Mr. Fife

Anxiety disorders affect people’s quality of life and the ability to engage in activities of daily living. This paper provides the analysis of the case study of Mr. Fife, who is suffering from a psychological disorder. The paper will focus on diagnosis, identification of symptoms, other possible diagnosis, help, and prognosis.

Diagnosis and Symptoms

From the case study, it is evident that Fife suffered from social anxiety disorder. This diagnosis is based on several symptoms. The first symptom is nervousness, where Fife held that he was going through motions and wanted to lead a normal life. People with social anxiety disorder are nervous and aloof. In addition, Fife had no close friends, which is an indication of the fact that he was detached. People with this kind of disorder often have few friends (Long, 2017). Moreover, Fife was super-conscious, especially when speaking to strangers, which is among the key indicators of the social anxiety disorder.

Additionally, Fife suffered from panic attacks. This kind of attack is triggered by one’s fear of receiving negative evaluation (Long, 2017). This is confirmed by the fact that the attack affected Fife when he was with people. Fife also felt increasingly uncomfortable in the social situations and feared that he would do something stupid. This is a common symptom among the people suffering from this kind of disorder and it occurs in the form of a phobia due to their fear of being humiliated or rejected in the social situations. This phobia makes the affected people avoid social settings. For example, Fife avoided public rooms, group settings, and did not date.

The symptoms seen in Fife relate to the American Psychiatric Association Criteria (APA). People are diagnosed with social anxiety disorder when they meet all the criteria listed by the APA (Long, 2017). Examples of these criteria include the marked fear of at least one social situation, negative evaluation, and anxiety that is provoked by social situations. The fear that these people have regarding the social situation is endured with intense anxiety, while the anxiety is out of proportion compared to the threat that is caused by the social situation. The anxiety or fear must last for over six months (Long, 2017). In the case of Fife, he dropped out of school two years ago, which is more than the required six months. In addition, the fear affects the occupational life of the affected persons, which explains why Fife had to drop out of school. Moreover, the avoidance, fear, and anxiety must not be caused by physiological effects that result from drugs or medication (Long, 2017). There is no evidence to show that Fife abused drugs, which means that the anxiety cannot be attributed to physiological effects. Avoidance, fear, and anxiety should not be attributed to other mental conditions. Therefore, Fife’s condition met all criteria outlined by the APA. 

Two other Possible Diagnoses

The two other possible diagnoses for Fife include the PTSD and OCD. The PTSD was selected because the affected person also suffers from fear, panic, and phobia (Long, 2017). However, these symptoms are associated with disastrous things as opposed to social situations, which mean that the PTSD cannot be selected as one of the conditions affecting Fife. The OCD is considered as a possible diagnosis because it is characterized by intimacy avoidance (Long, 2017). However, it cannot be selected because it is associated with restricted emotional expression, which was not one of the problems affecting Fife.

How to Help Fife

Fife should undergo cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) sessions. About 14 sessions are recommended for patients with social anxiety disorder (Long, 2017). The CBT is a psychotherapeutic intervention that should be combined with medication in order to enhance the treatment outcomes.

Prognosis

About 30 % of the people suffering from social anxiety disorder recover within one year, while 50 % recover within a few years (Long, 2017). This means that Fife will recover successfully within a few years. This recovery will be enhanced by the aforementioned interventions.

Conclusion

Fife suffered from social anxiety disorder. This is indicated by the fear of social situations. Fife can be assisted through a combination of medication and psychotherapy. 

References

Long, W. (2017). Adjustment disorders. Internet Mental Health. Retrieved from http://www.mentalhealth.com/home/disorders.html