1
C a s e S t u d y A s s i g n m e n t : P h i l
J e r o m e B o n n e r
D e p a r t m e n t o f C o u n s e l o r E d u c a t i o n a n d F a m i l y
C E F S 5 4 6 P s y c h o p a t h o l o g y
C a s e S t u d y A s s i g n m e n t : P h i l
A u t h o r N o t e
J e r o m e B o n n e r
D e p a r t m e n t o f C o u n s e l o r E d u c a t i o n a n d F a m i l y S t u d
I h a v e n o k n o w n c o n f l i c t o f i n t e r e s t t o d i s c l o s e .
C o r r e s p o n d e n c e c o n c e r n i n g t h i s a r t i c l e s h o u l d b e a d
E m a i l : j b o n n e r 1 7 @ l i b e r t y . e d u
sadness
anger
Lack on interest in daily
activities
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Case Study Assignment: Phil
Outburst for the past 4
months
Getting in trouble in
school and with mother
Verbal aggressive behavior
in school
Parents recent divorce
Fathers remarriage to woman
other than his mother
School
Skate board accident at 6 years
old.
Phil presents with no previous mental diagnosis. Phil is a fifteen-year-old male, currently
struggling with multiple biological issues. At the age of six years old, Phil suffered from a
skateboard accident, injuring multiple bones in his body. Phil has been struggling with both
In the given case, the client Phil presents with multiple concerns. The client is fifteen
years old. Phil is currently a sophomore in high school. Phil currently lives with his mother and
two sisters. Phil is facing key issues such as biological, psychological, social, and spiritual. Phil
presents with the struggle of emotional regulation through his recent outbursts of anger, sadness,
and lack of interest in daily activities. Throughout this case study, the DSM-5 will be utilized as
an aid in Phil’s diagnosis.
B i o l o g i c a l
S y m p t o m s
C l i e n t C o n c e r n s
B e h a v i o r s
S t r e s s o r s
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Case Study Assignment: Phil
processing and emotional regulation since his parent's recent divorce. Phil's mother reported that
since the separation, Phil has begged his parents to be together. Following the divorce, Phil his
daily activities. Phil is currently struggling in school through his recent outburst and aggressive
behavior. Feel has been suspended from school for being disrespectful to his teachers. Phil's
mother reported since the divorce Phil feels as though there is little hope in having a normal
family again.
The client is a fifteen-year-old male who reports having a lot of friends in school and his
neighborhood. Phil's mother reports Phil enjoys church and outdoor activities. Phil enjoys riding
his skateboard. At the age of six, Phil suffered an accident on his skateboard. She reports her son
enjoys multiple sports games. Phil's mother reported that Phil looks forward to turning sixteen.
When turning sixteen, the client reported wanting to get his driver's permit to have the ability to
drive himself to the sports events and practices. Since Phil's recent life-changing experiences, feel
reports that many of those activities no longer interest him. Phil's mother expressed his school
performance has decreased as well. Before the separation, Phil's mother reports Phil has always
Phil presents with multiple psychological struggles. Since the parent's separation, Phil’s
mother reported Phil has had multiple incidents where he has been crying uncontrollably. In
handling his parent's divorce, Phil has experienced the feeling of sadness, hopelessness, and guilt.
Phil has also experienced multiple incidents a week of being argumentative with his mother since
the divorce. Phil's mother reports his aggressive behavior and being argumentative with his
siblings as well. Phil's mother reports Phil's recent extreme sadness at night and struggles to go to
sleep.
Social
Psychological
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Case Study Assignment: Phil
been a solid B student. Phil's grades have recently decreased to a C average. It has been proven
that children who have experienced their parent's divorce develop behavioral struggles
(Theunissen, M.H.C, et al). Both Phil and his mother agreed that Phil's social life has been
negatively affected due to his mood change.
