Mural ProposalThe Joy of ArtProposed Building MuralPSYC 430C.docx

Mural ProposalThe Joy of ArtProposed Building Mural
PSYC 430
Case Study 3: Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Patient: Randy
Written by Elaine Cassel
Marymount University and Lord Fairfax Community College
Worth Publishers, 2004
Presenting Complaint:
Thirty-two-year-old Randy lives in a cabin in a remote rural
area of Montana. He moved here 10 years ago after he left his
parent’s home in suburban Sacramento, California. The cabin
has no electricity or running water. Randy considers himself a
survivalist; he heats his house with wood and gets his water
from a nearby mountain stream or from the rainwater he
collects. He grows vegetables and kills game and birds. He has
a 20-year-old truck that he uses to go into town, a 100-mile trip
from his isolated home. He inherited $50,000 from an aunt
several years ago. He keeps the money in a passbook savings
account in town and withdraws cash when he needs it. He
doesn’t have a regular job, but people have found that he is
good with his hands. He does odd carpentry jobs occasionally,
if he is in the mood.
When Randy goes into town, it is usually to get a couple of
hundred dollars of cash out of the bank, buy a few things from
the grocery store, such as coffee, milk, and household items,
treat himself to lunch at the diner, and go to the library. On
these trips, he might pick up a job or two.

The people who know Randy refer to him as “odd” but
harmless. He often talks to himself when he eats or works.
Some say that if they listen closely he appears to be carrying on
a conversation with one or two other people. Randy wears worn-
out clothing and has long hair and a bushy beard. He is often
dirty and disheveled, but he is not so different in that regard
from other men in the area.
The diner where Randy eats lunch has a television that is
always on. Randy appears agitated by the television and he
mumbles something like, “Turn that thing off. It is messing with
my head.” One of the waitresses humors him and asks the other
clients if she can turn it off. Most agree. When that waitress
isn’t working, the television stays on. Then Randy doesn’t
linger over his meal.
The librarian says Randy must be very bright, because he
checks out history and philosophy books. In fact, she often
orders books he wants from a large city library, as their library
caters to the simple tastes of its rural populace.
One day, Randy came into the restaurant extremely
agitated. He was pulling at his hair and talking loudly. He asked
the waitress to give him something to stop the noise. What
noise, she asked? He said, “The noise in my head. Since the
television stole my brain I can’t stop the noise.” The waitress
laughed and said, “Why don’t you tell us what kind of noise is
in your head? Maybe we want to listen, too.” At this point,
Randy reached over the counter and grabbed the waitress by the
blouse and shouted, “Kill the noise or I will kill you.”
A scuffle ensued as the patrons in the restaurant rushed to
the waitress’s defense. As they struggled with Randy he got
more upset. He kicked, he bit, he threatened. Someone called
the police and they came to arrest Randy. He actually calmed
down and told the officers, “So, it’s you. Go head and take me.

You have been after me for years – putting arsenic in my garden
plot, taking money out of my bank account. And stealing my
brain – don’t think I forgot that. But you will pay for this. The
Chief is looking for you.”
Randy was arrested and charges with assault and battery on
the waitress and the patrons who tried to restrain him – both
misdemeanors. Randy spent the night in jail before being
brought before a judge the next day. During his night in jail he
continuously banged on the bars demanding that the guards turn
off the television (the closed-circuit television hung on the wall
outside and across from his cell). He threw his metal dinner
plate at the television, cursing it and yelling, “Why are you
doing this to me? You stole my brain, what else do you want?”
When he was taken in front of the judge, the officers reported
on his comment at the restaurant and his behavior in jail. The
jail superintendent reported that he wanted Randy charged with
destruction of jail property (his metal dinner tray dented the
side of the television). The judge ordered a psychological
evaluation to see if Randy was suffering from a mental disorder
of some kind. When the judge asked Randy if he knew what a
psychological evaluation was, Randy said, “Sure. They want to
get inside my head. But I’m telling you, they won’t find
anything. My brain is missing and I don’t know where I left it.”
Social and Family History:
Randy was the middle of three children. His father was an
electrician and his mother taught elementary school. His older
brother committed suicide at the age of 30 – having struggled
with depression most of his adult life. His father was never
diagnosed with a mental disorder, but he was known for his
paranoia and eccentric behaviors. Randy’s mother had learned
to be quiet and passive in order to appease her volatile husband.
They rarely communicated with one another, and when they did
it usually ended up in an argument.

