Case Study- Dissociative Identity Disorder
Patient Name: Sherry
Diagnosis & Assessment
Axis 1: Clinical Syndrome: Dissociative Identity Disorder
Sherry has recently been given the diagnosis of dissociative identity disorder or formally known as multiple personality disorder. She has had multiple hospitalizations over the last several years, and has been given multiple different diagnoses ranging from schizophrenia (disorganized type), bipolar disorder, major depression, and borderline personality disorder. She has been placed on several different types of medications at the time of these hospitalizations depending on the diagnosis, ranging from lithium to a variety of antidepressant and antipsychotic drugs, such as Thorazine. Upon reviewing her case further I feel that the most probable diagnosis would be the one of dissociative identity disorder, she exhibits many of the key indicators of this disorder outlined in the DSM-IV-TR. Which is the presence of two or more identities, who take control over the persons behavior along with unexplainable periods of black out that can range from several hours to months of her life; these periods go beyond any ordinary type of forgetfulness. During one of her most recent hospitalizations Sherry became severely distressed and violent, demanding to know who has rearranged the hospital and the grounds, and kept asking to see people who did not exist, both other patients and staff members; she then became verbally and physically abusive towards the staff, shouting obscenities at them and swinging her firsts around as they made attempts to calm her. In the past, Sherry has made various attempts at suicide during these periods of black out, such as cutting her wrists and taking an overdose of tranquilizers, sometimes doing both. Sherry maintains a relationship with her mother and twin sister, she also was in a relationship for a period of time but they broke up after some time. For most of Sherry’s life growing up both her mother and father were physically abusive
Diagnosis & Assessment
Axis 1: Clinical Syndrome: Dissociative Identity Disorder
Sherry has recently been given the diagnosis of dissociative identity disorder or formally known as multiple personality disorder. She has had multiple hospitalizations over the last several years, and has been given multiple different diagnoses ranging from schizophrenia (disorganized type), bipolar disorder, major depression, and borderline personality disorder. She has been placed on several different types of medications at the time of these hospitalizations depending on the diagnosis, ranging from lithium to a variety of antidepressant and antipsychotic drugs, such as Thorazine. Upon reviewing her case further I feel that the most probable diagnosis would be the one of dissociative identity disorder, she exhibits many of the key indicators of this disorder outlined in the DSM-IV-TR. Which is the presence of two or more identities, who take control over the persons behavior along with unexplainable periods of black out that can range from several hours to months of her life; these periods go beyond any ordinary type of forgetfulness. During one of her most recent hospitalizations Sherry became severely distressed and violent, demanding to know who has rearranged the hospital and the grounds, and kept asking to see people who did not exist, both other patients and staff members; she then became verbally and physically abusive towards the staff, shouting obscenities at them and swinging her firsts around as they made attempts to calm her. In the past, Sherry has made various attempts at suicide during these periods of black out, such as cutting her wrists and taking an overdose of tranquilizers, sometimes doing both. Sherry maintains a relationship with her mother and twin sister, she also was in a relationship for a period of time but they broke up after some time. For most of Sherry’s life growing up both her mother and father were physically abusive