Anxiety disorders assignment

Anxiety Disorder in class Case Study Assignment

Read the case studies below and indicate what anxiety disorder the child is suffering from.
/20 marks

Jasmine is nine going on fifty-nine. Everyone comments on her “old soul” and how kind, caring,
and wise she seems to be at such a young age. Although her parents are grateful for Jasmine’s
compassion, they worry it comes at too great a cost. For example, her mother says that Jasmine
worries about bringing the perfect gift to a friend's birthday party or whether the cat has
enough drinking water for the day. She worries about the safety of the homeless, global
warming, and a possible tsunami. When her little brother catches a cold, Jasmine is convinced
these are symptoms of something far worse, and nothing seems to convince her otherwise.
It is as if worry is a moving target and Jasmine is always able to seek it out. Over the past
several months, she has been having terrible stomach-aches in the morning, and sometimes
vomits before going to school. When Jasmine’s mum suggests she stay home and rest, Jasmine
panics about missing too much work and falling behind, but if her mum encourages her to go to
school, Jasmine worries she’ll get others sick. Jasmine’s mom says that although Jasmine has a
few friends, she has overheard them teasing Jasmine for worrying too much, which hurts
Jasmine’s feelings.
What disorder does Jasmine suffer from? What evidence do you have to support the
diagnosis?
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Debbie starts grade one in a few weeks, and Debbie’s mom is starting to feel concerned about
her daughter's "odd" behaviors. During her last year at preschool Debbie started doing
everything evenly or in pairs. At first it was just when she ate food, for example, eating an even
number of orange slices, leaving the last slice on her plate if she was served an odd number.
This seemed harmless, and even a little cute and quirky to the preschool teachers and her
parents. However, this pattern quickly expanded to other areas such as wearing two shirts and
opting for pants and shorts as there are two legs, never a skirt or dress, and brushing her teeth
in even strokes, and watching TV shows in sets of 2 or 4. Although it didn’t seem to impact
Debbie very much in school last year, summer camp has been challenging. Debbie is
consistently late as she gets stuck at home counting her steps from the house to the car, and
from the car to camp, repeating the process if she ends on an odd number. And has started
throwing tantrums in camp when she cannot do an activity in an even way, which is highly out
of character for a usually easygoing kid. Debbie’s parents are afraid that the demands of grade
one are really going to make these behaviours worse, and they have no idea what is going on or
what they can do to help.
What disorder does Debbie suffer from? What evidence do you have to support the
diagnosis?
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Lucie is a five-year-old girl who has been living with her grandmother for almost a year since
she and her parents were involved in a high impact collision resulting in their death. Lucie
appears to have coped with this enormous life-changing event with surprising strength.
Although she cried a lot in the first few weeks after the accident and spoke about wanting to
“go back” to be with her parents, she has been able to return to preschool three days a week
and is “being a good girl” for her grandmother. However, her grandmother suspects Lucie is
being “too good” and that something is not quite right. For example, Lucie’s grandmother often
catches Lucie playing with her two dolls over and over again for hours at a time, almost as if she
is in a daze, with no change in activity. When she tries to join in with Lucie, Lucie often walks
away, refusing to talk. At other times when her grandmother pushes her to try something new
or fun, Lucie will erupt into a massive tantrum that seems unreasonable given the situation.
Finally, Lucie often seems tired and unrested; as if she is not getting enough sleep despite the
fact she is in bed for eleven hours nightly. Lucie’s grandmother is starting to suspect Lucie is
having a delayed reaction to the loss of her parents and worries that Lucie has lost her spark.
What disorder does Lucie suffer from? What evidence do you have to support the diagnosis?
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Jane first started pulling her eyelashes, followed by her eyebrows, shortly after she turned 12
and she and her friends started wearing makeup. Jane had not intended to pull, but rather was
learning how to apply mascara and use a lash curler, when a few isolated hairs failed to curl
correctly. When she then removed them with tweezers, she noticed the pull provided a
pleasant sensation. At first she pulled out only 1-2 lashes when they were positioned oddly, but
within a few weeks she found she was seeking out these types of lashes, and pulling with
greater frequency. As this created an a-symmetrical result, she felt forced to pull more.
However, despite the pleasant sensations, she was afraid that the loss of lashes was becoming
noticeable, so she started to pull her eyebrows. It has been 1.5 years since the pulling started,
and Jane no longer has lashes or brows, and must wear fake eyelashes and draw in her
eyebrows. Although she has tried to grow them back, whenever she is marginally successful,
she quickly resorts to pulling them out and must start over. Jane is embarrassed about how she
looks and has started avoiding social events with her friends.
What disorder does Jane suffer from? What evidence do you have to support the diagnosis?
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