Randy was a star high-school student had a 3.8 GPA his
first year in college. He was majoring in history. When a
girlfriend broke up with him, his grades started to slip and
everything about his seemed to change. He slept a lot, ate
mostly junk food, and stopped going to class. He was placed on
academic probation. He accused the Dean of being out to “get”
him. He even suggested that the Dean took his girlfriend.
Eventually Randy was expelled from the college.
He went home to his parents, where he became withdrawn
and paranoid. Randy was angry with his father, who mostly
ignored him. His mother was afraid of him, especially when he
talked to himself and yelled at the television. Once when they
were gone for the weekend, Randy pulled the cable box out of
the wall and took a hammer to the television set, smashing in
the sides. He told his parents that the cable box was taking
thoughts from his brain sending them to the television for all to
hear. “My thoughts belong to me, and to no one else. Whoever
tries to take them is going to have to pay.”
A neighbor of his parents suggested that Randy ought to go
to the community mental health clinic. Randy’s father forbid it,
saying no son of mine is going to a shrink. Shrinks are for
“sissies.” When the neighbor asked Randy if he wanted to get
some help, Randy’s response was, “I don’t need help. Just turn
off the damn TV.”
One day, Randy went to the police department and said he
wanted to file a criminal complaint. “Against whom?” the
officer on duty asked. “Against WJTA-TV,” Randy said.
Sensing that Randy was a “big off,” he asked Randy, “What did
they do to you?” “Larceny – grand larceny,” Randy said. “They
stole my brain, and I want it back.”
The officer pretended to write up a complaint and told

Randy he would give it to his supervisor for approval. That
appeased Randy. When he left, the officer laughed and said,
“Boy, it takes all kinds.”
Shortly after this incident, Randy’s aunt died and left him
$50, 000. Randy bought an old truck, the same one he has now,
packed up his clothes and books and took off. He left his
parents a note reading, “Thanks for nothing.” That was the last
they heard from Randy.
Diagnosis:
DSM-IV Checklist
Schizophrenia
1. At least two of the following symptoms, each present for a
significant portion of time during a one-month period:
a. Delusions
b. Hallucinations
c. Disorganized speech
d. Grossly disorganized or catatonic behavior
e. Negative symptoms
2. Functioning markedly below the level achieved prior to
onset.
3. Continuous signs of the disturbance for at least six months, at
least one month of which includes symptoms in full and active
form (as opposed to attenuated form).
Based on APA, 2000, 1994
Page 3 of 3
PSYC 430
Case Study 2: Depression and Suicidality
Depression and Suicidality

Patient: Ellen
Presenting complaint:
Forty-seven-year-old Ellen walked hurriedly to her car. She had
just finished teaching a three-hour class in American Literature
at the university where she was an Associate Professor and it
had gone well. She was able to forget about her depression for a
while and stop obsessing about suicide.
As Ellen drove down the highway and got onto the
interstate for her 45-minute drive home, she felt the pall of
sadness that had overtaken most of her life in the past month. In
a one-week period her mother, with whom she had not had a
close relationship, died after a lingering illness and her latest
boyfriend, Harry, a fellow English teacher, began dating one of
his students. Clearly, their relationship was over. She felt that
the night Harry told her about his “love” for a student that her
life had hit rock bottom. She had just gotten back from her
mother’s funeral and had not even begun to deal with the issues
that haunted her – like the guilt she felt for not being more help
to her mother (even thought she lived 800 miles away) and the
grief she felt because she never was close to her mother.
Ellen had found, though, that thinking about suicide helped
her feel better. She had a .22 revolver that she liked to shoot at
targets, but she had heard that it was not a good idea to attempt
suicide with a .22 unless one was a good shot. So Ellen had
taken to fantasizing about buying and learning to shoot a bigger
gun, maybe a 9 mm or a .38-caliber revolver. Since she and
Harry were no longer an item, maybe that is how she could
spend her weekends. She lived near a big gun shop that had
targets set up and she could practice until she felt she was

