Case Assignment
In this Case Assignment, examine the situation and answer the questions below:
Andrew is a 32-year-old married man. He has a very demanding, high-stress job as a junior partner in a large law firm. He has always been a high achiever. He graduated with top honors in both college and law school. He has very high standards for himself and can be very self-critical when he fails to meet them.
Lately, he has struggled with significant feelings of worthlessness and shame due to his inability to perform as well as he always has in the past. Andrew has felt unusually fatigued and found it increasingly difficult to concentrate at work in the past few weeks. His coworkers have noticed that he is often irritable and withdrawn, which is quite different from his typically upbeat and friendly disposition. He has called in sick on several occasions, which is completely unlike him. On those days he stays in bed all day, watching TV or sleeping.
At home, Andrew’s wife has noticed changes as well. He’s shown little interest in intimacy and has had difficulties falling asleep at night. His insomnia has been keeping her awake as he tosses and turns for an hour or two after they go to bed. He’s overheard her having frequent tearful phone conversations with his mother and his grandmother, both of whom have struggled with depression throughout their lives. When she tries to get him to open up about what’s bothering him, he pushes her away with an abrupt “everything’s fine.”
Although he hasn’t ever considered suicide, Andrew has found himself increasingly dissatisfied with his life. He’s been having frequent thoughts of wishing he was dead. He gets frustrated with himself because he feels like he has every reason to be happy, yet can’t seem to shake the sense of doom and gloom that has been clouding each day as of late.
Prepare a 3- page paper that addresses the following questions:
Does Andrew meet the criteria for suffering major depression? Be sure to support your answers.
Describe what the biopsychosocial model would say about the cause of his struggle, applying the information you were given in the scenario.
Andrew’s family is concerned with the stigma that is attached to mental illness. How might you approach a situation in which someone you know might need psychological counseling?
Briefly describe what treatments might be effective in helping him overcome his disorder.
