CASE STUDY ASSIGNMENT JANE
Case Study Assignment: Jane
Andriana R. Hamlin
Department of Counselor Education and Family Studies
CEFS 546: Psychopathology
Liberty University
Author Note
Andriana Hamlin
Department of Counselor Education and Family Studies, Liberty University
I have no known conflict of interest to disclose.
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Andriana Hamlin.
Email: arhamlin3@liberty.edu
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CASE STUDY ASSIGNMENT JANE
Case Study: Jane
This case study is focused on assessing Jane’s psychological issues. The goal is to find
out what key issues plague her and to identify possible solutions. The diagnostic impressions
provided are based on the information presented and the treatment options suggested.
Key Issues
Biological:
Jane was trapped in an upside-down car after it landed. Not only was she unable to get up
and move her head, but the seatbelt was also fixed to prevent her from getting choked up. This
caused her to feel like she was suffocating she also had trouble breathing. She was taken to the
hospital after suffering from various injuries, including a bump on her head and multiple bruises.
She was then released after being treated for a period of 24 hours. Jane has experienced recurrent
nightmares and episodes of flashbacks about the incident. She has also had a hard time sleeping
at night due to her nightmares. Jane has also experienced losing her sense of her place when
these flashbacks occur. She is also feeling irritable.
Psychological:
Jane was trapped upside down in her car for 45 minutes before she was rescued. While
leaving in the rescue vehicle, she saw one of the victims being extracted from the car. Jane has
nightmares and feels frightened about her future. She recalls various pieces of the accident. Jane
says she felt like she was reliving the accident multiple times. She feels like she is living in a
different world.
Jane claims that she does not feel blessed to be alive and that she has nightmares about
five times a week. She says that her nightmares wake her up and she is unable to fall back asleep.
She also noted that she has had a hard time sleeping since the accident. Jane says that she gets
irritable, agitated, and tense all the time. She also feels fearful and startled in a car. This anxiety
and panic attacks her frequently, causing her to scream and jump.
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CASE STUDY ASSIGNMENT JANE 3
Social:
Jane has a large group of friends at work and in her community. Prior to her accident, she
was heavily involved in her church and community. Since the accident, she has not had a social
life due to her fear of driving. She also lacks sleep and has recurring nightmares.
Jane has a good relationship with her husband. She reports being very tolerant and kind
to others. Since the accident, she has not seen her parents or children outside of her home. She
feels guilty for neglecting her parents, as she would usually visit them every few days. Her work
performance has significantly decreased since the accident. Also, Jane reports that she is feeling
hopeless and worried about her friends leaving her. She is also worried that she might get
pregnant again.
Spiritual:
Jane also notes that she has not been able to go to church or attend her Bible study group
since the accident. She also believes that God is punishing her. Despite her belief in God, Jane
claims that she has had a hard time praying. She also believes that God is not allowing her to get
into an accident due to her lack of faith. She is also struggling to focus.
Assessment
Following Jane's case study, one of the first assessments that came to mind was Acute
Stress Disorder Scale. The Acute Stress Disorder Scale (ASDS) is a self-report inventory that
measures the severity of both acute stress disorder and PTSD. It can be used to diagnose both
conditions. To meet the criteria for acute stress disorder (ASD), one must experience a stressful
environment and have at least three dissociative symptoms (Bryant, Moulds & Guthrie, 2000)..
This includes fear or helplessness, marked avoidance, and marked arousal.
The American Diagnostic and Statistical Manual's (DSM) Assessment for Specific Disorders
(ASDS) is a 19-item inventory that can be used to identify individuals with autism spectrum
disorder (APA, 2013). About 80% of trauma survivors will meet the criteria for PTSD after
suffering an initial episode of ASD (Bryant, Moulds & Guthrie, 2000). ASDA detected that
almost everyone who experienced related trauma developed post-traumatic stress disorder
(PTSD). However, only a third of those who were identified as being at risk did so.
CASE STUDY ASSIGNMENT JANE
Diagnostic Impression
After reviewing Jane’s case, the Counselor diagnosed her with Acute Stress Disorder
(ASD)
Treatment Recommendation
The counselor can suggest that patients with acute stress disorder should be treated with
trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). This treatment is the most effective and
evidence-based treatment for this condition. At least 2 weeks after trauma exposure such as
suicidal, acutely grieving, or highly avoidant following trauma, cognitive-behavioral therapy is
commonly delivered (Bryant et al., 2018). This treatment allows patients to address more urgent
problems while also giving them more time to recover. The start of therapy should be timed to
allow the patient to focus on other stressful events that are associated with the trauma. If your
patient has experienced trauma, it can be hard to focus on therapy when dealing with other
stressful situations.
Exposure therapy helps patients identify and process their fears and traumas. Exposure
allows victims to be processed so they can become less painful. By repeatedly confronting
unpleasant memories, such as those from a traumatic experience, individuals can begin to
experience them safely (Bryant et al., 2018). They can then see that they do not pose a threat. In
contrast, trauma-focused CBT is usually focused on the in vivo exposure of the patient (Bryant et
al., 2018). During this session, the patient provides a narrative of their traumatic experience in
which they can quickly learn extinction. By re-living a distressing event, the patient can learn
that it is no longer a threat and that its negative effects do not have aversive effects (Bryant et al.,
2018). In vivo exposure is conducted to help patients avoid avoiding stressful situations in their
daily lives. This method helps them learn how to manage their anxiety without being afraid of it
(Bryant et al., 2018).
308.3 (F43.0). Individuals that are diagnosed with ASD directly experience traumatic event.,
have recurrent involuntary, and intrusive distressing memories of the event, recurrent distressing
dreams. They will also suffer from flashbacks and loss of awareness of present surroundings, efforts to
avoid external reminders, sleep disturbance, irritable behavior, angry outbursts, and problems with
concentration (APA, 2013). Disturbance is three days to one month after trauma which Jane is
experiencing.
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CASE STUDY ASSIGNMENT JANE 5
Specific Considerations
Treating a client who has experienced a traumatic event can have a significant impact on
the way that the treatment plan is executed. This is because treating the client's acute symptoms
first is very important to ensure that they are treated correctly. The goal is to provide the client
with the most effective treatment plan that will allow them to get rid of their symptoms. It is
important that they understand that the treatment will start with the acute symptoms. One of the
barriers that a client may have is that they are reluctant to face their fears about the event. This
could make it hard for the therapist to focus on the client's existing issues.
CASE STUDY ASSIGNMENT JANE
Reference
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental
disorders (5th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596
Bryant, R. A., Moulds, M. L., & Guthrie, R. M. (2000). Acute stress disorder scale: A
self-report measure of acute stress disorder. Psychological Assessment, 12(1), 61–68.
https://doi.org/10.1037/1040-3590.12.1.61
Bryant , R., Stein, M., & Friedman, M. (2018). Treatment of acute stress disorder in
adults. Uptodate. Retrieved September 26, 2021, from
https://www.uptodate.com/contents/treatment-of-acute-stress-disorder-in-adults.
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