobile corporation in Detroit, Michigan. He is married to his childhood sweetheart, Renee and is the father of two young sons, living in an upper middle class suburb. Harrison has loved cars for as long as he can remember. Throughout his childhood, he collected toy cars and built models. As he grew older, his infatuation became a passion. About ten years ago, he bought a dilapidated 1956 Chevy two-door hardtop. Over the next few years, he lovingly restored it to show-winning condition. He is a car fanatic outside his garage as well, watching at least one car race every weekend, subscribing to several car magazines, and serving as the vice-president of a major automobile association.

This past weekend, his club met at the Mid-Ohio Raceway, but he didn’t go. In the past two months, he has missed three similar events and one planning meeting. His favorite part stores went unvisited, races went unwatched, magazines piled up unread, and his beloved Chevy two-door went untouched. The cars he had so fervently loved before now held nothing for him; he just didn’t care.

Work was pretty much the same story. He used to feel lucky; he designed cars and got paid for it. He even got a promotion a few months ago, from design engineer to project manager. At first, things seemed to go well, but soon he started having trouble getting his new staff organized, and they fell behind on deadlines. The more he pushed to make his group productive, the more out of control things got. One engineer transferred to another department and others have been looking to leave. He is aware that his group has been doing badly but has no idea what to do about it. In the past year, he has called in sick as much as he thought he could get away with.

At home, things have also taken a turn for the worse. His wife and he have not had sex for nearly four months and he has no desire to. Most days, they rarely talk other than the necessary conversations. In the past, dinner was always family time; after dinner; he always made time for his two young sons, bathing them, reading them stories, or playing computer games with them. However, in the past month or so, he has barely talked to his children. He can’t remember at what point their games started to annoy him, or at which point he began to stare at the television at night. For the past week, he has even give up on television shows and spends his evenings sitting in his garage in darkness and silence. When he looks at his beloved car, he feels nothing. Nothing seems to matter anymore: his cars, his job, his family. His life? Thoughts about his death occur frequently these days and it is hard for him to see the point in continuing to live.

Childhood Background Harrison grew up as an only child in a middle-class suburb of Cleveland. His father was vice president and general manager of a small manufacturing firm until his retirement seven years ago. His mother held a series of part-time administrative assistant jobs until she was found dead from an overdose of sleeping pills when Harrison was in his first year of college.

Harrison’s father ran his company with a firm hand and he did the same with his family, particularly his only child. He rarely gave praise for work well done and was quick to criticize any mistakes Harrison

PS440 | Abnormal Psychology

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made. According to Harrison, his father’s most striking characteristic is his stubbornness; he was always convinced of his own correctness and never wavered. Harrison’s mother was a relative nonentity in the house and was completely dominated by her overbearing husband. As a child, Harrison often heard her crying in her room.

Harrison estimates that his childhood experiences were fairly normal. He describes several typical childhood mishaps, such as when he broke his leg falling out of a tree but denies psychologically traumatic episodes or instances of abuse. His father did use corporal punishment but Harrison never saw it as excessive or unwarranted. When asked about his own marriage, Harrison talks about his failure as a father and a husband and that he has recently become annoyed by almost everything his wife and two sons do. At one point of his marriage, he considered Renee’ to be a true partner, sharing all responsibilities of the house and child rearing; however, he has recently lost interest in his wife and children and cannot remember the last time they did something together as a family.

He speaks of his job in a similar manner; whereas he once enjoyed his job, he has recently had many conflicts with his bosses as well as those under his supervision. At both work and home, he often feels trapped and overwhelmed.