Psychology Essays (UOP)

Psy/450 Application of Clinical Psychology

Application of Clinical Psychology

Team D

Psy/480

11/9/2016

Introduction

Obsessive-compulsive Disorder is "a common, chronic and long-lasting disorder in which a person has uncontrollable reoccurring thought (obsessions) and behaviors (compulsion) that he or she feels the urge to repeat over and over." (NIMH, 2016) The big issue for those who suffer from this disorder OCD has a hard time ending this endless circle on their own. According to the American Psychology Association (2013) Obsessive-compulsive Disorder now has its own categorie under the DSM-5 because even though anxiety is a trigger for the disorder it does not truly identify it as so.This paper will follow the case of Karen Rusa, who is a 30-year-old mother of four kids and has had this disorder for a long time without seeking help. It will provide an overview of her case study along with the factors of biological, psychological and social that can be involved. Plus it will look further into the intervention techniques that are appropriate for Karen.

Provide a brief overview of your selected case

The case study of Karen Rusa was taken from Case Studies in Abnormal Psychology 9th Edition. The study focuses on Karen Rusa, a 30-year old woman who is married and has four children. Rusa has suffered from anxiety for several years but has never tried to get help until now. After three months of depression Rusa's family doctor recommended that she see a specialist. Over the course of several months, Rusa has been experiencing repetitive, and invasive thoughts about the safety of her children. Rusa would find herself imagining situations where her children would be hurt in some situation, causing her to reach out to see the condition of her children. Rusa also stated that her rituals with counting have severely affected her daily life. There are numbers that Rusa finds to have significant meaning but her fixation with those numbers are negatively impacting day-to-day operations. Rosa directly linked accurate numbers to the safety and welfare of each one of her children. Rusa's obsession with numbers spilled out into other aspects of her life. If Rusa smoked one cigarette or had one cup of coffee, she was compelled to have four in a row to ensure the safety of her children. Despite Rusa's understanding and acknowledgment of her obsessive behavior she feels comfortable when they are performed and anxiety when she does not. Alongside the OCD Rusa also is dissatisfied with her marriage and is having issues managing her children. Rusa's husband is not working due to a serious health condition. He was able to persuade her to believe that all household chores and taking care of him are her responsibility. Rusa was getting little to no help from her husband when it comes to the children. The two youngest had behavioral problems that she could not manage. The oldest of the two would regularly fight with each other over body image issues. Rusa has become more and more agitated over these situations and thus will retreat to her bedroom to cry.

Discussing the biological, psychological, and social factors

Most people who suffer from OCD can relate the initial feeling of being affected to "it started as a tiny concern, and proceeded to snowball into the major preoccupation of my life." Although there are no direct answers as to what causes OCD, there are many theories (CAMH: what causes OCD? 2012). The primary biological factor to OCD has been linked with insufficient levels of the brain chemical, serotonin (CAMH: what causes OCD? 2012). This chemical transmits signals between brain cells and regulates many things, but more notably it controls mood and impulse control. Karen has the option of medication to interfere with the biology of OCD. The drug would increase serotonin levels, and in turn, messages would be better transmitted between brain cells.

The two psychological theories that play the largest part are behavioral and cognitive approaches (CAMH: what causes OCD? 2012). The Behavioral theory suggests that fear is associated with physical rituals that often come along with OCD. A very typical example of this would be a person who fears germs, constantly and obsessively washes their hands. The cognitive theory suggests that the association between intrusive thoughts is often misinterpreted (CAMH: what causes OCD? 2012). The cognitive theory states that catastrophic thoughts are induced by something that has happened in early life that may contribute to these fearful thoughts later in life.

The social factor in someone who experiences OCD is just a complex as the biological and psychological factors. Karen Rusa reported having difficulties in her marriage and issues managing her children. The stress of her husband, Tony's being placed on physical disability could of very well been a trigger for Karen's anxiety, in turn triggering her OCD. Being raised by strict disciplinarians, as was stated in Karen's case study, could also be a contribution to her experience with OCD according to the cognitive theory.

Treatment

In this particular case study, there are a couple of different approaches to treatment/intervention methods that could be used to help Karen Rusa. There is the biological approach, biofeedback, which would include taking into account heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, etc. All of these are measured when a visit occurs. (Plante, 2010) They look for likely predisposed disorders or factors that could have caused Karen's OCD. Did a family member suffer from the same problem? Did something cause Karen to be this way stemming from her childhood but was suppressed until now triggered by an event? Treatment could be to as stated earlier, to take a medication that would increase serotonin level in her brain.

Another type of intervention that could be used, and is traditionally psychotherapy, is the most common form of treatment. Karen would meet with a mental health professional, and the professional would help address and change feelings, thoughts, and behaviors (her OCD and feeling of fear associated with the well-being of her children, along with being left alone to care for the children). There are many different types of psychotherapy, but they all have the same goal to improve the life of the patient and eliminate the issue or problem occurring. (Plante, 2010)The particular type that Karen would benefit from would be either couple or family psychotherapy. In every psychotherapy approach, there are several stages to this, where the patient will have an initial consultation, assessment of the problem/situation, evaluation of treatment, termination of therapy, and if need be, follow ups. (Plante, 2010). There are of course fees and scheduling of time and sessions; that is in a professional setting of a professional or expert. For family therapy, would involve Karen, her kids, and her husband together. It would focus on improving communication between the household members, and problem-solving strategies to ensure Karen's feelings are known and met. Karen would be the identified patient, but it would include how every family member contributes to the issues in the home. (Plante, 2010). Couples therapy could also be beneficial because Karen's problem could be stemming from her husband being unable to work due to his health condition, and this could make her feel overwhelmed, etc. Both would meet and work on issues specific to their relationship (communication, feeling alone, any concerns). These would tie into social and psychological factors.

Conclusion

In conclusion, when it comes to the case study of Karen Rusa who suffers from the obsessive compulsive disorder, there are many factors such that should be looked at that can also provide treatment insight. Each of the factors presented shine light on why Karen is experiencing such a high level of fear and anxiety when it comes to her family to where it is finally consuming her thoughts and is creating problems within her family. Therefore, based on this information it helps come to the treatment aspect that can be disorders that steamed biologically such as inherited or chemical imbalance. The second is an intervention of psychotherapy that helps get to the root of the problem. Once the issue is resolved, then Karen can start to work on not focusing on anxiety and fear and gains control and understanding of her obsessive compulsive disorder.

References

American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th Edition. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association; 2013.

CAMH: what causes OCD?. (2012). What causes OCD? Retrieved November 10, 2016, from

Plante, T. G. (2010). Contemporary Clinical Psychology, Ch. 9: John Wiley & Sons, Inc..