Isabella Diagnosis
Name
Institution
Isabella Diagnosis
Diagnosis
F45.8 Pain Disorder Associated With a General Medical Condition
A pain disorder is diagnosed instead of other conditions if the predominant physical symptoms and focus on clinical attention is pain (Tsui et al., 2017). The DSM-5 divides pain disorders into three, which include those associated with psychological factors, those associated with both psychological and medical factors, and those related to a medical condition in which pain is the predominant factor.
Isabella’s Symptoms that Matched the Criteria
One of the criteria that matched Isabella’s symptoms is the pain in one of the anatomical sites. According to Isabella’s assessment, she complained of experiencing physical pain that threatened her ability to either move or walk. This pain has been present for the last 18 months. As such, according to DSM-5, such pain is enough to warrant clinical attention.
The other criteria that matched Isabella’s symptoms is pain causing distress in her social, occupational, and other significant areas of functioning. According to Isabella’s assessment report, the pain is extensive to such an extent that when it eases, she is unable to sleep. Besides, she reports to experiencing anxiety due to the stress associated with the pain.
Severity
The severity of Isabella’s condition is chronic since the symptoms have been present for more than six months. Isabela notes that the condition has been present for eighteen months.
Differential Diagnosis
F22.0 Delusional Disorder
This disorder is usually characterized by a single delusion or related delusions that are sometimes consistent and lifelong. According to Isabella’s assessment, she believed that the pain that was making her unable to move or walk was as a result of having children. She reached towards this conclusion because several tests had been conducted that had been inconclusive. However, this condition was ruled out because the client was experiencing pain that was threatening her comfort.
How diagnosing a client with a personality disorder may affect their treatment.
Personality disorders are difficult to treat because the client suffers from a condition where they have abnormal thoughts and behaviors that prevents them from thinking and functioning appropriately (Grueneich, 2011). For instance, most of these individuals experience denial issues that make them reject their current condition (Ronningstam, 2011). On the contrary, personality disorders cannot go away without proper treatment. Statistics by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) highlight that 42.4 percent of the people diagnosed with this disorder are receiving treatment.
How power and privilege may influence who is labeled with a personality disorder and which types of personality disorders.
The type of personality disorder where power and privilege have significant influence is Narcissistic Personality Disorder (Ronningstam, 2011). A client diagnosed with this disorder have fragile self-esteem and high feelings of envy and would like to be perceived as both successful and powerful (Grueneich, 2011). With power and privilege, they will exhibit a need for attention and admiration and may react in shame or rage when humiliated.
How trauma affects the case, either precipitating the diagnosis and/or resulting from related symptoms or treatment of diagnosis.
Studies have shown that there is a strong connection between emotional stress, trauma, and physical pain. Specifically, research highlights that chronic pain might not only be caused by physical injury but also by stress and emotional issues (Ronningstam, 2011). For instance, people who have experienced trauma have a higher risk of developing chronic pain.
References
Grueneich, R. (2011). The Borderline Personality Disorder Diagnosis: Reliability, Diagnostic Efficiency, and Covariation with other Personality Disorder Diagnoses. Journal of Personality Disorders, 6(3), 197-212. doi: 10.1521/pedi.1992.6.3.197
Ronningstam, E. (2011). Narcissistic personality disorder. Personality and Mental Health, 5(3), 222-227. doi: 10.1002/pmh.172
Tsui, P., Deptula, A., & Yuan, D. (2017). Conversion Disorder, Functional Neurological Symptom Disorder, and Chronic Pain: Comorbidity, Assessment, and Treatment. Current Pain and Headache Reports, 21(6). doi: 10.1007/s11916-017-0627-7