Part I: Summarizing Statement
Molly is a young woman reporting a case that is likely to affect her life in a negative way. Molly is in a state of anxiety, which is causing her to have paralyzing fear. Molly describes her problem as an incident that is serious, as she never thought it would be. She moved to her partner’s apartment, and her partner Steven is always returning home late, which makes Molly be worried and feel that Steven has had another woman. When Molly thinks that Steven might be cheating on her, she starts getting obsessed and worries so much to an extent that it becomes difficult to control her fears.
Molly grows up in an intact family; before moving to Steven’s house, she was living with an older sister, her father, and mother. Molly’s parent were both working full-time; however, she was raised in a family with a financial problem. In her whole life, Molly never had serious worries, as most of the worries that she had experienced when growing up were positive. These worries include reading literature, watching foreign cinema, and riding a skateboard within the town. Molly was at one time an addict of opiates substance, and she admitted to the physicians that when she was performing her music concerts, she was using drug substances for no specific reason. However, when she learned that one of her friends died has due to the usage of the opiates substance similar to what she was using, Molly stopped the behavior of taking drugs. For years, Molly has not used the opiates or any drug substances that would negatively affect her growth. Nevertheless, Molly is now experiencing serious psychological problems, as her partner is making her live with fear and for this reason, she is set to get the medical response through psychopharmacology treatment (Summers & Barber 2012).
Part II: Description of Non-Dynamic Factors
Molly meets the diagnostic criteria for a depression disorder due to the historical records that she presents. In the case presented by Molly, most of her past episodes had mixed impacts on her life, as some affected Molly positively and others negatively. Most of the incidents that she encountered when growing up were depressing in one way or the other. For instance, when Molly reported that she had chronic insomnia and anhedonia in her past years, it was an indication of depression and distress in her life. The two conditions are caused by personal distress, depression, low moods, and lack of happiness (Summers & Barber 2012). During the time when Molly was not in a relationship, she was uncomfortable with her life, and this caused her to live in a hopelessness life. Molly’s parent has a psychiatric history of mood disorder; she had reported that her father was an alcoholic and a man who struggled with the aspect of controlling his anger. With her father being a person who was getting angry when drank (most times), Molly had to cope up with the emotional neglect and parental mistreatment when she was a kid. She carried this pain as she grew up and felt that she was unloved and did not receive the care she needed like other children.
Molly had an experience of humiliation when growing up, especially when her parents were under the influence of alcohol. She explains that her parents always took alcohol after taking dinner. Her father had a tendency of shouting at Molly’s mother when she failed to tell Molly and her sister to keep off watching their father drinking alcohol. Upon hearing her father complaining about their presence, Molly felt humiliated and depressed, as the first thing that came to her mind when her father shouted at them is that he did not want to have the children around his house.
Growing up in high school, Molly had few friends, and she was not an active member of social clubs. This made Molly live as a loner, where she would only associate herself with just a few friends who she used to tell everything about her life, dreams, and worries. Therefore, unlike other children, Molly did not maintain a social life and connection with friends and was more inclined at staying as an introvert.
In her dating life, Molly had many relationships that did not last for long. Some of the relationships left her with long heartbreaks. In essence, dating became a trend for Molly, as she would break up with one partner and look forward to meeting a new partner instantly. Another issue that has made Molly become the person she is today is her employment history. After she had completed her high school education, Molly boarded a job, but she was unable to maintain it because she was fired. While working, Molly was inconsistent, and she worried about the lack of professionalism and personal success that was a key component in her workplace.
Finally, as she suspects her boyfriend may be cheating, this has led to endless arguments between the two; Molly compares Steven with other men and claims that she wishes Steven was a better person. The arguments made Molly more depressed throughout her life, which made her a loner and hopelessness person.
Part III: Psychodynamic Synthesis
Molly’s psychodynamic issue is depression. From the description of Molly’s case and crucial factors that have contributed to the case, it is apparent that the major conflict in Molly’s problem involves anger, humiliation, and the aspect of seeing other people as responsible for her life disappointment. Molly highlights many issues that relate to her life and how her parent’s actions have influenced her life in the different ways. As a child, Molly had few friends, and she liked staying in her own circle, where she only shared her own things with two close friends in her school. This case shows the aspect of loneliness in Molly’s life. Although her decision not to associate with many people as a kid does not affect her life directly, when she has a problem with Steven, it becomes hard for Molly to talk with her friends who can help her to come up with ideas that she can use to control her worry.
