Diagnosing Tina
- Symptoms that Tina had
Alcohol dependence is what met Tina criteria. This is because she depended on alcohol so as to sleep and relax.
- Generalized anxiety disorder
In respect to Tina’s symptoms, it evident that she can be diagnosed with generalized anxiety. She was smoking and drinking for the purpose of relief. Drinking for the sake of relief can be diagnosed using generalized criteria which Tina can follow under that. In order to use the generalized criteria for diagnosing, Tina information about type of drinker she is, how long it takes her in drinking and consequences of drinking are required.
- Specific phobia
- Does Tina have specific phobia?
Tina has the phobia of being disowned. She can not sleep before she drinks and this makes her feel as though she has blood pressure or heart attack problems. Another thing is that she feels that she is being disowned by her children.
- Tina’s specific symptoms
Tina drinks so as to calm her nerves. Another thing is that she does is that she smokes and does not tell the doctor on that. Her sense of drinking in order to get sleep can be regarded as drinking so as to calm what she is undergoing.
- Panic disorder
- Tina qualifies for panic disorder with agoraphobia simply because of the nervous she has during driving and crossing bridges. For all the time she has been in the place she has never thought of bridge collapsing but due to the fear of either blood pressure or heart attack, she thinks anything can happen.
- On the other hand, she does qualify on panic without agoraphobia. Since she wants to sleep and forget about what she is going through, she does smoke. She also fears that bridges can collapse any time. Feeling that her child might not want her is another type of panic disorder without agoraphobia.
- Therapist is likely to diagnose Tina with panic disorder. Though the diagnosis might be premature in one way or the other. Generalized criteria can still get some results on her problems. In order to diagnose Tina with panic disorder, the doctor requires information on how frequent does her problems affect her and what has been happen all through.
- Although biological challenge tests are used, for this situation not useful simply because some of the causes of her disorders are known and what she fears is somehow known.
Understanding Tina’s generalized anxiety disorder
1) In respect to sociocultural, Tina’s disorder can term as self fear. She does panic in instances which does not need and the problem with her panic is because she feels that she has all the responsibilities.
2) What psychologist could have added on our view of her thoughts is that she feels so lonely and that having Harry is no more she is the provider of the house. Another thing is that she has children which mean no one can accept her.
3) From my perspective I can say that she does suffer from existential anxiety. This is because what causes her disorder is exactly what goes through her.
Understanding Tina’s specific phobia
- She might stop using that route simply because she fears that the bridge might collapse.
- She behaves in respect to what she thinks and actually but not in respect to the reality.
- What needs to be known here is her past life and how she perceives her future life.
Understanding Tina’s panic disorder
1. Biological
- Neropinephrine is used to treat panic disorders in that it prevents neurotransmitters from sending and receiving bad information
- Locus ceruleus decreases the level of panic disorder by releasing noradrenaline.
2. Cognitive perspective
- Its true that she is oversensitive on some of the symptoms and that is the cause of her panic disorder
- We can say that she is anxiety sensitive simply because even when things are not wrong, she just thinks on how they will turn to be wrong.
Humanistic-existential
- In respect to humanistic perspective, she does take things in her human reason which causes her to feel anxious of things that are not there.
- In existential approach, she does not see a future which is bright and she does not do anything about that.
- In both approaches, we can say that the humanistic perspective does contribute to existential and vice verse because she does not want to handle those things.
Cognitive perspective
- Tina’s anxiety in cognitive perspective is due to how she sees things happening and that she does not see if things can ever change again.
- The basic irrational assumption she is making is that no one can love her because she has kids and that there are no good men.
Biological explanation
- The role of GABA in anxiety disorder is to treat symptoms which cause panic disorders.
- What we need to know about Tina’s family is whether there is any one who has been affected with panic or any other kind of disorder.
What greatly contributes to her anxiety disorder is that she comes from a poor family whereby she thought that her husband is the only provider and now she thinks that nothing can be done.
Treatment Part
- The best psychodynamic technique which has been seen to be good and that can be used on Tina’s situation is psychodynamic therapy technique.
- Client-centered treatment technique can be useful in treating Tina because it provides good treatment of panic disorder.
- Humanistic approach would be best simply because it provides examination on what is the cause root of her disorders.
Rational-emotive therapy
- It provides guidance and counseling services which tries to see the exact behaviors which results to disorders.
- Stress inoculation training is quite important for Tina simply it will provide her with measures to prevent situations causing disorders.
- Medications available in terms of biological treatments are anorexia nervosa and pharmacotherapy.
- Biological medication is the best for her simply because it treats all behaviors that might cause disorders.
- Relaxation training is whereby one goes to relax his mind and get training on how to deal with your body incase of stress disorder and this can of beneficial to Tina instead of going and take alcohol.
- I would recommend for her biofeedback.
Treating Tina’s specific phobia
- Exposure treatments will help her stop fearing things that seem to her to have effect. This will provide her with courage to see reality in things.
- Systematic desensitization will provide her with behavioral therapy treatments which treat fear.
- Fear hierarchy provides treatments on issues of fear that causes disorders
- Natural situations like flooding can cause stress thus treatments on this will reduce panic.
- The best treatment which should be used for bridge fear is Systematic desensitization.
Treating Tina’s panic disorder
- I would consider to recommend Tina to go for a psychiatrist because incase the situation continues she might find herself in a condition which is beyond treatment.
- Strong willpower is one of the best medications that have been proven to treat panic disorder.
- With the help of behavioral exposure, Tina will be able to see things in reality.
- Cognitive therapy will help Tina change her way of thinking and make it positive instead of thinking in a negative way.
- A support group is necessary for Tina such as a counseling support group.
Integrated treatment
- Since all types of stress disorders results from our behaviors, thinking and thoughts, comorbid disorder and panic disorder can complement each other for behaviors will give an impact on them.
- There is no reason to think that treatments that will be used will contraindicate each other for their causes are just the same.
