Anxiety Case Studies

Please give a diagnosis for each case. List the specific criteria each person meets to qualify for your chosen diagnosis.

1) Case Study:Amy, age 38, is a worrier. She is restless, irritable, and has difficulty concentrating. She worries that she worries so much and isn't always sure what it is that she is worried about. She can't let her husband or children leave the house without making them call her regularly to reassure her that they are okay. Her husband is growing weary of her fretting. Her children can't understand what all the fuss is about. Their impatience with her only makes her worry more.Amy may suffer from ______.

2) Case Study:Annie is a 20 year-old student at a local community college. On several occasions recently, she has experienced sudden, absolute panic. During these episodes, her heart pounds; she trembles; her mouth gets dry and it feels as if the walls are caving in. The feelings only last a few minutes but, when they occur, the only thing that seems to relieve her fear is walking around her apartment and reminding herself that she is in control. She won't ride in cars now, unless she is driving so she is sure that she can stop if necessary. She will only go to class if she can find an aisle seat in the back row so that she can leave quietly should she have another attack. She avoids any situation in which she might feel out of control or embarrassed by her own terror. In fact, she often times feels an attack come on by just worrying about having one.Annie may suffer from ___.

3) Case Study:Hannah, age 55, was in a major car accident 20 years ago during a cross-country trip. Ever since, she has been unable to drive on major highways. Although she does drive, she goes to great lengths to travel only on back roads and scenic routes. She is able to go where she wants to go but it often takes much longer to get there than it should.Hannah may have developed ___.

4) Case Study:Bert is 40 years-old and works on an assembly line in a Scranton, Pennsylvania factory. He is terribly afraid of being contaminated by germs. He avoids shaking hands with others. He won't eat in the cafeteria. He has trouble leaving the bathroom because he isn't sure he has washed his hands well enough. As a result, he has become isolated from his co- workers.Bert may suffer from ___.

5) Case Study:Joanne, age 32 and newly married. As the couple has become more intimate, Joanne has started to have flashbacks about an uncle who touched her inappropriately when she was eight-years-old. She is distressed to find that she is shutting down feelings about her husband and distancing herself from him. She says that she can't stand to let herself be physically intimate with someone she loves and trusts. She startles easily and reports a general increase in anxiety. She is very angry that she has to deal with the feelings about the incidents with her uncle that happened so long ago. She says that she thought she had gotten beyond all that.Joanne may suffer from ___.

6) Case Study:Nancy, a 28 year-old marketing analyst in Minneapolis, has a fear of bridges. She takes a very long route to get to work (and to clients) in order to avoid driving over any bridges. Recently, she considered applying for another job, which could have meant a substantial salary increase. However, when she arrived at the building, she discovered that she would have to cross a footbridge to enter the building. She was unable to do that, even for the interview.Nancy may suffer from ___.