Case Study Charlie Situation

There are several alarming components in Charlie situation. Charlie has been living with his maternal aunt Eleanor for the past three months due to the fact that his biological mother Eloise suffers from depressive episodes. His mother has a history of having this illness since her early twenties. Her depressive episodes seem to be triggered by the recent birth of Eloise’s daughter Pearl. Josefsson, Larsson, Sydsjö, and Nylander (2007) noted that “Postpartum depression usually begins in the first 6–12 weeks after parturition and it usually resolves spontaneously after a couple of months but may persist up to one year after childbearing if untreated (Brockington, 1996)”(p.3). Eloise could be suffering from postpartum depression since there seem …show more content…
An accurate assessment leads to a correct diagnosis, which is essential to developing a treatment plan. Social workers must examine a client’s biological factors. Client’s medical condition, overall health, and Organicity must be closely scrutinized (Myers 2014). Eloise is suffering from depressive episode that have prevented her from caring for both of her children. Eloise has sought help and has frequent appointments with her psychiatrist and therapist. Eloise disorder has led to the separation of her six year old son Charlie. A helping profession must attempt to determine what is causing this impairment. In this case, Charlie’s overall health must also be examined since his behavior has changed. Another component to investigate is whether Eloise’s mental health disorder has a biological cause. Social workers must explore a client’s family’s medical history to determine whether there is a biological connection. The neurobiological factor that must be inspected is Eloise’s brain development. The human brain is responsible for many functions in our body including all thoughts, feelings and behaviors. Eloise’s brain could be examined by having her get a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). By having her complete this examine, the helping professionals may determine any abnormalities that exist within the brain and provide functional information. The next factor is the psychological component. A social worker must evaluate a client’s personality. Any strengths and weakness must be analyzed to determine the client’s emotional and mental state. One of Eloise weakness is the fact that she is in a state of hopelessness. There could be many contributing factors that are causing her to feel this way. One of her strengths is the support system she has with her family. Eloise’s depressive state of mind prevented her from caring for her children. Her partner and sister