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.
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11 comments:
Good description on what he has to do to treat his disorder. Great blog overall :)
I did this one too. I agree with you on the fact that he needs therapy to deal with his issues. With time, he will be better. Good job! :)
Great post! I had the same case study, and I came up with the same conclusions (which means we're either both right... or both wrong! :)
I thought your treatment plan was very detailed (You sounded almost like a doctor prescribing drugs to his patient) and I did not see any real problems in this post.
Good Job Its right on target. with the case.
I did OCD for my third blog! i agree with everything you said. I like your descriptions and what you highlighted. Your treatment also hit the mark.
OCD liek this? I never really figured that being a clean freak was OCD. Thought it was mostly excessive hobbies. We learn something new everyday haha.
Good treatment plan you should become a doctor!
I think he needs therapy to deal with issues and your plans for his well being are very interesting to read. Good job!
Good diagnosis. Your discussion of treatments for OCD was really good too!
I liked that you described the disorder in detail as well as the treatment. Great post!
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