Case 1 is about an Asian American male named Paul who is dissatisfied with his quality of life. Paul is exposed to many environmental risk factors with very little protective factors against developing a mental illness. These risk factors include growing up with critical parents who were very demanding of him academically, a risk factor known as achievement stress that largely affects Asian Americans (Kearney, 2011, p. 201). This can harm family relationships by making the person assume they aren’t allowed to have weaknesses, creating a hostile environment. This explains why Paul struggles to open up to family members about what is going on in his life and sticks to “safe” topics such as work when speaking with them.
This tendency to have distant relationships has carried over into Paul’s personal life, and affects his friendships and romantic relationships. Paul is single, lives alone, and has never been in a long-term relationship. He has cognitive distortions that he describes as “negative, pessimistic thinking”, such as feeling as though he has “missed opportunities” and has many regrets. This internal tendency towards rumination has aided in his development of …show more content…
The therapies shown to be particularly helpful in the treatment of depressive disorders are cognitive therapy to challenge harmful thought patterns, interpersonal therapy to improve relationships, and family therapy to increase the protective factor of having a supportive family unit (Kearney, 2011, p. 214). Because there is a seasonal aspect to John’s dysthymia, light therapy could also be an option. This consists of a person being exposed to a bright light for 30-120 minutes a day during the winter to mimic the summer months by enhancing photon absorption and adjusting melatonin levels or circadian rhythms (Kearney, 2011, p. 213). This has shown to be very effective for those suffering with seasonal
This tendency to have distant relationships has carried over into Paul’s personal life, and affects his friendships and romantic relationships. Paul is single, lives alone, and has never been in a long-term relationship. He has cognitive distortions that he describes as “negative, pessimistic thinking”, such as feeling as though he has “missed opportunities” and has many regrets. This internal tendency towards rumination has aided in his development of …show more content…
The therapies shown to be particularly helpful in the treatment of depressive disorders are cognitive therapy to challenge harmful thought patterns, interpersonal therapy to improve relationships, and family therapy to increase the protective factor of having a supportive family unit (Kearney, 2011, p. 214). Because there is a seasonal aspect to John’s dysthymia, light therapy could also be an option. This consists of a person being exposed to a bright light for 30-120 minutes a day during the winter to mimic the summer months by enhancing photon absorption and adjusting melatonin levels or circadian rhythms (Kearney, 2011, p. 213). This has shown to be very effective for those suffering with seasonal