Based off of the notes for Case Study #5, I believe that Harlan is suffering from a brief psychotic disorder without marked stressors. Harlan was brought to the emergency room after not leaving his dorm for a two-week time frame. Although his antisocial behavior and other symptoms could classify Harlan as schizophrenic, his main symptoms such as delusions were not present for at least one month, which is the main factor in leading me to believe Harlan is suffering from a brief psychotic disorder. Though it may be brief, he still is suffering from schizophrenic symptoms such as delusions and disorganized speech. These symptoms are classified in Barlow and Durand (2015) in table 13.8, “A. presence of one (or more) of the following symptoms. 1. …show more content…
Under criteria A for schizophrenia, the DSM-5 in table 13.1 in Barlow and Durand (2015) states that: “At least one of these must be present: delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, grossly disorganized or catatonic behavior…” (p. 481). According to the case, Harlan is experiencing at least three of those symptoms which qualifies him as schizophrenic. Harlan’s delusion is that he is constantly being watched by an outside source. This is what is causing him to continually keep his shades drawn and can be considered a delusion of paranoia. The hallucination Harlan is suffering from is an auditory hallucination with which he is hearing voices tell him to stop eating. His roommate described that Harlan has stopped eating altogether and is only drinking from canned beverages. The need to only drink canned beverages can be associated with his paranoia and seen as a way to drink things that the outside watchful source cannot contaminate. Harlan’s disorganized speech is characterized by his responses stopping mid-sentence. This type of speech is considered derailment or a type of loose association. Another symptom that Harlan suffers from that is listed in the DSM-5 in table 13.1 in Barlow and Durand (2015) criteria for schizophrenia is, “for a significant portion of the time since the onset of the disturbance, level of functioning in one or more major areas such as work, interpersonal