In terms of Phil's assessment, I would remain open-minded with the client, allowing her
to be transparent and honest through this process. I will allow the client to express their concerns
about her increased symptoms of anxiety. In measuring Phil's change in mood and behavior, I
would utilize the DSM-5 Adjustment Disorder. In completing an assessment on Phil, there are
many psychological and emotional aspects I would take into consideration to rule out the many
possible diagnoses. I would perform a biopsychosocial cultural spiritual model in all areas to gain
a better understanding of the client and his struggles. I would then complete a Suicide Risk and
Safety assessment and mental status exam. The Suicide Risk Assessment will aid the counseling
professional in understanding Phil's level of sadness and behavior. Phil has been experiencing
depressive symptoms such as lack of sleep, extreme crying, and lack of interest in daily activities.
In understanding Phil's symptoms, I would perform Becks Depression inventory. The inventory
Phil reports a previous interest in church activities. Phil reports having a lot of friends in
church and loved to spend time with them. Since the divorce, the client is unsure of what his faith
is currently. The client reports experiencing a feeling of guilt due to his uncertainty in his faith.
He reports that his mother believes that life is lived based upon faith and is the center of life. Phil
struggles with the uncertainty of how important his faith is to him.
Spiritual
Assessment
Major Depressive Disorder (F33.2) -
-
-
-
-
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Case Study Assignment: Phil
questionnaire consists of twenty-one questions centered around the client's
symptoms. As the counseling professional, I would also review and utilize the
mental status exam.
symptoms and episodes,
reoccurring elevated mood,
feeling sad, decreased need for
sleep
Feeling hopeless
Tearfulness
Loss of interest in daily activities
Sleep disturbance
After conducting the assessment and obtaining the necessary information, would
then
refer to the DSM-5 to determine Phil’s diagnosis. I would align with diagnosing Jeff
with two disorders, Adjustment Disorder (F43.25) and Major Depressive Disorder
(F33.1).
In alignment with Jeff’s Adjustment Disorder, Jeff meets the criteria of feeling sad,
frequent crying, trouble sleeping, aggressive behavior with sisters and teacher, poor
school performance, and avoiding friends and family. According to the DSM-5,
symptoms must be present for up to three months to qualify for the diagnosis. Jeff is
also in alignment with Major Depressive Disorder through his symptoms of periods of
sadness episodes, lack of sleep, little interest in his daily activities (American
Psychiatric Association, 2013).
Diagnostic Impression
Signs and Symptoms
DSM-5 Diagnostic Criteria: disorder
name and code number
Client’s Signs/ Reported Symptoms
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Case Study Assignment: Phil
Adjustment Disorder (F43.25)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Anger outburst, being
disrespectful feeling sad,
frequent crying
trouble sleeping
aggressive behavior with sisters
and
teacher
poor school performance
avoiding friends and family.
Several theories being a fifteen-year-old male in high school and parents recent divorce
can be a triggering stressful event that can lead to several different diagnoses including Major
Depressive Disorder (F33.2) and Adjustment Disorder (F43.25). Phil also reports suffering from
an injury at six years old. Phil's experience with his injury may also be a contributing factor to
When considering other disorders, it is important as a counseling professional to be
knowledgeable of each to rule out the unapplicable diagnosis. Phil also met the criteria of Bipolar
2 Disorder due to Phil’s mood swings, anxiety, sadness, and loss of interest. The disorder was
then ruled out due to the length of symptoms. According to the DSM-5, when diagnosing,
counseling professionals must consider and be aware of contributing factors such as
environmental, physiological, and genetic.
D e v e l o p m e n t a l T h e o r i e s
O t h e r D S M - 5 c o n s i d e r a t i o n s
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C a s e S t u d y A s s i g n m e n t : P h i l
h o w h e r e s p o n d s t o c e r t a i n s i t u a t i o n s i n
h i s p r e s e n t d a y . H i s e n v i r o n m e n t a l
f a c t o r s o f b e i n g a t e e n a g e r i n s c h o o l m a y
a l s o b e a c o n t r i b u t i n g f a c t o r t o h i s
a g g r e s s i v e b e h a v i o r a n d r e s p o n s e s .
