Case Study 8

Case Study 8: A 26 year old man is very concerned about cleanliness and hygiene. He spends a significant amount of time each day washing his hands or showering, especially after touch a toilet seat, doorknob, or any other item he thinks may be dirty or contaminated. The patient explains that he is concerned about becoming infected or sick from touching these objects. He periodically acknowledges that the washing is excessive but explains that he becomes very anxious when he tries to avoid washing and eventually feels compelled to wash even more to make up for the omission.



It is apparent that the subject suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder. His atypically large amount of time spent washing portrays the obsessive behavior. He knows his actions are excessive at times, but he feels compelled to accomodate for the time not spent washing. He should seek treatment through an antidepressant called clomipramine (Anafranil) which both treat despression and the obsessive compulsive behavior. He should take up to 250 mg each day. He should also seek behavior therapy which uses the technique of "exposure and response prevention." First, the subject is presented to a stimulus that triggers an obsessive-compulsive response. Then, the subject is not allowed to carry out the typical response for a few hours.

The Deranged FRIDA KAHLO

Frida Kahlo

---

Kahlo was born in Mexico in 1907, in Coyoacán, Mexico. She was extremely traumatized throughout her life, she contracted polio when she was a child, she had two failed marriages, and several miscarriages. In addition, she was in a serious trolley accident, at age 18, in which she sustained severe injuries. She's known for her agonizing self-portraits which she painted when she felt extreme pain, some of which "inflicted by her husband", Diego Rivera.

She was married to Diego Rivera, a famous muralist who encouraged her to continue with her art. Much of her art was cultivated during times she felt reject by Rivera, along with other painful events such as not being capable of having children. In her painting Henry Ford Hospital, she depicts herself having a miscarriage on a hospital bed.

This picture depicts her trolley accident.

Because of her extreme times of depression and surrealistic perception, her artwork was filled with emotion and real-life experiences. If her works were any other way, without a doubt, they would not have escalated in fame as much as they did. I feel that her success is a result of her disorder, and how it impacted her life.