Compare & Contrast

In the case of 52 year old Alice, from the text at first glance it may seem like Alice suffers from schizophrenia. Schizophrenia has symptoms that coincide with the symptoms that Alice is experiencing such as being disheveled and disoriented as well as experiencing hallucinations when imagining that the baby doll is her child. The American Psychiatric Association states some schizophrenia “symptoms can include delusions, hallucinations, trouble with thinking and concentration, and lack of motivation.” (Parekh, 2017) Some other details to pay attention to in Alice’s case would be the smell of alcohol, homelessness, baby doll, infected sores on her feet, and a long history of psychiatric hospitalizations and record of prescribed psychotropic medication.

All of the items on her record show signs of a mental disorder. The smell of alcohol could be a sign of alcohol abuse. Alice mentioned that she did not like to take the medication she was prescribed because it makes her gain weight. (Argosy, 2018) Her having been off her medication due to not wanting to feel off and gain weight could be an explanation for the sores on her feet. Any weight gained could have put more stress on her feet. Another explanation for the sores on her feet could be a medical condition such as diabetes. Doctor Seibel states “People with diabetes may not notice sores or cuts on the feet, which in turn can lead to an infection.” (Seibel, 2016) It is possible that Alice suffers from diabetes and is not taking any of the medication she needs.

The history that Alice has with psychiatric hospitalizations and record of prescribed psychotropic medication give insight into the fact that Alice has been treated before and she may be dealing with constant ups and downs. This could explain why at the moment Alice is in such bad condition and homeless. If her prior hospital stay records and medication were to be surveyed medical professionals would be able to better help stabilize Alice.