Lady Macbeth has obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). There are four major diagnostic criteria that must be met for the obsessive-compulsive disorder diagnosis. The first feature of this diagnosis the presence of compulsions, obsessions or both. Compulsions are defined by repetitive behavior and these acts are aimed at reducing or preventing anxiety. Obsessions are defined by persistent and recurring thoughts or urges that the individual tries to suppress by performing an action or compulsion (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). In the case of Lady Macbeth, she was obsessed with the thought of germs and anxiety about the fact that something bad would happen if she did not wash her hands. The thoughts were consuming, and she worried that
…show more content…
The second key feature of this diagnosis is that the obsessions and compulsions are time consuming and cause impairment or distress in important areas of functioning such as social and occupational (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Lady Macbeth estimated that her hand washing compulsion took approximately 6 hours a day. It was a complex action for her therefore she did not have time for anything else. She would never have time to brush her hair in the morning or even eat breakfast. The last features of the obsessive-compulsive disorder that it the symptoms and disturbances are not attributable to substance use, another medical condition or another mental disorder (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). There is no indication that Lady Macbeth used substances. There is also not enough history provided to validate that she did not have any other medical conditions or mental illnesses. It is verified that she did not suffer from hallucinations. Lady Macbeth did show that she had good insight regarding her OCD beliefs at the end of the conversation with the …show more content…
In Lady Macbeth’s case, it is crucial to remember that she is 14 years old. Both biological and behavioral therapies have been proven effective within the treatment of OCD and it is shown that CBT should be considered as the first-line treatment. Pharmacotherapy is not mandatory but there is research that indicates that positive treatment outcomes do come about with SSRIs, such as Prozac and Zoloft. Another such treatment option is exposure with response-prevention (Beidel and Hersen, 2014). I believe that any course of action should be carefully evaluated with the fact that the patient is young and still developing. It is true that symptoms of OCD are typically stable overtime. I would suggest CBT prior to introducing any type of drug therapy. Regarding exposure therapy, there are myths and negative views about the use of this therapy with children however research does validate that it is safe and bears minimal risk with correct implementation. It would be important that if this course of action be taken with the patient, ethical parameters are crucial (Gola et al.,
The second key feature of this diagnosis is that the obsessions and compulsions are time consuming and cause impairment or distress in important areas of functioning such as social and occupational (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Lady Macbeth estimated that her hand washing compulsion took approximately 6 hours a day. It was a complex action for her therefore she did not have time for anything else. She would never have time to brush her hair in the morning or even eat breakfast. The last features of the obsessive-compulsive disorder that it the symptoms and disturbances are not attributable to substance use, another medical condition or another mental disorder (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). There is no indication that Lady Macbeth used substances. There is also not enough history provided to validate that she did not have any other medical conditions or mental illnesses. It is verified that she did not suffer from hallucinations. Lady Macbeth did show that she had good insight regarding her OCD beliefs at the end of the conversation with the …show more content…
In Lady Macbeth’s case, it is crucial to remember that she is 14 years old. Both biological and behavioral therapies have been proven effective within the treatment of OCD and it is shown that CBT should be considered as the first-line treatment. Pharmacotherapy is not mandatory but there is research that indicates that positive treatment outcomes do come about with SSRIs, such as Prozac and Zoloft. Another such treatment option is exposure with response-prevention (Beidel and Hersen, 2014). I believe that any course of action should be carefully evaluated with the fact that the patient is young and still developing. It is true that symptoms of OCD are typically stable overtime. I would suggest CBT prior to introducing any type of drug therapy. Regarding exposure therapy, there are myths and negative views about the use of this therapy with children however research does validate that it is safe and bears minimal risk with correct implementation. It would be important that if this course of action be taken with the patient, ethical parameters are crucial (Gola et al.,