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Macbeth's Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Case Study

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After carefully reading the case study for Lady Macbeth and thoroughly processing the DSM-5 and eliminating all other possible diagnosis, I determined that she properly fits the DSM-5 criteria for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) (F42). Some key evidence that directed me to diagnosed Lady Macbeth with this disorder will be, in the morning while getting dressed, she gets afraid that there are germs all over her clothes and things, which causes her to stand and shake the germs off her for half an hour. She also washes her hands before doing anything. If she was going to wash her face, she will wash her hands first and if she was going to get dressed, she washes her hands first before getting dressed. She also stated that washing her hands wasn’t enough, she sometimes used rubbing alcohol. Another evidence that led me to formulate this diagnosis, is that she read something and if she really did not understand it, she would read it over one more time and then, say it out load, one last time to make it three times because three was her lucky number. Lady Macbeth reported that if she was around friends, she forgot about most of the things she obsessed about, but when she was alone, her …show more content…

She stated that she was aware that her grandmother was old and was not going to be around much longer but, was worried that maybe something that she did could cause her to get sicker. Lady Macbeth stated the she woke up 6 a.m. to get ready for school and she didn 't have any time to brush her hair or ate breakfast due to her obsession of washing her hands to get rid of germs. The DSM-5 diagnostic criteria B for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (F42) states that the obsessions or compulsions are time-consuming (e.g., take more than 1 hour per day) or cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning (American Psychiatric Association,

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b. In the DSM I & II, the name of OCD was Obsessive Compulsive Reaction (APA, 1952) and Obsessive Compulsive Neurosis in the DSM II (APA, 1968). Remaining as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder from DSMIIIR and on. c. DSM I & II did not specify that the patient’s compulsive rituals must take up a lot of time, like over an hour as exemplified

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In Act 5 we can see Lady Macbeth plagued by sleepwalking fits. During these fits doctors observe her washing her hands from blood, yet somehow no amount of scrubbing can wash it off, implying that no matter how normal she acts, she cannot get rid of the guilt that engulfs her. These actions foreshadow what she says earlier in the play when after Macbeth has just killed Duncan. Macbeth was feeling an incredible amount of guilt and Lady Macbeth implies that all he needed to do was wash his hands and cleanse himself from his guilt, foreshadowing Lady Macbeth not being able to scrub off her guilt. These 2 actions can be interpreted as Lady Macbeth feeling assertive and dominant but soon after descending back into madness as her guilt catches up

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It becomes hard to recognize her as the story progresses, sleepwalking through the castle and constantly rubbing her hands as she attempts to remove the innocent blood shed on her hands driven by her guilt-ridden mind. Lady Macbeth is unable to surpass the evil she has set on herself and in the end; the guilt she prayed against became her worst enemies. She was beyond repair and it lead to her suicide. Furthermore, in the yellow wallpaper the protagonist becomes mentally ill for being locked in a room deprived of life. The majority of the story takes place in a room which only induces pain deep within herself evoking negative mental thoughts.

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One of the main illnesses he showed was Schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a brain disorder that less than one percent of the U.S. population is affected by. This illness has many symptoms when active. These symptoms include disorganized speech, hallucinations, delusions, trouble with thinking, and lack of motivation. In the play, Macbeth shows a sign of Schizophrenia after killing Duncan he says ¨Methought I heard a voice cry, 'sleep no more!¨ (Shakespeare II.II.

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One of Shakespeare’s superlative examples of a troubled mind is located in Macbeth. The impertinent character Lady Macbeth exhibited many symptoms of depression and antisocial personality disorder. While mental illness is generally developed through an accumulation of several events, as it was in Lady Macbeth’s case, it was definitely more profound after the murder of King Duncan. Prior to killing the king, Lady Macbeth unveiled sociopathic behavior through her negligence of others.

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However, her hands are physically clean, they are actually filthy of murders she causes. These flashbacks of reliving her tragedies of her life are causing her to lose sleep at night. In addition to PTSD, Lady Macbeth is also suffering from paranoid schizophrenia.

