Read the following case and answer the questions at the end (15 points): The Cas
ID: 3467372 • Letter: R
Question
Read the following case and answer the questions at the end (15 points):
The Case of Mary Z.
Mary Z. is a housewife who has sought the help of a therapist. For the past 5 years, she and her husband have lived next door to her mother who has recently passed away. Her husband works across town at a job that frequently requires that he work late. For 11 years, Mary has had an occasional fear that she might faint. The fear was greatly alleviated when she and her husband moved to the house next to her mother. With her mother's passing, however, the fear has become more intense. As a result, she is finding it more difficult to leave her house, and her husband now has to do the shopping and take care of the other errands.
The last time her symptoms were so strong was slightly over 10 years ago when she and her husband were first married. At that time, she moved from her childhood home to a house closer to her husband's place of work. As with the present episode, she sought professional help. The psychotherapy then helped her overcome her fear to the point that she was able to travel out of the house. She became close with her neighbors and had a satisfactory social life.
Assume that you are Mary Z's therapist:
a. What do you believe are the causes of Mary's problems?
b. How would you treat Mary?
Explanation / Answer
Since she might be suffering from agoraphobia,it basically starts in childhood.And in Mary's case as well she was seperated from her childhood home which developed that fear of leaving her own house and going to a new place.People suffering from agoraphobia generally show fear towards new places as well. She feared going out since the place was new,and she feared going out in public places since there were new people and new environment and in adulthood after experiencing the stressful event of death of her mother,she lost another familiar face which triggered her fear further. Mary needs psychotherapy especially cognitive behavioural therapy which works best for phobias. Generally a short-term treatment, cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on teaching you specific skills to better tolerate anxiety, directly challenge your worries and gradually return to the activities you've avoided because of anxiety. Through this process, your symptoms improve as you build on your initial success. If the agoraphobia is so severe that she cannot access care, then she might benefit from a more intensive hospital program that specializes in the treatment of anxiety.She can also look for therapists who can visit her home and conduct sessions if she is unable to leave home. Along with therapy,antidepressant medications can also be given to reduce her anxiety. Certain antidepressants called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as fluoxetine (Prozac) and sertraline (Zoloft), are used for the treatment of panic disorder with agoraphobia.
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