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DSM-5 Diagnosis Of Schizophrenia

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The most appropriate DSM-5 Diagnosis for the client would be schizophrenia. This diagnosis is based in the client’s display of all five major symptomatic criteria, with substantial symptom bases found in criteria A1, A3, and A4 – that is, delusions, disorganized thinking / speech, and grossly disorganized / abnormal behavior.
The delusions experienced by the patient may be described as both grandiose and persecutory; these are not found simultaneously in a singular thought pattern, but rather run concurrently. The client’s grandiose delusions form the basis of her self-concept, as she is convinced of her being on the verge of a major philosophical and spiritual discovery. This delusion may serve as the primary element in motivating all other …show more content…
However, it is through the addition of other relevant information that one may reach the conclusion of diagnosing schizophrenia in the client. Regarding diagnostic criteria B, the client meets the requirement of markedly decreased level of functioning in comparison to levels prior to onset. This may be seen in notation of the client’s dramatically worsened academic performance, and in her significantly diminished attention to self-care and her social life.
Regarding criterion C, the client noted that her symptoms began approximately one year before evaluation. Such a timeframe qualifies under this criterion, as criterion C states that “disturbance” must continue for at least six months, with that six-month period including at least one month of concentrated symptoms. When combining the noted timeframe of one year with the discussions of criterion A1 through A5, such is definitively the case with the …show more content…
Firstly, it must be stated that involuntary in-patient treatment ought to be avoided if possible, especially in initial stages of the client’s treatment plan. While the symptoms exhibited by the client register as moderate (on a scale of minimal to severe), her lack of suicidal ideation and the comparatively harmless nature of her grandiose delusion make immediate involuntary detention unnecessary; the avoidance of this strategy is founded on the desire to not reinforce the client’s persecutory delusions, if possible. It is true that the nature of schizophrenia – that is, its relative invisibility to those afflicted by it – may necessitate an in-patient approach down the line, but this is, again, not recommended for initial

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