Bruce Wayne Case Study

Criterion f: duration; criterion g: distress; and criterion h: exclusion The DSM-5 also mandates that these symptoms be present for at least one month. In Bruce Wayne’s case, many of the symptoms have been present for approximately 20 years. The trauma occurred when he was a small child, and all of the symptoms were still present 20 years later, much longer than the month that is required. These symptoms also caused sever impairment to his social life, because he was so busy avoiding Gotham, and constantly watching it when he returned, that he found it difficult to socialize with those whom he was once close to including, Alfred, Rachael, and the people of Gotham. This lack of socialization causes disturbance in his life, which he verbalizes …show more content…
Bruce Wayne was only a small child when the robber killed in front of the theatre. The experience would have been traumatic for someone of any age; however, the fact that he was so young played a role in the severity of the experience. Also, the murder was very violent, and escalated at such a fast pace that a small child who’s frontal cortex is not fully developed yet, would not be able to judge the situation properly in order to attribute the blame to the right thing; therefore, he blamed himself. Also, the fact that Wayne avoided the city of Gotham and any other stimuli that could trigger a memory to the trauma, made him more likely to develop PTSD, because the avoidance of coping with the traumatic situation increases the likelihood of an onset of PTSD (Professor Allart). Therefore, his inability to cope with his emotions, and his avoidance of every stimulus that triggered a memory was harmful to his well-being and caused him to develop PTSD. Treatment plan and …show more content…
I imagine that the combination of exposure therapy and cognitive therapy would be very beneficial to Bruce Wayne. I am aware that using cognitive therapy along with exposure therapy does not increase the treatment response, because what really matters is the exposure to the trauma (Allart); however, it is important to note that Bruce Wayne persistently blames himself for his parents’ death. These thoughts need to be challenged and changed in order for him to fully recover from this symptom of PTSD. Also, the cognitive therapy might help with his alterations in cognition, mood and arousal. Therefore, in his case, it is important that both of the therapies are used