Dsm-5 Case Study

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The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders also known as the DSM-5 is a manual that is used to help clinicians diagnose mental disorders accurately. In regards to Mario, he could be experiencing Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Mario insisted that his deployment had little to no effect on him, but according to the DSM-5 his changes in mood line up the criteria for PTSD. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder can be described as an anxiety disorder that occurs due to witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event (Hamblen, 2009). Mario meets the following diagnostic criteria’s A, B, C, D, E and F for PTSD; exposure to death; witnessing a traumatic event of a family member/friend; has negative beliefs about him/other, and the world; persistent …show more content…

Mario was given a brief symptoms assessment where he rated his mood, feelings of guilt, and ability to concentrate and sleep on a scale of one to ten, with one being no issues at all, and ten being a huge issue. Mario rated himself at a nine. There were incidents where Mario lost his temper and got into an altercation at the bar because he assumed another man was looking at his wife. There was another incident where Mario was riding his motorcycle and a motorist did not signal. Mario became irate because he was cut off. He then proceeded to follow the motorist to have him pull over so he could express how angry he was about being cut off. There were other incidents where he and his wife would get into arguments or he would avoid her altogether. According to the American Psychiatric Association, criteria H, the disturbances must not be attributed to the physiological effects of a substance use such as alcohol or drugs (2013). Mario does not believe he has a drinking problem because he only drinks alcohol to calm himself. Mario did state that he was not intoxicated when these altercations would occur. He also expressed that he would like to stop drinking as much and find alternative methods or techniques to use in