Human Resource Management Week 7 Assignment: Biopsychosocial Assessment

8/23/23, 4:27 AM Case Studies

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Case Studies Scenario 1 – Tyrell

Tyrell is a 30-year-old African American homosexual male. He graduated from law school two years ago and feels fortunate to have a job as a law clerk in a prestigious law firm in New York. His job demands long hours, so it is not unusual for him to go several days with little sleep. His partner, James, is familiar with pushing the limits to get established in a career, so he suggested that they both take time to get away.

While on vacation, James was hoping to enjoy some downtime. In contrast, Tyrell seemed particularly keyed up the first few days. Rather than relaxing on the beach, Tyrell paced and seemed out of place among the happy vacationers. James made excuses for Tyrell's agitated behavior, noting that it was difficult for many people to wind down after pushing so hard at work. The fourth night at dinner, Tyrell became uncharacteristically rude as he berated a waiter who made a mistake in his order. He suggested that the waiter wasn't worth his time of day and abruptly left the restaurant. James paid the bill and returned to the hotel only to find Tyrell out on the balcony of their room screaming, "Do you know who I am?!" at other guests. James was becoming truly alarmed; he coaxed Tyrell back into the room and convinced him to take a walk to cool down. While Tyrell was gone, James wondered if Tyrell was "on something," so he went through Tyrell's luggage. Upon finding some white powder, James called Tyrell's brother, Michael.

Michael was not shocked by James' description of Tyrell's explosive behavior. Michael recalled Tyrell being in trouble in college for similar behavior. He said that Tyrell had seen some kind of doctor as part of an agreement for him to remain in school. According to Michael, the incident blew over and the family attributed it to the stress of applying to law schools. When Michael went to visit Tyrell afterward, Tyrell seemed pretty down on himself and in a low mood in general. Taking a risk to share an alternate explanation, James admitted that he had seen Tyrell meet some friends who were into meth at a club, but he didn't think much of it until now. The more Michael and James compared notes, the more concerned they became. While James tried to convince himself that Tyrell had surely just got mixed up with the wrong people and "a little meth" in his attempt to keep up at work, Michael was more skeptical and insisted this sounded too similar to what his parents vaguely called "Tyrell's episode."

Their debate was interrupted by another phone call. Tyrell was in a local hospital emergency room being treated for injuries after he took a swing at someone in a nightclub. He missed and hit a wall, injuring his hand. James debated whether he should tell the ER staff about his fears of Tyrell abusing meth or Michael's description of the story from law school. He didn't have to debate long as the ER physician concluded that a full assessment was warranted based upon Tyrell's insistence that he was the best lawyer in New York and that the ER doctor better not "screw up" the best shot he'd ever have to get out of that "crummy little hospital." The ER physician referred Tyrell to the psychiatric crisis worker on call.

Scenario 2 – Marifel

Marifel is a 19-year-old woman of Filipino decent. She was born in the Philippines and moved to the United States with her parents when she was two years old. In the United States, she has many relatives, including aunts, uncles, and cousins, but her grandparents and some other extended family members remain in the Philippines. She visited her relatives in the Philippines every couple years while growing up and often stayed for several weeks at a time. Marifel's parents described her as a happy child who was able to enjoy time with friends and family on two continents. Unfortunately, this changed after Marifel was in a boating accident last summer.

8/23/23, 4:27 AM Case Studies

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Marifel was enjoying a high school graduation celebration with friends at a nearby lake when the accident occurred. The boat in which she was traveling struck a rock beneath the surface of the water at a high rate of speed, causing the boat to crash into a nearby pier. Marifel suffered severe injuries to her back and legs that required multiple surgeries, but her family felt lucky that she survived. One of Marifel's friends died of her injuries the night of the accident.

As Marifel struggled to recover from the accident, she came to rely on opiate medications that were initially prescribed to help manage her pain. As weeks passed, her physical injuries healed, but she found that the numbing sensation the opiates provided helped block the pain associated with the loss of her friend and memories of the accident. When her physician refused to refill her prescription, Marifel found contacts through a mutual friend who could supply the pills for a price. She found they helped her sleep and gave her a warm feeling that helped her act like her old self. Whenever the pills ran out, the memories of the accident would become worse and suddenly return when she had quiet moments to herself. She has had some thoughts of hurting herself when she questions why her friend died yet she survived. With the relief of the pills, however, she has been able to push those thoughts away.

When she was physically well enough to travel, Marifel's grandparents invited her to visit because they were anxious to see her. To everyone's shock, she refused to travel to the Philippines. One of her cousins suggested that it might be because Marifel couldn't get enough pain pills to be away that long. This alarmed Marifel's parents, who did not know how or where she could be getting the pills. Searching Marifel's room, they found plastic baggies, some empty and some with pills, tucked in odd places. At her parents' insistence, Marifel agreed to meet with a counselor to help explore how she was really handling the accident.

Scenario 3 – Miguel

Miguel is a 60-year-old Mexican American male. He is married and the father of three adult children who all live on their own. Miguel worked at a food processing plant for 20 years and advanced into a supervisory role until the company relocated a year ago, leaving him unemployed for over six months. Miguel is proud that he supported his family and created a home where his children were able to grow up and enjoy a good education. Unfortunately, he saved little for his own retirement and has not told his wife that their meager savings will soon be depleted. Miguel recently found a position working in a recycling facility, but it pays only a fraction of what his previous position did. Miguel is anguished as to how he will support his wife and his mother, who came to live with them from Mexico.

Miguel often pays bills after his wife and mother go to bed at night. He does not want them to worry, so he spends time carefully calculating the minimum payment for each creditor and noting on a calendar how late the payment can be mailed. His concentration has been rather poor, so this takes him longer than usual. In spite of his efforts, some creditors have begun to call the house when the payments are late. His spirits have been steadily sinking as the reality of their finances has broken his more characteristic optimism. He tells his family he is simply tired from the physical demands of this new job when they comment on how tired he looks, but this is only partly true. Lately, he has begun to drink as he pays the bills at night to help ease his mind. He has trouble sleeping, so he reasons that maybe a drink or two may help him unwind. As he drinks, the reality of the bills do not go away, so he drinks a little more. This pattern has developed into a nearly nightly cycle of looking at the bills and drinking as he makes little progress toward a solution. His situation is appearing increasingly hopeless. His life insurance policy is one bill he makes certain to pay. It may be his final option.

In the past month, Miguel has found it difficult to get up in the morning for work due to his late nights with the bills. He has been late to work three times, and the last time, his supervisor smelled alcohol. He confronted Miguel. Miguel told him that he simply had grabbed the wrong shirt in the morning by accident. Perhaps, he spilled a little something on the shirt the last time he wore it. Miguel's supervisor shared how he had tried to cover his own drinking years ago and offered Miguel the chance to save his job if he agreed to follow the company's referral process as part of the Employee Assistance Plan. Feeling cornered, Miguel agreed.