Diagnosis of Client: Generalized Anxiety

Diagnosis of Client: Generalized Anxiety Disorder - Client Diagnosis

Cliff is suffering from Generalized Anxiety Disorder. His worry is extreme and excessive, though there is no obvious or rational cause for his worry. Some additional indications of this diagnosis are that he exhibits some other classic symptoms like fatigue, insomnia, and irritability. Also, because the focus of his worry is not fixed, but instead seems to shift from topic to topic, his anxiety is, by definition, generalized. This Generalized Anxiety Disorder is, in fact, a disorder for Cliff because it is causing problems in his social network as well as his business environment, so he should be recommended regular counseling, and the possibility of medication for his complaint.

Panic Disorder has been ruled out because of a lack of physical symptoms like a racing heart or sweating. Agoraphobia would not be an appropriate diagnosis because he clearly has no social distress since he is married and, though he is getting negative evaluations, seems to have no trouble driving himself to work and functioning in that environment. Just as with Panic Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder has been eliminated because of the lack of physical manifestations of his anxiety. Though there is not anything that clearly indicates that Cliff has not been through some sort of traumatic event to trigger his anxiety, it is unlikely that he suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder since, again, his anxieties are not focused on any one thing and there is no indication in this vignette that he feels he is reliving any kind of event from his past. Social Phobic Disorder is highly unlikely since, again, Cliff operates out in the world with moderate success, and what is most telling to eliminate this diagnosis is the fact that Cliff does not state that he is concerned about his evaluations at work, but instead simply about arriving on time. And finally, Specific Phobic Disorder is not a consideration since, as stated before, his anxieties are not fixed on any one object, person, or situation.