Marlene Johnson Case Analysis Essay

Melissa Falcone
March 6, 2014
Case Study #2
Professor Heerema SCHIZOPHRENIA SPECTRUM AND OTHER PSYCHOTIC DISORDERS

I. What is your primary diagnosis based on the information provided? Explain your reasoning?

Based on the information provided, Ms. Charlene Johnson may be primarily diagnosed with BRIEF PSYCHOTIC DISORDER WITH A MARKED STRESSOR 298.8 (F23). This disorder occurs shortly after and often in response to a trauma or major stress, such as the death of a loved one, an accident, assault, or a natural disaster. The symptoms often come on suddenly, as in Ms. Johnson’s case, as evidence by the report of her witnessing the tragic death of her three year old son which occurred nine days ago. Further evidence that she may be
Psychotic Disorder Due to a General Medical Condition or a delirium is diagnosed when there is evidence from the history, physical examination, or laboratory tests that designates that the delusions or hallucinations are the direct physiological consequence of a specific general medical condition (e.g., Cushing's syndrome, brain tumor). In Ms. Johnson’s case, there is no history of other medical symptoms or conditions that could be helping to cause the hallucinations or delusions; therefore we can simply rule that out. Other differential diagnosis can be Substance-Induced Psychotic Disorder, Substance-Induced Delirium are distinguished from Brief Psychotic Disorder by the fact that a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication, or exposure to a toxin) is judged to be etiologically related to the psychotic symptoms. Laboratory tests, such as a urine drug screen or a blood alcohol level, may be helpful in making this determination, as may a careful history of substance use with attention to sequential relationships between substance intake and onset of the symptoms and the nature of the substance being used. At this point, we can rule these out since there is no history of substance abuse, and a full drug screening including urine sample can be performed to further rule it out. Another differential diagnosis could be Schizophrenia. At this point in time I would not
One theory suggests a genetic link, because the disorder is more common in people who have family members with mood disorders, such as depression or bipolar disorder. Another theory suggests that the disorder is caused by poor coping skills, as a defense against or escape from a particularly frightening or stressful situation. These factors may create a vulnerability to develop brief psychotic disorder. In most cases, the disorder is triggered by a major stress or traumatic event. The etiology in Ms. Johnson’s case is the fact that she witnessed the traumatic, and violent, death of her youngest son, and her symptoms have such a rapid onset. Since there is not a known reported family history of mental illness in her family, and her husband reports that Ms. Charlene was otherwise happy, the theory of poor coping skills and this being her defense mechanism to escape the stressful situation is most likely to be attributed to her present mental