accomplished enough to turn the gun on herself. Then she would
pick a day when Harry had a class scheduled. She would leave a
note in his box, go in back of the Humanities Building where
the English classes were held, and pull the trigger at a time
when it would disrupt one of Harry’s classes.
Yes, Ellen thought, I should go to the gun shop Saturday.
Because Ellen was so in touch with her feelings, she noticed
that this thought – of buying a new gun – lifted her spirits. She
put a Rolling Stones CD into the player and sang with it all the
way home.
Ellen was the third child in a family of four, three girls and a
boy. Her older brother, Alfred, and sister, Jean, were 12 and 10
years older than she. Her younger sister, Joyce, was 7 years
younger. Ellen did not remember anything related to her brother
when she was at home except when he left to fight in the
Korean War. She recalls her mother and Jean being distraught,
and Alfred’s girlfriend and her family being sad. All she
remembers about Jean was her wedding, at the age of 19, to her
childhood sweetheart. She remembers almost nothing about
Joyce, except that her parents seemed to dote on her.
Ellen’s father, Fran, was a binge-drinking alcoholic. About
three times a year he went on binges. During such times, he
would drink nonstop for several days, get violently ill, have to
be sent to the VA Hospital to “dry out” (he was a veteran of
World War II), and return home to face the loss of his business
and business equipment. Frank was a brilliant man who had lost
his own parents when he was 8 years old. He and an older
brother literally raised themselves in a dirt-poor rural
community. Frank went into the service when he was 16. There
he learned to work (and work on) heavy equipment like
bulldozers and cranes. He owned some expensive equipment and

was self-employed, mainly doing road construction. But when
he went on his binges and was out of work for two or three
weeks, the banks often repossessed his equipment and he lost
the jobs. Funny thing was that Frank was so good at what he did
that he would get new loans for new equipment, new jobs, or
would possibly go back to the same job when he “dried out.”
Frequently the family had to move, as Frank and Ellen’s
mother, Evelyn, would miss a rent payment or two. Evelyn was
the middle child of 13 children. She too, came from an
extremely poor family. She and Frank married when she was 16
and he was 18. Evelyn was a quiet, unassuming person, and
religious fanatic – involved in a fundamentalist sect. But she
never condemned Frank and was long-suffering.
Evelyn worked menial jobs for as long as Ellen could
remember. By the time Ellen was 8 years old, she was coming
home from school to an empty house that she had the obligation
to clean. She cooked dinner and did the laundry. She recalls no
affection from either parent, but she does remember harsh
physical punishment for “talking back” to them or complaining
about going to church. Ellen hated the church her mother
dragged her to.
In order to escape from her miserable home life, her
father’s drunken binges, and her mother’s religious fanaticism,
Ellen turned to a life of books, school work, and, when she was
old enough, taking jobs herself. She excelled in school and was
admired by her teachers. She had a couple of close friends
whose parents “adopted” her. They felt badly that Ellen was so
mistreated by her own parents. Ellen’s mother resented Ellen’s
involvement in school, for she thought that she should be doing
“the Lord’s work” and not concerning herself with books and
learning – the so-called “tools of the devil.” Neither of Ellen’s
parents ever went to any of the school functions that Ellen was
involved in, nor did they recognize or praise her academic

accomplishments.
When Ellen graduated from high school as class
valedictorian, she turned down scholarships at local colleges
and literally ran away from home. She moved to Washington,
DC and got a low-paying job with the government. When she
became pregnant, she married a man 18 years older than she.
After having the child, she began college.
From college she went on to graduate school in English.
By then her marriage was floundering. The older man she had
hoped would be nice to her turned out to be controlling and
aloof –somewhat like her father. Though she was a good
mother, Ellen was also selfish. One day, while still in graduate
school, she walked out on her husband and 10-year-old
daughter.
Over the years, Ellen kept in touch with her daughter and
eventually had a good relationship with her, but she had no luck
with men or relationships. She obtained a Ph. D. in English
Literature from a prestigious institution and eventually landed
the job she now held at a well-respected state university. Ellen
had been totally successful in her professional life. She worked
hard and got what she went after. She was admired in her field.
But, as she got older and hit her late 40s, she suffered
frequent bouts of depression due mainly to her loneliness. She
had a good relationship with her daughter and her colleagues,
but she had no other social support. She had no close friends.
She was always working but she also felt out of place since she
was not married. She refused to hang out with her married
friends and felt like an “old-maid” or social misfit. Work served
two purposes – it increased her professional success and gave
her an excuse not to have a social life.
Ellen had little contact with her mother during her adult

