Clinical Case History

Introduction:
Clinical case history or case study is an important step to diagnose a patient’s current

psychopathic condition and calculate the measures needed to be taken for his treatment. It is

filled or collected information by professionals comprising of the record of history, environment,

and relevant details of the case. Usually, consists of useful information regarding test results,

interviews, professional evaluations, and sociological, occupational, and educational data. 

There is no specific format for this line of study mainly it is up to the professionals and their

methods for the case study. Although there are some typical steps (design by Kazdin, 2003)

involving individual case study, historical and qualitative analysis etc.  

(Reference: Handbook of Clinical Psychology, Volume 1: Adults by edited by Michel Hersen,

Alan M. Gross page # 226, Case Studies)

Historical background:
Case studies are commonly used in psychology, and some of the most well-known are those

conducted by Sigmund Freud, such as Anna O and Little Hans.

Freud (1909a, 1909b) made extensive investigations into his patients' private lives to better

understand and assist them in overcoming their diseases. Case histories are still used as a primary

method of study in abnormal psychology and psychiatry today.

(Reference: Freud, S. (1909a). Analysis of a phobia of a five-year-old boy. In The Pelican Freud

Library (1977), Vol 8, Case Histories 1, pages 169-306)

Hans Eysenck in 1976 regarded case studies as a method of producing anecdotes. Later, he

realized that “sometimes we simply have to keep our eyes open and look carefully at individual

cases-not in the hope of proving anything, but rather in the hope of learning something!”
(Reference: Handbook of Clinical Psychology, Volume 1: Adults by edited by Michel Hersen,

Alan M. Gross page # 226, Case Studies)

The early theories of different mental disorders’ natures were based on clinical case histories. 

Examples:

• A 32-year-old Afghanistan war veteran, Jill experienced symptoms of PSTD for five

years. She prevented reminiscing the accidental death of her fellow servicemen. Alcohol

was her only escape. Gradually, she distanced herself from her family and friends while

facing problems at work. The nightmares and hallucinations got the hold of her getting
worse every day. Jill was recommended ten cognitive therapy sessions for PSTD. With no

family history of any kind of related problems, she was guided to change her negative

and guilty thoughts into positive ones.

(Reference: Reprinted with permission Treating PTSD with cognitive-behavioral therapies:

Interventions that work. 

Monson, C. M. & Shnaider, P. (2014). Treating PTSD with cognitive-behavioural therapies:

Interventions that work. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.)

• As a teenager, Miles had a promising academic record but he grew odd later. He grew

distant from his friends and family. Suspecting everything around him as a criminal

activity, he even doubted his college as a criminal party. Due to his absence from classes,

he was suspended from his college. According to his sister, he was often seen mumbling

to himself and experienced hallucinations. His family was assured of his non-drug usage

history and his screening test was negative. His family reported that Myle’s great

grandmother had lived in the state hospital for some serious mental condition. Also, his

mother left when he was very young. It informed that she might have been treated for

mental health problems. Later, Myles was admitted to a psychiatric unit for treatment.

Myles has been experiencing persecutory delusions, auditory hallucinations, and

unpleasant sensations for at least a year. All of these symptoms indicate a schizophrenia

diagnosis.
(Reference: This patient story is excerpted from Understanding Mental Disorders: Your Guide to

DSM-5.)

Advantages:

• Allows researchers to acquire a large amount of data.

• Give researchers the opportunity to gather data on rare or atypical cases.

• Allows scientists to come up with theories that can be tested in experiments. It gives one

the ideas for more research.

Disadvantages:
• This can result in biased results. 

• They may or may not be accurate.

• A case study can’t explain the cause or effects. 

• This method can’t be applied to a larger population as it’s both time consuming and a

costly process.  

• Also, the results are difficult to replicate. 

(References: What is Case study? by Kendra Cherry (May 02,2021). Case Study Method

HYPERLINK "https://www.simplypsychology.org/case-study.html"By HYPERLINK

"https://www.simplypsychology.org/case-study.html" Dr Saul McLeod (2019) )

Conclusion: 

Clinical case history is an important prospect of modern psychology while providing rich

information on a small scale. It is important for its applications in other fields of science as well.

Also, it helps formulate testable theories and hypotheses that help in research and analysis.