Client diagnosis and assessment methods

Diagnosis of Client

Diagnosis of Jerry

Jerry appears to be suffering from schizophrenia. Specifically, it seems that he is suffering from disorganized schizophrenia because of his symptoms of disorganized speech patterns and his inappropriate emotional responses. His reliance on his parents for his care is also a good indication of this particular subtype.

Though schizophrenia is largely misunderstood so far, there are two possible causes for the disorder that Jerry is suffering from. First, it has been shown that schizophrenia is a genetically inheritable disease. Though there are cases of seemingly isolated diagnoses of schizophrenia, the possibility of an individual to develop this disorder is greatly increased when there are cases of schizophrenia in the family history. It is also a possibility that there is some sort of physical abnormality in the brain that has caused the development of this disorder.

The most popular and the most effective treatment for Jerry's condition would be to place him on a prescription of a combination of antidepressant, antipsychotic, and antianxiety drugs. Since there seems to be a mixture of symptoms and causes this combination technique has produced the best results so far.

Though psychotherapy and counseling alone are not very effective in treatment of schizophrenia, they can be much more effective than medications alone because those that suffer from schizophrenia often do not stay on their medications. Paired with counseling of not only the individual but also the family and caretakers of the person suffering from schizophrenia, the medications have a much higher chance of providing relief from the symptoms. It is also important to note that, as with any mental illness that is being treated with medications, counseling is necessary to ensure the individual is getting the proper medication and appropriate dosage. Without the opportunity to explore their individual situation the sufferer may simply stop taking a medication that seems to be of no help, or is causing side effects that are intolerable to the client.