life. Her father had died right after Ellen had gotten married,
and though Ellen went home for the funeral she recalled feeling
no emotion about his death. When Ellen’s child was still a baby,
Ellen’s mother made an effort to re-establish contact, but Ellen
was pretty cool to the idea. However, as Ellen got older she
visited her mother once a year and tried to connect with her and
her sisters. But somehow Ellen never quite felt as if she
belonged, and though polite and cordial, she felt
“disconnected,” as she would say, from her mother and sisters.
That it why it caught Ellen by surprise that she was so
taken aback by her mother’s death – somewhat after the fact. As
with her father’s funeral, she hadn’t felt much grief. It is as if
she dissociated from the events surrounding the funeral. But
when she got home – once Harry “dumped” her, as she put it –
her mother’s death hit her, and hit her hard.
By the time Ellen had begun fantasizing about killing
herself, she had been seriously depressed for almost a month.
She had just about stopped eating (which was not hard to do,
since Ellen was obsessed with being thin and at 5’ 5’’ weighed
110 pounds) and rarely slept. She worked all the time – working
on a new textbook for which she had a contract and working on
her class lectures.
Ellen actually wanted to try psychotherapy because she
wanted someone to talk to. But she figured that no one would
really understand her, so why spend the money? She was
adamant that she would never take medication. For one thing,
she thought that she could control her state of mind – if she
wanted to. If she wanted to “snap out of it” Ellen felt that she
could. But frankly, she did not want to feel better, or feel
happy. The way she saw it, she had nothing to live for anyway.
She didn’t think her daughter would care a whole lot if she
“checked out,” since she had a happy married and two nice kids
(whom Ellen adored) and would inherit Ellen’s savings and

belongings.
Yes, living had gotten to be a burden – and far more
trouble than it was worth. Talk therapy, medication – they
would just mask the underlying issue. Ellen had nothing to live
for and the sooner she could do herself in, the better.
Diagnosis:
DSM-IV Checklist
Major Depressive Episode:
1. The presence of at least five of the following symptoms
during the same two-week period:
-depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day
-markedly diminished interest or pleasure in almost all
activities most of the day,
nearly every day
-significant weight loss or weight gain, or decrease or
increase in appetite nearly
every day
-insomnia or hypersomnia nearly every day
-psychomotor agitation or retardation nearly every day
-fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day
-feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt nearly every
day
-reduced ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness,
nearly every day
-recurrent thoughts of death or suicide, a suicide attempt,
or a specific plan for
committing suicide.
2. Significant distress or impairment
Major Depressive Disorder:
1. The presence of a major depressive episode
2. No history of a manic or hypomanic episode

Dysthymic Disorder:
1. Depressed mood for most of the day, for more days than not,
for at least two years
2. Presence, while depressed, or at least two of the following:
-Poor appetite or overeating
-Insomnia or hypersomnia
-Low energy or fatigue
-Low self-esteem
-Poor concentration or difficulty making decisions
-Feelings of hopelessness
3. During the two-year period, symptoms not absent for
more than two months at a
time.
4. No history or a manic or hypomanic episode.
5. Significant distress or impairment.
Schneidman’s Taxonomy of Suicide
Death Seeker
A person who clearly intends to end his life or her life at the
time of a suicide attempt.
Death Initiator
A person who attempts suicide believing that the process of
death is already under way and that he or she is simply
hastening the process.
Death Ignorer
A person who attempts suicide without recognizing the finality
of death.
Death Darer
A person who is ambivalent about the wish to die even as he or
she attempts suicide.

Common Predictors of Suicide:
1. Depressive disorder and certain other mental disorders
2. Alcoholism and other forms of substance abuse
3. Suicide ideation, talk, preparation; certain religious ideas
4. Prior suicide attempts
5. Lethal methods
6. Isolation, living along, loss of support
7. Hopelessness, cognitive rigidity
8. Being an older white male
9. Modeling, suicide in the family, genetics
10. Economic or work problems; certain occupations
11. Marital problems, family pathology
12. Stress and stressful events
13. Anger, aggression, irritability
14. Physical illness
15. Repetition and combination of factors 1 to 14
Source: Adapted from Maris, 1992
Page 2 of 5
PSYC 430
Case Study 2: Depression and Suicidality
Depression and Suicidality
Patient: Ellen
Presenting complaint:
Forty-seven-year-old Ellen walked hurriedly to her car. She had
just finished teaching a three-hour class in American Literature
at the university where she was an Associate Professor and it
had gone well. She was able to forget about her depression for a
while and stop obsessing about suicide.

