Case Study
Patient Demographic: Client Age: 32 Sex: Female Gender: Female Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual Ethnicity: Latina; Mexican American Relationship Status: Married Counseling Setting: Community Mental Health Type of Counseling: Individual and Psychoeducation Presenting Problem: Depression Diagnosis: Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) with Psychotic Features 296.24 (F32.3)
Mental Status Exam: Mental Status Exam: The client is well groomed and appropriately dressed. Her voice is soft and low, and she avoids eye contact, mainly when talking about her family. She states, “I’ve put them through so much. And I feel so ashamed when I’m unable to care for them.” She endorses feelings of hopelessness but denies suicidal and homicidal ideations. The client says that she hears voices and believes that they are the voices of her deceased ancestors trying to communicate with her. She explains that the “spirits” whisper her name in the middle of the night and come to her when she is alone. The client denies command hallucinations. Her appetite is poor, and she has difficulty sleeping “most nights.” She has experienced depressive symptoms most of her life, but, outside of the recent hospitalization, she has not sought treatment due to believing that mental illness is a sign of weakness. History of Conditio
Presenting Problem: You work in a community mental health setting. Your client is a 32-year-old Latina presenting with symptoms of depression and psychosis. She reports that she was hospitalized more than 6 months ago and did not attend follow-up appointments due to losing her health insurance coverage. The client currently reports anhedonia, sadness, feelings of worthlessness, and poor concentration. She explains that there are many days when she cannot get out of bed and is unable to fulfill her role as a wife and mother. The client also reports audio hallucinations and says this began when her grandmother died more than a year ago. She explains that her grandmother lived in her home and that her loss was “devastating” to the client. The client is fluent in Spanish and English.
Other Contexts: The client has been on antidepressants for 3 weeks and has shown improvement with depressive symptoms. She has benefited from weekly counseling sessions and attends a psychoeducational group designed to help reduce stigma associated with mental disorders, provide information on medication management, and improve healthcare access and utilization. It has been 18 months since her grandmother’s death, and she has expressed a desire to process feelings of grief and loss.  Which approach would help the client understand that depression is an illness (i\. e., not a moral failing) stemming from difficult life events (e\. g

Question: Which approach would help the client understand that depression is an illness (i.e., not a moral failing) stemming from difficult life events (e.g., complicated bereavement)?
(A): Interpersonal therapy
(B): Psychoanalytic therapy
(C): Gestalt therapy
(D): Person-centered therapy

Correct Answer: Interpersonal therapy
Explanation: Interpersonal therapy is a form of cognitive therapy based on the assumption that depression is an illness rather than a moral failing. Interpersonal therapists operate on the premise that interpersonal problems fall into four separate categories: grief and loss (eg, complicated bereavement), including trouble reestablishing social ties soon after the loss; a major life change or role transition; conflict in a valued relationship; or social isolation. Psychoanalytic therapy stresses the importance of discovering unconscious forces that drive behavior. Person-centered therapy uses the core facilitative conditions of unconditional positive regard, empathy, and genuineness. Finally, gestalt therapy focuses on successfully integrating the mind and body through present awareness. Therefore, the correct answer is (B)
Competency: counseling skills and interventions