Brandon Sullivan's Case

Brandon Sullivan is a 24-year-old white male who lives on Long Island. He resides in Hemsted and lives with his 65-year-old roommate Debbi Kents. Brandon grew up in Sayville New York with his mom Annie, and twin sisters Megan and Mary who are 16 years old. Brandon's dad is not in the picture because when Brandon was 18, his dad got arrested for possession and intent to distribute meth. He was charged with a Class A-II felony and sentenced to 25 years in prison. Growing up, Brandan felt overlooked by his mom. He would try and get in trouble to get his mom's attention but that didn't work. He would skip school, steal money from his mother and sisters, as well as abuse the family Golden Lab, Milli. Shortly after Brandon's dad went to jail, his

Brandon's mom got arrested when she was pregnant with Brandon for possession of meth. She claims she was keeping it for herself and her husband. When she was drug tested, there were no signs of any drugs in her system. While pregnant, she did not use meth but started to use it heavily shortly after Brandon was born. She claimed it was for anxiety. Both Brandon's parents were heavy drug users. Brandon and his sisters are placed in foster care and eventually, their mom is given full custody due to becoming completely sober. Brandon's mom had a very strained relationship with Brandon in particular because of his use with drugs. She felt like it was her fault that her son turned out this way. Brandon's family history also yields a long history of depression. Brandon's maternal grandmother committed suicide and shortly after his aunt on his mother's side also committed suicide. Brandon's mother has a history of depression but no suicidal ideations. Brandon's mother took these deaths especially hard and later developed severe depression for a number of years There are some prior arrests for Brandon. When he was 13, and 15 he was arrested for the abuse of his dog in his front yard. When he was 16, he was arrested for the possession of Marijuana. Brandon is assessed by psychologist Damiana Martino. Damiana determines that Brandon has Major depressive disorder and antisocial personality

According to the DSM-5, antisocial personality disorder is “a lack of anxiety or fear and by a bold interpersonal style that may mask maladaptive behaviors.” (DIAGNOSTIC AND (5TH ED)2013) Furthermore, Major depressive disorder is described as a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest…it affects how you feel, thinks, and behave and can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems. (Depression (Major Depressive Disorder) - Symptoms and Causes - Mayo Clinic, 2022). Antisocial personality disorder can develop in childhood around the age of 8. The abuse of the family dog was a significant factor that led to this diagnosis. The family dog was severely abused on multiple occasions by Brandon. Brandon's mother and sisters had no idea this was going on until physical markings were found on the dog. These markings include cuts from garden shears, chunks of fur missing due to Brandon dragging the dog around, as well as teeth missing due to Brandon hitting the dog in the face with a brick. When asked why he hurt the dog so much, Brandpn stated that he liked the power dynamic he had over the dog and felt like the dog needed to be punished for any minor mistake. Circling back, Brandon also had a history of stealing money from his sisters and mother and lying when confronted about