Psychological Disorders
1. Jane, a patient in a psychiatric hospital, believes the hospital staff are sending poisons
through the ventilator to her room. She is experiencing delusions of paranoia.
2. Bill complains that there are times when, without warning, his heart begins to pound, his
hands get icy, and he breaks out in a sweat. Bill may have panic disorder.
3. Sally rarely steps outside her apartment. Her behavior is characteristic of agoraphobia.
4. Even though Lucy and her husband both are in good health and have good jobs and
more than adequate savings and insurance, she is constantly worried that they will both
become ill, lose their jobs, and have to accept welfare. Lucy may have generalized
anxiety disorder.
5. For the last month, Mary has been unable to get out of bed in the morning. She has
withdrawn from friends and family. She feels worthless. Mary most likely has major
depressive disorder.
6. On several occasions Willie has been taken to an emergency hospital because he
seemed to be having a heart attack. His dizziness, choking, difficulty in breathing, and
heart palpitations are symptoms of panic disorder.
7. Every day Sharon worries about whether she turned off the stove. She can barely think
of anything else. This is an example of a(n) obsession.
8. Johanna skipped class the day of her oral report because of her intense fear of making a
fool of herself. Her behavior is consistent with social phobia disorder.
9. Phyllis lives in her own private world. Her speech is incomprehensible. She giggles at
tragedies and spends hours communicating with imaginary people. She may be
diagnosed with schizophrenia.
10. Mr. W., a patient in a psychiatric hospital, often maintains bizarre stationary poses for
hours. He also has bouts of wild, excited movement. His diagnosis is probably catatonic.
11. Sam has an intense fear of snakes that prevents him from participating in outdoor social
activities because he is afraid of encountering a snake. His behavior is an example of
a(n) specific phobia.
12. John believes that he is the president of the United States. He further believes he is
being imprisoned against his will in the mental hospital where his relatives have brought
him for treatment. John is experiencing delusions of grandeur.
13. Jeff is above average in intelligence and quite charming. He has swindled several elderly
people out of their life's savings. He has little feeling for his victims and does not fear the
consequences of getting caught. He may have antisocial personality disorder.
14. A new patient comes to a clinical psychologist complaining that her life has been taken
over by the need to repeatedly check to be sure that all of the appliances in her
apartment are turned off and all of the doors are locked. This patient is experiencing a(n)
obsessive-compulsive disorder.
15. Whenever the slightest thing doesn’t go Marsha’s way, her loud, dramatic rants become
the center of everyone’s attention at the XYZ Corporation. Her fellow employees know
that nobody will be able to get any work done until someone finds a way to calm her
down. Marsha’s behavior may be an indication of a(n) histrionic personality disorder.
16. Janet constantly washes her hands. She must keep them clean as she fears that without
these seventy to eighty daily washes she will catch some types of disease. Janet is
displaying symptoms associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
17. Jack has been in and out of mental hospitals most of his life. He seems to experience
periods of extreme “highs” followed by periods of extreme “lows” in cycles. The “highs”
are sometimes so high that he is almost incoherent, and the “lows” are sometimes so
low that he is almost in a stupor and must be tube-fed. John's diagnosis is probably
bipolar disorder.
18. Alex came to a clinical psychologist to seek employment. He claimed that he had been
trained by Sigmund Freud in the practice of psychotherapy. The psychologist is likely to
diagnose Alex with delusional disorder.
19. Six-year-old Lillian’s frequent, explosive temper tantrums are the center of her family’s
life. When she is having a tantrum, she screams, hits, bites and kicks others, and
destroys property. Her parents no longer take her out of the house unless absolutely
necessary due to her unpredictable behavior. Lillian may have oppositional defiant
disorder.
20. Winston has two jobs. At one, he is known as “Red,” a quiet worker who is diligent and
rarely talks to his co-workers. At the other, he is known as “Jamal,” a cheerful would-be
rapper who always has a joke or a new song lyric to share with his fellow employees.
Winston may have dissociative identity disorder.
