Disorders of Trauma and Stress

Instructions

Rich is a 34 year old male who made a desperate request by phone to see a therapist. Rich stated that while he was eager and motivated to begin therapy, he could not leave his home to come to the therapist's office. Due to the unusual nature of Rich's situation, the therapist agreed to meet with Rich at Rich's apartment. During the initial session at Rich's home, Rich explained to the therapist that he has not left his apartment at all in the last six months. He reported that his symptoms began about seven months ago when he had his first epileptic seizure. Rich stated that he was in the mall when he suddenly became dizzy and fell to the ground. Bystanders reported that Rich had prolonged grand mal seizures for several minutes until emergency personnel arrived at the scene. When the seizures subsided, Rich felt disoriented and frightened. Three weeks later, when out with friends, feared the onset of another seizure and abruptly pushed his way out of the aisle of the movie theater and rushed home. Upon entering his home, his anxiety decreased significantly. Although he is now stabilized on anti-seizure medications, Rich stated that he is terrified to leave the home for fear that he will have another seizure. His friends have expressed concern about Rich's isolation, but he remains fearful of leaving the home. He has modified his lifestyle to include having groceries delivered to his home. During the last six months, Rich has been living on his savings, and has lost his job due to nonattendance. Rich became aware that the situation was becoming more serious recently. He stated that he had begun to attempt to leave the home, but was so overwhelmed with anxiety that he feared this would bring on another seizure.1. Based on your understanding of abnormal psychology, propose a psychological diagnosis for Rich.2. Provide three pieces of clinical information to support your diagnosis.3. Explain the etiology of this disorder from the behavioral perspective. (How can classical conditioning and operant conditioning explain the start and maintenance of this behavior?)  not required to use or cite outside sources

Answer