Reference no: EM133475492

Case: Calista was a 27-year-old mother of two small children who agreed to begin therapy at the insistence of her parents who expressed great concern over Calista's unusual thoughts. Several days earlier she had a traffic accident, with her 3-month-old daughter in the back seat. When the police came, she told them that they could not arrest her, because her father was the head of a government agency. She gave them his phone number and asked them to call for themselves.

Calista had always been an awkward child who never felt as if she "fit in" with the other children. To make herself feel better she started telling the neighborhood children that she could predict the future.

When the children learned the truth, she was made fun of and bullied. She had few friends, and in ninth grade she attempted suicide.

It was after her suicide attempt that Calista began to believe that her life had been spared so she could save others. She believed she was from another planet and was part of an elite group of leaders sent to Earth. Even though her stories became more and more bizarre, Calista had always had a quiet demeanor and a sweet smile. When people met her for the first time, they liked her, and didn't notice anything unusual until she started talking about her home planet.

In the months preceding her car accident, Calista had started an online business in which she claimed to have the ability to heal people from cancer and other terminal illnesses. Several terminally ill people desperate to find a cure for their illnesses, came to her. After one man died from pancreatic cancer, Calista told people it was his own fault because he hadn't believed strongly enough in her powers and chose to die instead.

Calista had graduated from high school but was not able to hold a job for more than a few months. She was always excited to start something, but she had difficulty being on time and was easily bored; after a few weeks she would either quit or be let go. She depended on her parents to support her and the children, but she told others she was the head of a multinational company. Although it was easy for people to say she was just lying, deep down, Calista really believed her delusions to be true.

After the births of each of her children, Calista became depressed and began taking prescription painkillers to "numb out." She started sleeping all day and using drugs and alcohol to escape. It was at this time that she had the car accident, and her parents, who were worried about the safety of Calista and her children, insisted she seek counseling Calista was diagnosed with delusional disorder, grandiose type, continuous, with bizarre content.

Question 1: List the signs and symptoms that point to a mental health diagnosis in the case.

Question 2: Describe the other case details you would need to know for treatment planning and explain your reasoning.

Question 3: List and describe the treatment interventions you would use for this case and explain your reasoning.