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Bryanna E. McCool Mrs. Dean British Literature 25 January 2018 Mental Illness in Shakespeare’s Macbeth The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare, a play wrought with prophecies, deception, guilt, and death, brings light to the symptoms of mental illnesses and their effects on the human brain’s ability to reason, trust, and act in times of pressure. Both Macbeth and his lady are plagued by mental illness, and the effects of their illness only grow as the play evolves. Macbeth’s symptoms of schizophrenia and anxiety, as well as Lady Macbeth’s anxiety as well as hallucinations that eventually push her to suicide prove that not only can mental illness alter the way a person sees a situation, but it can also drive them to harm others and themselves.

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Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, is a play that mainly focuses on one common theme of insanity. Macbeth gradually becomes plagued by intense guilt as his desire for power drives him to attain his goals by any means necessary, including committing murder. He kills Duncan in cold blood in order to become King, has Banquo killed by three murderers because he wishes to maintain his position as King, and finally, he has Macduff’s family slaughtered. Each of these occurrences takes place because of Macbeth’s will to be King, or they are a result of his guilt. Nonetheless, they are all completed of his free will, which is what causes him to deteriorate mentally.

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Stages of this mental illness touched on by the playwright are the overpowering initial impact, difficulties sleeping, and the suicidal tendencies. In the moments subsequent to the treasonous murder of Duncan, Lady Macbeth feels an irrepressible amount of guilt. This occurrence is the root of her depression as she experiences the weight of her crime and needs to be “look[ed] to” (2.3.115) and “exit...helped” (2.3.Stage Directions). Subsequently, the shameful state of mind Lady Macbeth suffers provokes complications with her sleep. The queen’s “heart is sorely charged” (5.1.46) which “keep[s] her from her rest” (5.3.40).

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1. Lady Macbeth would be diagnosed with OCD. OCD is a disorder that is defined by obsessions and compulsions that consume more than 1 hour per day or cause clinically significant distress or impairment. Obsessions include recurrent and persistent thoughts, urges, or images. In this case, Lady Macbeth worries that something really bad is going to happen to her or her family, and these thoughts overwhelm her mind throughout the day.

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During that time he was showing simple signs throughout the play, while he was in the location of Scotland in the 11th century. “It was also during this era that islamic medical and psychological texts first described different types of mental illness, including what we now refer to as schizophrenia,” ( (Vitelli 18). Schizophrenia comes from distorted thinking which Macbeth has also been thinking negatively, can't think properly or clearly. When has no trust in anyone, people are a threat to him and his throne. Which could be called tangential thinking that has people make every thought jump to conclusions.

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Name: Abdelrahman Mohamed Topic : OCD Title: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Thesis: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is an anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders are common types of mental health conditions,and according to the National Institute of Mental Health, at least 18% of adults in America have some type of anxiety disorder.(NIMH, 2009). I. Introduction A.

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It is present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by four or more of the following: Is preoccupied with details, rules, lists, order, organization, or schedules to the extent that that the major point of the activity is lost; Shows perfectionism that interferes with task completion; Is excessively devoted to work and productivity to the exclusion of leisure activities and friendships; Is over conscientious, scrupulous, and inflexible about matters of morality, ethics, or values; Is unable to discard worn-out or worthless objects even when they have no sentimental value; Is reluctant to delegate tasks or to work with others unless they submit to exactly his or her way of doing things; Adopts a miserly spending style toward self and others; And shows rigidity and stubbornness. From the information that “Lady Macbeth” shared about her behaviors and what the DSM-5 states about Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, this client shares a lot of those traits and would most likely be diagnosed with this specific disorder. The most important factor in this diagnosis is the fact that her behaviors are having a negative effect on her life and interpersonal relationships. She appears not able to make and keep friends because has said that when she had been invited out the

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She makes it seem like it is simple to get rid of the thought that he just murdered the King by just washing the blood. While Macbeth inside is suffering from his guilt Lady Macbeth makes seem so effortless and acts like nothing happened. The thought questioning herself of what action she forced her husband to do or get involved in never crosses her mind. She gives him false hope on stating that everything will be fine if he just goes and washes all the blood and act absent-mindedly. Shakespeare is showing that “ cannot commit such crime without undergoing terrible inner torment and triggering self-defeating behavior”( Paris) shows that it is the less external consequences of his crime than the internal deterioration.

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