Mich is a 23-year-old nursing student who is experiencing her first psychotic episode of paranoid schizophrenia. She has been whispering to herself, refusing to use her cell phone because she believes it contains a chip to kill her, and has accused her parents of conspiring to have her brain removed. She is no longer attending classes and will fail out if her condition does not improve. Her parents have brought her to an outpatient clinic for evaluation. Kristen is a 38-year-old divorced mother who has had a successful career for 6 years but has been constantly worrying for the past 8 months about losing her job and becoming homeless. This worry has caused restlessness, fatigue, and tension. She has

1. Case study 1
Paranoid Schizophrenia (a young woman who is experiencing her first psychotic episode)
Mich is a 23 years-old, a nursing student at a college. Over the past few weeks her family and
friends have noticed increasingly bizarre behaviors. On many occasions they’ve overheard her
whispering in an agitated voice, even though there is no one nearby. Lately, she has refused to
answer or make calls on her cell phone, claiming that if she does it will activate a deadly chip
that was implanted in her brain by evil aliens.
Her parents have tried to get her to go with them to a psychiatrist for an evaluation, but she
refuses. She has accused them on several occasions of conspiring with the aliens to have her
killed so they can remove her brain and put it inside one of their own. She has stopped attended
classes altogether. She is now so far behind in his coursework that she will fail if something
doesn’t change very soon.
Although Mich occasionally has a few beers with her friends, she’s never been known to abuse
alcohol or use drugs. She does, however, have an estranged aunt who has been in and out of
psychiatric hospitals over the years due to erratic and bizarre behavior.
Very agitated, her parents finally convinced her to go with them for a check-up in an outpatient
clinic where you work as an LPN.
Case study 2
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Kristen is a 38 year-old divorced mother of two teenagers. She has had a successful, well-paying
career for the past several years in upper-level management. Even though she has worked for the
same, thriving company for over 6 years, she’s found herself worrying constantly about losing
her job and being unable to provide for her children. This worry has been troubling her for the
past 8 months. Despite her best efforts, she hasn’t been able to shake the negative thoughts.
Ever since the worry started, Kristen has found herself feeling restless, tired, and tense. She often
paces in her office when she’s there alone. She’s had several embarrassing moments in meetings
where she has lost track of what she was trying to say. When she goes to bed at night, it’s as if
her brain won’t shut off. She finds herself mentally rehearsing all the worse-case scenarios
regarding losing her job, including ending up homeless.
Kristen finally decided to ask for medical help. She book an appointment in a private clinic
where you work as an LPN, and today is her scheduled check-up.