Major Depressive and Dependent Personality Disorder Essay

Major Psychiatric Disorder(s): F33.9 Major Depressive Disorder, recurrent

Rationale

The client is a female of thirty-five years old. She reports feeling numb and sleepy most of the time. The client meets criterion A because of her lack of energy and inability to function at work led to her coming to counseling. The patient had been married to her husband for eleven years. Recently he said that he did not want to continue the relationship and left her and their three children. Before that incident, the patient was feeling hopeless and expressing symptoms of self-deprecation and guilt. The client shows all signs of having a major depressive disorder, which is often represented by such symptoms as feelings of worthlessness and sadness, weight fluctuation, lack of sleep or oversleeping, energy loss, and suicidal thoughts (MentalHealth, 2017). After the husband left the patient, her moods became more apparent. The patient states that she blames herself for her husband leaving the family and believes that her personality or actions are the leading causes of this happening. Nicole meets criterion B because she stays at home most of her time and has no desire to communicate with friends or relatives when she is depressed. The diagnosis of depression can also be supported by the fact that the patient has some suicidal thoughts.

Developmental Disorder(s): No diagnosis

Rationale

The patient does not have any developmental issues. She graduated from high school without any problems. The client does not report to having any difficulties in her childhood. Moreover, the patient has a job that she maintains regardless of her current state. No diseases are originating in childhood; the client is not subject to alcohol or drug addictions. All the above-mentioned facts prove that the patient is deprived of any disorders related to this group.

Personality Disorder(s): F60.7 Dependent Personality Disorder

Rationale

The client meets criterion A because she feels dependent on her husband. She notes that she felt the strength in her husband and she does not feel the same way anymore. After he left, she started to have problems with adequate functioning. Furthermore, the relationship lasted for a long time. Thus, the patient might have developed a dependency on her husband as she does not seek help from anyone else. However, her negative thinking had started before the husband left. Therefore, this diagnosis needs to be researched further.

Medical Disorder(s): No diagnosis

Rationale

The patient does not have any medical conditions that could be attributed to any medical disorders. She does not smoke or drink. Furthermore, she shows no desire to engage in these behaviors and expresses her dislike for smoking. She lost weight due to her not wanting to eat. However, this aspect can be linked to her having a depressive disorder.

Client Strengths

1. The patient is not alone most of the time. She can be motivated by her three children.
2. She can maintain her position at her job which shows her a relatively stable state.
3. While the client expresses suicidal thoughts, she does not report on acting on them or thinking about a particular plan.
4. The patient does not have any developmental disorders.
5. She does not experience any audible or visual hallucinations.
6. She does not have any desire to engage in unhealthy behaviors.
7. The client used to spend time with friends and have good days.
8. Apart from weight loss, the client does not have any other medical issues.
9. The patient does not take any medications.

Comments/Differential Diagnosis

The patient started to express signs of depression approximately three months ago. Her husband left the family a month ago, which only contributed to her problem. However, this timeline shows that her depressive disorder can be connected to some other reasons apart from the breakup. The client may experience thoughts of self-worthlessness and self-deprecation due to her developing a major depressive disorder. Other mood-related disorders can be ruled out as the client does not have shifts in her moods. Moreover, while the client does not eat, any eating disorders can be ruled out as well as she is not focused on not eating or eating less than before. All symptoms, expressed by the client, point to her having depression.

Reference

MentalHealth. (2017). Depression. Web.