- P h i l h a s b e e n e x p e r i e n c i n g a g g r e s s i v e
b e h a v i o r i n s c h o o l
- P h i l ' s g r a d e i n s c h o o l h a s b e e n d e c r e a s i n g
- P h i l h a s b e e n v e r b a l l y a g g r e s s i v e i n
a r g u i n g w i t h s i b l i n g s u p t o 5 d a y s a w e e k
- P h i l h a s b e e n e x p e r i e n c i n g s y m p t o m s s u c h
a s c r y i n g , a g g r e s s i o n , l a c k o f i n t e r e s t i n
d a i l y a c t i v i t i e s , t r o u b l e s l e e p i n g
A s t h e c o u n s e l i n g p r o f e s s i o n a l , I w i l l
u t i l i z e h i s r e p o r t e d s y m p t o m s a n d o f f e r
h i m s p e c i f i c
a s s e s s m e n t t o o l s b a s e d o n t h o s e s y m p t o m s
t o s u b s t a n t i a t e t h e d i a g n o s t i c c r i t e r i a . I
w o u l d t h e n w o r k t o w a r d b u i l d i n g a s t r o n g
r e p o r t w i t h h i m t o b u i l d t r u s t a n d s a f e t y
u s i n g m y f o u n d a t i o n a l c o u n s e l i n g s k i l l s
A s a c o u n s e l i n g p r o f e s s i o n a l , I w o u l d r e f e r t o c r o s s
A m e r i c a n c o u n s e l i n g a s s o c i a t i o n t o o b t a i n b e t t e r i
s h o u l d b e a d d r e s s e d r e g a r d i n g P h i l . B e i n g a f i f t e e n
p a r e n t s ' r e c e n t d i v o r c e m a y b e a t r i g g e r t o P h i l ' s r
A c c o r d i n g t o r e s e a r c h , d i v o r c e i n H i s p a n i c h o u s e h o
Multicultural Considerations/ Specific Considerations
Treatment Recommendation/ Recommendation for Individual
Counseling Key Issues:
- A m e r i c a n C o u n s e l i n g A s s o c i a t i o n . ( 2 0 1 4 ) . 2 0 1 4 A C A
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C a s e S t u d y A s s i g n m e n t : P h i l
t r a u m a l o o k s l i k e w i t h i n a d j u s t i n g t o d i v o r c e . I t w i
P h i l i n h i s s y m p t o m s . T h e t r e a t m e n t w i l l a i d P h i l ' s
t h e r a p y a l l o w s t h e c l i e n t t o o b t a i n t h e u n d e r s t a n d i
c u r r e n t s t r u g g l i n g b e h a v i o r ( K r i n g , 2 0 2 1 ) . W e w i l l d
d r i n k i n g a n d d e v e l o p c o p i n g s k i l l s t o a i d h i m w h e n
Reference
9
Case Study Assignment: Phil
- American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of
mental disorders (5th ed.).
K r i n g , A . M . , & J o h n s o n , S . L . ( 2 0 2 1 ) . A b n o r m a l p s y c
psychological disorders (15th ed.). John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN: 9781119705475
Schweizer (2018) Marriage to Divorce Ratio in the U.S.: Demographic Variation, 2018 Retrieved
from: https://www.bgsu.edu/content/dam/BGSU/college-of-arts-and-
sciences/ NCFMR/documents/ FP/schweizer-MarDivRatio-Demographic-Var-fp-19-27.pdf
- Theunissen, M. H. C., Klein Velderman, M., Cloostermans, A. P. G., & Reijneveld, S. A.
(2017). Emotional and behavioural problems in young children with divorced
parents.European Journal of Public Health,