As Ellen drove down the highway and got onto the
interstate for her 45-minute drive home, she felt the pall of
sadness that had overtaken most of her life in the past month. In
a one-week period her mother, with whom she had not had a
close relationship, died after a lingering illness and her latest
boyfriend, Harry, a fellow English teacher, began dating one of
his students. Clearly, their relationship was over. She felt that
the night Harry told her about his “love” for a student that her
life had hit rock bottom. She had just gotten back from her
mother’s funeral and had not even begun to deal with the issues
that haunted her – like the guilt she felt for not being more help
to her mother (even thought she lived 800 miles away) and the
grief she felt because she never was close to her mother.
Ellen had found, though, that thinking about suicide helped
her feel better. She had a .22 revolver that she liked to shoot at
targets, but she had heard that it was not a good idea to attempt
suicide with a .22 unless one was a good shot. So Ellen had
taken to fantasizing about buying and learning to shoot a bigger
gun, maybe a 9 mm or a .38-caliber revolver. Since she and
Harry were no longer an item, maybe that is how she could
spend her weekends. She lived near a big gun shop that had
targets set up and she could practice until she felt she was
accomplished enough to turn the gun on herself. Then she would
pick a day when Harry had a class scheduled. She would leave a
note in his box, go in back of the Humanities Building where
the English classes were held, and pull the trigger at a time
when it would disrupt one of Harry’s classes.
Yes, Ellen thought, I should go to the gun shop Saturday.
Because Ellen was so in touch with her feelings, she noticed
that this thought – of buying a new gun – lifted her spirits. She
put a Rolling Stones CD into the player and sang with it all the
way home.

Ellen was the third child in a family of four, three girls and a
boy. Her older brother, Alfred, and sister, Jean, were 12 and 10
years older than she. Her younger sister, Joyce, was 7 years
younger. Ellen did not remember anything related to her brother
when she was at home except when he left to fight in the
Korean War. She recalls her mother and Jean being distraught,
and Alfred’s girlfriend and her family being sad. All she
remembers about Jean was her wedding, at the age of 19, to her
childhood sweetheart. She remembers almost nothing about
Joyce, except that her parents seemed to dote on her.
Ellen’s father, Fran, was a binge-drinking alcoholic. About
three times a year he went on binges. During such times, he
would drink nonstop for several days, get violently ill, have to
be sent to the VA Hospital to “dry out” (he was a veteran of
World War II), and return home to face the loss of his business
and business equipment. Frank was a brilliant man who had lost
his own parents when he was 8 years old. He and an older
brother literally raised themselves in a dirt-poor rural
community. Frank went into the service when he was 16. There
he learned to work (and work on) heavy equipment like
bulldozers and cranes. He owned some expensive equipment and
was self-employed, mainly doing road construction. But when
he went on his binges and was out of work for two or three
weeks, the banks often repossessed his equipment and he lost
the jobs. Funny thing was that Frank was so good at what he did
that he would get new loans for new equipment, new jobs, or
would possibly go back to the same job when he “dried out.”
Frequently the family had to move, as Frank and Ellen’s
mother, Evelyn, would miss a rent payment or two. Evelyn was
the middle child of 13 children. She too, came from an
extremely poor family. She and Frank married when she was 16
and he was 18. Evelyn was a quiet, unassuming person, and
religious fanatic – involved in a fundamentalist sect. But she

never condemned Frank and was long-suffering.
Evelyn worked menial jobs for as long as Ellen could
remember. By the time Ellen was 8 years old, she was coming
home from school to an empty house that she had the obligation
to clean. She cooked dinner and did the laundry. She recalls no
affection from either parent, but she does remember harsh
physical punishment for “talking back” to them or complaining
about going to church. Ellen hated the church her mother
dragged her to.
In order to escape from her miserable home life, her
father’s drunken binges, and her mother’s religious fanaticism,
Ellen turned to a life of books, school work, and, when she was
old enough, taking jobs herself. She excelled in school and was
admired by her teachers. She had a couple of close friends
whose parents “adopted” her. They felt badly that Ellen was so
mistreated by her own parents. Ellen’s mother resented Ellen’s
involvement in school, for she thought that she should be doing
“the Lord’s work” and not concerning herself with books and
learning – the so-called “tools of the devil.” Neither of Ellen’s
parents ever went to any of the school functions that Ellen was
involved in, nor did they recognize or praise her academic
accomplishments.
When Ellen graduated from high school as class
valedictorian, she turned down scholarships at local colleges
and literally ran away from home. She moved to Washington,
DC and got a low-paying job with the government. When she
became pregnant, she married a man 18 years older than she.
After having the child, she began college.
From college she went on to graduate school in English.
By then her marriage was floundering. The older man she had
hoped would be nice to her turned out to be controlling and
aloof –somewhat like her father. Though she was a good

