Eating Disorder Psychology Case Paper

Instructions: Students should read the following case, and identify key problems and issues. Pretend you are a licensed therapist, who just started working with the client described in the case. Think back to the different mental illnesses and disorders from the DSM-5, which have been reviewed in class (Anxiety Disorders, Obsessive Compulsive & Related Disorders, Disorders of Trauma and Stress, Schizophrenia & Related Disorders, Personality Disorders, Eating Disorders, and Substance Use Disorders). What is the most appropriate diagnosis for this client? Why? Use research to back up your statements. Which therapeutic modality or treatment approach (Biological, Psychoanalytic/Psychodynamic, Cognitive/Behavioral/Cognitive-Behavioral, Humanistic Existential, or Sociocultural) would you use in your work with this client? Why? Use research to back up your statements. In your paper, you should diagnose the client, explain why the diagnosis is appropriate, and describe the therapeutic modality you would use to treat them and why it would be effective. Please remember to not use first person language in this paper.

Rebecca is a 17-year-old female who is brought to the emergency room after passing out in gym class. You are a licensed mental health therapist at the hospital where she is admitted. She presents as intelligent and stubborn, and she immediately denies she needs help. Rebecca’s parents and brother describe her as a perfectionist and a hard worker, but explain that recently she’s been struggling in school and seems to have trouble concentrating. During your meeting with Rebecca she complains of being cold several times, despite the office being a normal temperature. Rebecca’s mother reports that Rebecca began trying to eat healthier and exercise more this year. At the beginning of the year, Rebecca was 5’7” tall, and weighed 123lbs. In the last six months she lost 20lbs, bringing her weight down to 103lbs. During that time, she became more particular about the kind of food she would eat – not the quantity, exactly, but the food specifically. For example, she’d eat lots of vegetables, ice cream and sweets, but was still completely avoiding the carbs in bread, pasta, or rice. Then her parents noticed that she had started lying about her eating habits. They would find food hidden in the garbage under napkins, and she would often tell one family member that she had just finished eating with a different family member. Rebecca’s family indicates she’s been isolating more, and avoids her old friends. They say they have never known her to use drugs or alcohol, and her drug test results were negative.