Case study 1Paranoid Schizophrenia (a young woman who is experiencing her first psychotic episode)

Mich is a 23 years-old, a nursing student at a college. Over the past few weeks her family and friends have noticed increasingly bizarre behaviors. On many occasions they’ve overheard her whispering in an agitated voice, even though there is no one nearby. Lately, she has refused to answer or make calls on her cell phone, claiming that if she does it will activate a deadly chip that was implanted in her brain by evil aliens.

Her parents have tried to get her to go with them to a psychiatrist for an evaluation, but she refuses. She has accused them on several occasions of conspiring with the aliens to have her killed so they can remove her brain and put it inside one of their own. She has stopped attended classes altogether. She is now so far behind in his coursework that she will fail if something doesn’t change very soon.

Although Mich occasionally has a few beers with her friends, she’s never been known to abuse alcohol or use drugs. She does, however, have an estranged aunt who has been in and out of psychiatric hospitals over the years due to erratic and bizarre behavior.

Very agitated, her parents finally convinced her to go with them for a check-up in an outpatient clinic where you work as an LPN.

Case study 2Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Kristen is a 38 year-old divorced mother of two teenagers. She has had a successful, well-paying career for the past several years in upper-level management. Even though she has worked for the same, thriving company for over 6 years, she’s found herself worrying constantly about losing her job and being unable to provide for her children. This worry has been troubling her for the past 8 months. Despite her best efforts, she hasn’t been able to shake the negative thoughts.

Ever since the worry started, Kristen has found herself feeling restless, tired, and tense. She often paces in her office when she’s there alone. She’s had several embarrassing moments in meetings where she has lost track of what she was trying to say. When she goes to bed at night, it’s as if her brain won’t shut off. She finds herself mentally rehearsing all the worse-case scenarios regarding losing her job, including ending up homeless.

Kristen finally decided to ask for medical help. She book an appointment in a private clinic where you work as an LPN, and today is her scheduled check-up.