mother, Ellen was also selfish. One day, while still in graduate
school, she walked out on her husband and 10-year-old
daughter.
Over the years, Ellen kept in touch with her daughter and
eventually had a good relationship with her, but she had no luck
with men or relationships. She obtained a Ph. D. in English
Literature from a prestigious institution and eventually landed
the job she now held at a well-respected state university. Ellen
had been totally successful in her professional life. She worked
hard and got what she went after. She was admired in her field.
But, as she got older and hit her late 40s, she suffered
frequent bouts of depression due mainly to her loneliness. She
had a good relationship with her daughter and her colleagues,
but she had no other social support. She had no close friends.
She was always working but she also felt out of place since she
was not married. She refused to hang out with her married
friends and felt like an “old-maid” or social misfit. Work served
two purposes – it increased her professional success and gave
her an excuse not to have a social life.
Ellen had little contact with her mother during her adult
life. Her father had died right after Ellen had gotten married,
and though Ellen went home for the funeral she recalled feeling
no emotion about his death. When Ellen’s child was still a baby,
Ellen’s mother made an effort to re-establish contact, but Ellen
was pretty cool to the idea. However, as Ellen got older she
visited her mother once a year and tried to connect with her and
her sisters. But somehow Ellen never quite felt as if she
belonged, and though polite and cordial, she felt
“disconnected,” as she would say, from her mother and sisters.
That it why it caught Ellen by surprise that she was so
taken aback by her mother’s death – somewhat after the fact. As
with her father’s funeral, she hadn’t felt much grief. It is as if

she dissociated from the events surrounding the funeral. But
when she got home – once Harry “dumped” her, as she put it –
her mother’s death hit her, and hit her hard.
By the time Ellen had begun fantasizing about killing
herself, she had been seriously depressed for almost a month.
She had just about stopped eating (which was not hard to do,
since Ellen was obsessed with being thin and at 5’ 5’’ weighed
110 pounds) and rarely slept. She worked all the time – working
on a new textbook for which she had a contract and working on
her class lectures.
Ellen actually wanted to try psychotherapy because she
wanted someone to talk to. But she figured that no one would
really understand her, so why spend the money? She was
adamant that she would never take medication. For one thing,
she thought that she could control her state of mind – if she
wanted to. If she wanted to “snap out of it” Ellen felt that she
could. But frankly, she did not want to feel better, or feel
happy. The way she saw it, she had nothing to live for anyway.
She didn’t think her daughter would care a whole lot if she
“checked out,” since she had a happy married and two nice kids
(whom Ellen adored) and would inherit Ellen’s savings and
belongings.
Yes, living had gotten to be a burden – and far more
trouble than it was worth. Talk therapy, medication – they
would just mask the underlying issue. Ellen had nothing to live
for and the sooner she could do herself in, the better.
Diagnosis:
DSM-IV Checklist
Major Depressive Episode:
1. The presence of at least five of the following symptoms

during the same two-week period:
-depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day
-markedly diminished interest or pleasure in almost all
activities most of the day,
nearly every day
-significant weight loss or weight gain, or decrease or
increase in appetite nearly
every day
-insomnia or hypersomnia nearly every day
-psychomotor agitation or retardation nearly every day
-fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day
-feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt nearly every
day
-reduced ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness,
nearly every day
-recurrent thoughts of death or suicide, a suicide attempt,
or a specific plan for
committing suicide.
2. Significant distress or impairment
Major Depressive Disorder:
1. The presence of a major depressive episode
2. No history of a manic or hypomanic episode
Dysthymic Disorder:
1. Depressed mood for most of the day, for more days than not,
for at least two years
2. Presence, while depressed, or at least two of the following:
-Poor appetite or overeating
-Insomnia or hypersomnia
-Low energy or fatigue
-Low self-esteem
-Poor concentration or difficulty making decisions
-Feelings of hopelessness
3. During the two-year period, symptoms not absent for
more than two months at a

