Reference no: EM133761112
Assignment
Mike was 21 years old when he spent a year in Afghanistan as the gunman on a tank. His tank was hit several times during his tour of duty, and one of his friends was seriously injured. In addition, he witnessed several of his colleagues dying because of stepping on explosives and many others dying or sustaining injury from gunshots. After returning to the United States, he reentered college and tried to resume an "ordinary" life in his hometown. Within 2 years, he met and married a girl who was just graduated from high school. Their marriage lasted less than a year. During this time, Mike flunked out of school and spent much of his time playing video games. He was fired from his part-time job for either not showing up or being late. He was able to find another job at a local restaurant as a server. However, occasionally he would become angry, and he developed a habit of hitting the wall with his fist to relieve his pent-up anger. He was fired after several warnings, again related to absenteeism, and showing up late. All the while, he never talked about his experiences in Afghanistan with anyone. Out of work, divorced, and using illegal drugs, Mike was convinced by his family to go to see a psychiatric mental health professional. He reported having bouts of depression with suicidal ideation, difficulty focusing and concentrating, flashbacks, nightmares, avoidance behavior especially during veteran holidays, avoidance of war movies, and angry outbursts.
1. Any differential diagnoses (Include a short line indicating why each one should be considered for the case)
2. Your diagnosis and reasoning (Include the time consideration for differentiating adjustment disorders from PTSD).
3. Any additional questions you would have asked to obtain more information.
4. Medication recommendations along with your rationale. Discuss side effects vs benefits vs risks for all medications that are recommended.
5. Any labs and why they may be indicated (Include labs to rule out any organic causes of aggression)
6. Screener scales or diagnostic tools that may be beneficial
7. Additional resources to give (Therapy modalities, support groups, activities, etc.) Do not forget a hotline number and support group.