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Cliff Madden and Samrawit Tekle

Ring 2
Psychology
12/13/2015

Case Study Analysis

The case studies researched were numbers 14, 38, and 40. Case number 14 was an
example of psychogenic amnesia.The 38th case was a victim of PTSD that came with a tornado.
Case 40 was the victim of generalized anxiety disorder. The disorders have many symptoms
behind them with many forms of treatment.
The 14th case study was a victim of a situation specific form of psychogenic retrograde
amnesia. The cause of this amnesia is due to a highly stressful situation and is when the patient
cannot recall past memories, but can recall new ones. He does not have any biological treatment
for his amnesia which may make his problem permanent. He could use a type of cognitive
therapy to replace the memories that he had lost, but certain thoughts could trigger his old
memories to come back. He will be able to recall other memories by behaving as he did before
his behavior so that he could recall past memories. Writing down things that he should know is
also a good behavioral strategy. The use of group therapy could also help him cope with his
memory losses if he does not remember anything even after a long memory problems.
In the case study 38 the patient is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD)
that was caused by a tornado that had almost killed her. The symptoms she has are recurring
nightmares about the event as well as vivid memories and flashbacks. The cause of the disease is
due to a highly stressful situation (the tornado) that traumatized the patient and made it difficult

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for her to cope on her own as well as function as she had before the incident. There are luckily
many treatments for this disorder. If she wants cognitive treatments she could have her therapist
help with having her outlook of the events around her be more positive and less likely to lead her
to recalling her stressor. If she wants to have a behavioral approach she could get her therapist to
put her through the situation again in a safe environment that could help her learn to cope with
the stressor. She could also take Zoloft, Minipress, and Paxil for to treat symptoms of stress,
insomnia, and anxiety. Tes all can be even more influential if she would be put into group
therapy that will help her deal with her PTSD alongside many people that can sympathise with
her problem. All of these strategies work very well to relieve or even end the disorder.
Finally, case study number 40 is of a person with generalized anxiety disorder. This
disorder is rather common because it makes the subject feel stressed for little to no reason. The
disorder can be treated rather easily. Taking medications such as Antidepressants, Buspirone,
and Benzodiazepines can greatly improve the subjects mental state. If he did not want to take
pills there are also many ways to help him deal with his stress. He could have group therapy to
have other people with his problem sympathise and empathise with him. He could use the
cognitive treatment of talking to a therapist to identify the root of the stress so that he could deal
with it that way, or he could use behavioral therapy to either avoid his stressors or use strategies
such as breathing exercises to deal with the problem. There are many good ways to solve theis
disorder, so there is great hope for this subject.
All three of these disorders are very troublesome and difficult. They all cause
inconvenience and make everyday life a challenge. The use of medication on these people have
helped a lot, but people have to truly be able to solve their problems by actually working to deal

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with them. Group therapy really helps as well because of the level of support added by people
that can sympathise with peoples problems. These disorders can be cured with enough work.

Works Cited
"A List of Psychological Disorders." About.com. N.p., 19 Jan. 2015. Web. 11 Dec. 2015.

"Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)." Treatments and Drugs. N.p., 15 Apr. 2014. Web. 13 Dec.
2015.

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"Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) | Anxiety and Depression Association of America, ADAA."
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) | Anxiety and Depression Association of America,
ADAA. N.p., Oct. 2015. Web. 13 Dec. 2015.

"Generalized Anxiety Disorder." - Mayo Clinic. N.p., 25 Sept. 2014. Web. 13 Dec. 2015.

"Amnesia." Treatments and Drugs. N.p., 04 Sept. 2014. Web. 13 Dec. 2015.

Mastin, Luke. "Amnesia - Memory Disorders - The Human Memory."Amnesia - Memory Disorders The Human Memory. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2015.