Mood Disorders: Ms. Saima Saif Ms. Ayesha Zia

Mood Disorders Ms. Saima Saif Ms. Ayesha Zia

Case 1 • Joey is a 14 years old boy and has been brought to the psychodiagnostic clinic for being aggressive at home. He has constant angry outbursts at home and his mother and sister cannot handle him anymore. Since the divorce of his parents a year ago, he has become overly difficult to manage. Joey does not want to speak to the psychologist, he is constantly kicking the desk. After the psychologist calms him down, he reports that he feels frustrated and does not want to talk to people. He tells that he has no friends and feels sad all the time. He gets bored easily and often gets into physical and verbal fights. He feels tired all the time. During tantrums he often wishes that he were dead.

Continued • His mother reported that: She explained that at times she feels he is going to be okay and seems to be enjoying a task; however, irritability surfaces quickly when what he wants is refused or things do not go his way. Some days she says he can sleep all day, and others he states he cannot sleep at all. Over the last 2 years, his mother reported multiple episodes of his being unable to complete tasks because he was easily distracted. When asked to do something and he was completing a task he had selected, he would refuse to stop what he was doing and get angry at the interruption. His mother further reported that his hitting behaviors and angry outbursts started to appear at age 9.

IDENTIFY THE MAJOR DOMAIN IN WHICH THE SYMPTOMS CAN FALL

IDENTIFY THE SYMPTOMS IN FOLLOWING DOMAINS

EMOTIONAL

SOMATIC

COGNITIVE

BEHAVIORAL

Important points! • NOT diagnosed before the age of 6 years or after 18 years • Onset should be before 10 years– this criteria is added to separate it from bipolar disorder which generally has an onset during adolescence or beyond.