Molly’s parent contributes to her case of depression. His father who is an alcoholic made Molly feel that she and her sister are not wanted in the family. This creates the case of rejection and a major cause of Molly’s state of depression. Molly’s father takes alcohol every day and when under the influence of alcohol, most of his actions hurt her, which makes Molly to feel rejected by her own father. Molly does not talk much about her mother, but she says that her mother was also taking alcohol; she did not show much tenderness toward her children. Thus, the lack of care from the parents has something to do with any distress that Molly is experiencing because her suffering was more than any form of the anxiety she felt when she moved to Steven’s house.
Some of the incidents of her life also reflect her current situation. In the incident where Molly attempted to commit suicide, she stated that the occasion would have happened because she was angry and she was unhappy with her life. Her desire to commit suicide was perpetuated by the fact that they had broken up with a boyfriend whom she had dated for a significantly longer period than her former boyfriends. When her boyfriend abandoned her, this incident triggered an awful state in Molly’s mind and psychological being, making her angry and ready to take her own life. Molly has developed increasing depression and struggles with anger that is brought by the relationship incidents that she has experienced in her life. When a boyfriend leaves her, Molly feels lonely and rejected, but to deal with the issue of anger from a breakup, she looks for closeness with another man by starting up a new relationship. For Molly to express her desire to be with another man, she explains that when she ends a relationship, she feels uncomfortable with her life, and feels hopelessness. When Molly expresses her feeling after a relationship that she desired would last long ends, this is an indication that Molly hurts and fails to manage the anger that the relationship has caused to her.
The issue of Steven’s infidelity also reflects Molly’s case of depression and distress. With the worry that Steven may be having an affair, she keeps on wondering whether Steven loves her or whether he contemplates ending their relationship. The aspect of mistrust grows in Molly’s mind, but she fears to ask Steven because this may cause her another relationship and heartbreak. Molly’s mistrust makes her become depressed with her life and live as a stressed person, afraid of expressing herself to her partner. Although Steven is supportive during the distressing moment, Molly does not see the need of telling him that she thinks that he is cheating on her with another woman. In the end, sharing her fears leads to a troubling moment for Molly, which makes her even more depressed. Surprisingly, when Molly expresses herself to Steven, he made her feel judged since Steven claims that she is making excuses about their relationship.
Molly did show some strengths that would help her with the therapeutic treatment. The strength will make the treatment task to carry on effectively and bring about the desired outcomes. Molly arrives on time for the therapeutic work, which makes the physician prepare the treatment activity in the most effective manner. Besides, Molly is a friendly woman, pleasant to associate with, and a person who is intellectual in her own ways. These strengths will allow Molly to express her feeling to the physician clearly and in an open manner, which will allow the two to work effectively.
Part IV: Predicting Response to Therapeutic Treatment
From the given case, Molly is an individual with different prognostic characteristics, and these features will be significant to the success of therapeutic work. Molly is an intelligent person, and she had participated in a therapeutic work in the past. She is also a person who had an experience with the music career, meaning that it will be simple for the therapist to engage with Molly. Back to high school, Molly shared everything with some of her close friends; therefore, it will be easier for Molly to tell the physicians all of her troubles without any worry, as her aims are to be helped under any circumstance. Although she takes time to trust other people with her problems, she easily talks and bonds with those she trusts. As the purpose of treatment is to help Molly come up with a realistic and effective solution for her problem, the physician will highlight some of the issues that are causing Molly’s depression and how to respond to the issue.
Molly needs to identify her weaknesses and strengths so that she knows the best ways to manage her anger that is brought by relationship issues. To avoid feeling rejected and lonely, Molly should have a positive attitude toward the therapeutic program and use the same pattern that she will be given to control her feelings and anger when she mistrusts her life partner. Expressing her feeling will be an important part of the treatment task, as being open with the physician will help the therapist to identify the root of her problem and come up with the best procedures that Molly need to employ as a way of avoiding being angry and anxious to situations. When the treatment ends, Molly should become attached to the therapist recommendation and avoid any fear that may occur in future.
Reference
Summers, R. F., & Barber, J. P. (2012). Psychodynamic Therapy: A Guide to Evidence-Based Practice. New York: Guilford Press.