time.
4. No history or a manic or hypomanic episode.
5. Significant distress or impairment.
Schneidman’s Taxonomy of Suicide
Death Seeker
A person who clearly intends to end his life or her life at the
time of a suicide attempt.
Death Initiator
A person who attempts suicide believing that the process of
death is already under way and that he or she is simply
hastening the process.
Death Ignorer
A person who attempts suicide without recognizing the finality
of death.
Death Darer
A person who is ambivalent about the wish to die even as he or
she attempts suicide.
Common Predictors of Suicide:
1. Depressive disorder and certain other mental disorders
2. Alcoholism and other forms of substance abuse
3. Suicide ideation, talk, preparation; certain religious ideas
4. Prior suicide attempts
5. Lethal methods
6. Isolation, living along, loss of support
7. Hopelessness, cognitive rigidity
8. Being an older white male
9. Modeling, suicide in the family, genetics
10. Economic or work problems; certain occupations
11. Marital problems, family pathology
12. Stress and stressful events

13. Anger, aggression, irritability
14. Physical illness
15. Repetition and combination of factors 1 to 14
Source: Adapted from Maris, 1992
Page 2 of 5
References
The Roots of Mental Illness, by Kristen Weir. (2012) pub.
The Epidemic of Mental Illness, by Dr. Mercola. (2011) pub.
Treating Mental Illness, by D. J. Jaffe (2013) pub.
Preventing mental illness: closing the evidence-practice gap
through workforce and services planning, by Gareth Furbe
(2015) pub.
Mental Health Expert: Christians Should Not Be Surprised That
There's Something Wrong With All of Us, by Nicola Menzie
(2014) pub.
PSYC 430
Research Paper Instructions
Research a specific mental disorder within the realm of
Abnormal Psychology. The topic must be one which is
discussed in the Comer text and described in the current edition
of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
(DSM). The length of the body of the paper must be at least 7
pages, and must not exceed 10 pages of summarized research
findings in current APA format. In addition to this, include a
current APA-style title page, abstract, and references; these do
not count toward the minimum number of pages required. The
paper must be organized with sub-headings reflecting the
required sections (I–IX).
The research paper will address the following aspects,
organized in this order:
*
Title Page: APA-style
*

Abstract: APA-style
I. Introduction: Introduce and describe the topic. Discuss the
DSM classification for the disorder, including a discussion of
the specific criteria as described in the DSM (1/2 page).
II. Historical: The disorder in its historical context (1 page).
III. Cause of the Illness: Current research as to the cause of the
illness (1 page).
IV. Treatment: Various treatment approaches for this disorder,
including the benefits of the treatment (1 page).
V. Prevention: Research as to the prevention of the illness (1
page).
VI. Cross Cultural: Cross-cultural issues pertaining to the topic
(1 page).
VII. Biblical Worldview: Discuss the topic from a Christian
worldview perspective, including disorder’s cause, treatment,
and prevention. Utilize the Bible and a book or journal source
written from a biblical/theological perspective on the topic (1
page).
VIII. Conclusion: Include a closing summary of the research,
including ideas for future research on the topic (1/2 page).
IX.
References: APA-style. See also References Grading Rubric and
instructions.
*
Organize paper according to directions. Include current APA-
style Level 1 sub-titles.
*
Use the references you found for your References Assignment.
*
The use of 3RD person point of view is expected for this type of
scholarly research assignment.
*
Correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation is expected in
writing at this level.

*
Include not more than ½ page of directly quoted material.
Directly quoted material in excess of ½ page would not count
towards length/content requirements of the paper.
*
Current APA formatting is required.
*
Course Textbook is not permitted as a source for the References
assignment or Research Paper

Mural ProposalThe Joy of ArtProposed Building MuralPSYC 430C.docx

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Similar to Mural ProposalThe Joy of ArtProposed Building MuralPSYC 430C.docx

Similar to Mural ProposalThe Joy of ArtProposed Building MuralPSYC 430C.docx (12)

More from gilpinleeanna

More from gilpinleeanna (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Mural ProposalThe Joy of ArtProposed Building MuralPSYC 430C.docx