wk 10,11 Prac

Running head: PRACTICUM JOURNAL 2

PRACTICUM JOURNAL 2

PRACTICUM JOURNAL

Mental health can manifest in every form and any kind. It can affect anyone and of any age. An individual may demonstrate a strong will, but behind that façade, the person can still experience mental health issues.

The first patient is Mr. X, a sixteen-year-old male, came relating that he often feels nervous, restless, or tense. He often breathes rapidly, sweats, tires easily, finds it difficult to concentrate, easily gets irritated, and finds it hard to sleep. He also claims to always worry excessively of things and finds it hard to control such thoughts. He consulted a psychiatrist and was given Escitalopram to manage its symptoms and was advised to undergo sessions of counseling. According to DSM-5 diagnostic criteria, the patient is experiencing Generalized Anxiety Disorder due to the manifestations he presented (Glasofer, 2020). One way of treating this disease is to enroll Mr. X in an Exposure therapy. It was said that it was a well-established treatment (Chambless, 2001).

Nevertheless, possible symptom exacerbation could arise, making it hard to implement. It occurs when the patient confronts the feared stimuli and ends up having more stress. However, such concerns are negligible (Devilly, 2001).

Ms. A, a seventeen-year-old female, experiences a constant depressed mood for the past six months, diminished interest in activities, weight loss, insomnia, fatigue, inability to concentrate, and often has suicidal thoughts over a 2-week observation. She was advised by her physician to take Fluoxetine. Using the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria, she is diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder (Bienenfeld, 2019). For children and adolescence, medication proves to be insufficient. Therefore, counseling or group psychotherapy is encouraged. Combining these two could promise the patient’s improvement, quickest, and most sustained response. (Pampallona, 2004)

These circumstances show that mental health problems exist across all ages, and its symptoms are typically evident. However, people tend to neglect the signs and symptoms of mental health disorders, leading to increases in occurrences.

References Bienenfeld, D. (2019, October 07). What are the DSM-5 criteria for diagnosis of major depressive disorder (clinical depression)? Retrieved from Medscape: https://www.medscape.com/answers/286759-14692/what-are-the-dsm-5-criteria-for-diagnosis-of-major-depressive-disorder-clinical-depression#qna Chambless, D. L. (2001). Empirically Supported Psychological Interventions: Controversies and Evidence. Annual review of psychology. Devilly, G. J. (2001). The investigation of exposure and cognitive therapy: Comment on Tarrier et al. (1999). Journal of consulting and clinical psychology. Glasofer, D. (2020, Apr 03). Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Symptoms and Diagnosis. Retrieved from verywellmind: https://www.verywellmind.com/dsm-5-criteria-for-generalized-anxiety-disorder-1393147 Pampallona. (2004). Combined pharmacotherapy and psychological treatment for depression: a systematic review. Arch Gen Psychiatry.