Week 2 - A Case Study: Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Case Study 9: A 27-year-old, athletic young man has an intense fear of needles. He tries to rationalize his fear by explaining that he is just being cautious and protecting himself from acquired immunodeficiency disease syndrome (AIDS). He realizes that his fear is irrational but is unable to control it. The patient has fainted twice in the past when his blood was drawn during a physical examination. He becomes extremely anxious at the sight of a needle and worries for days before an appointment with his physician or dentist.

According to the symptoms exhibited in this patient, it can be concluded that this young man has a form of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). Under the diagnostic criteria of GAD, patients show excessive anxiety (often occuring for more than a few days) about an upcoming event. This young man who is afraid of needles feels apprehensive even days before his medical appointment. Also, patients with this disorder find it very difficult to control and suppress their anxiety. Anxiety disorder patients also show symptoms of being easily fatigued, which may explain why this athletic young man fainted when he saw a needle. Therefore, this young man who is deadly afraid of needles may be diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

Luckily, there are possible modes of therapy that will help patients cope with their anxiety. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one type of therapy that is very helpful in treating Generalized Anxiety Disorder. CBT consists of five components that help patients overcome their anxiety.

1. Education: If the patient learns more about his/her diagnosis, they will be able to distinguish between healthy and unhealthy worrying.
2. Monitoring: Patients will identify what exactly causes them to worry and the duration of the worrying, which will help patients track their progress.
3. Physical Control Strategies: CBT trains patients to use deep breathing techniques and muscle relaxation in response to stressful situations.
4. Cognitive Control Strategies: Patients will evaluate their thoughts and alter their thinking patterns, which will cause their feelings of anxiety to calm down.
5. Behavioral Strategies: CBT encourages patients to conquer their fears instead of avoiding them. This helps patients to take control of their fear and become more comfortable around it.

CBT examines distortions in the way patients view the world and themselves. It is very helpful in identifying negative thoughts that contribute to the anxiety and providing an alternative viewpoint that lessens the stress.

Week 1 - Celebrities With Psychological Disorders

Karen Carpenter, singer of the popular 1970's sibling duo The Carpenters, was known for her perfect pitch and amazing drumming skills. She and her brother, Richard Carpenter first signed with A&M Records in 1969. She started off as the lead singer and sang most of the songs on their first album. Although she was a celebrity and had amazing musical talents, Karen Carpenter was also a victim of anorexia nervosa.

With the stress of her music career, Karen Carpenter was unable to have stable, long-term relationships. Though she married a real-estate developer, Thomas Burris in 1980, she soon divorced him, which led to more stress. As a celebrity, Karen Carpenter was not satisfied with her looks until she had the best and thinnest body. Her fans and friends also told her that she looked good when she was down to only 115 pounds during her water diet. She had been prone to crash-dieting for years and had been going to a psychotherapist to treat her anorexia, which was a little known disease back then. Still, her anorexia affected her musical performances. She would have to lie down between shows because she was too weak. During one of her shows in Las Vegas, she even collapsed on stage, frightening her family and the audience. After that incident, she went to more doctors and therapists and even believed she was almost cured. Unfortunately, the absence of a constant healthy diet as she toured on the road along with over-doses of medications and lack of sleep did not help her fully recover--it created more problems. On February 4, 1983, about a month before her thirty-third birthday, Karen Carpenter at a feeble 80 pounds went into cardiac arrest and died due to chemical imbalances in her body linked to her anorexia. The death of Karen Carpenter shocked the nation and opened their eyes to the seriousness and danger of anorexia nervosa.

Many women in our country suffer from anorexia nervosa. What's worse is that many celebrities, who are role models for many young girls fall victim to this disorder as well, so the image of the pencil-thin super models becomes the ideal. However, many women are not built to be that thin. Every person is born with a different body shape and size, which should be appreciated and loved, but that it often not the reaction that girls have to their unique bodies. While comparing themselves to celebrities and their own friends, many women do not feel beautiful, so they try dieting and hyper-exercising, which are all dangerous methods of treating one's body. Anorexia is a terrible disease that not physically destroys a person, but also tears down one's self-image. This psychological disorder must be treated, before any more women are fooled by their bathroom mirror. These ladies need to find a healthy alternative and realize that they are not alone in their struggle with anorexia nervosa.