case study for abnormal psychology examples

Not Just a Boring Worksheet: New Interactive Case Studies for Abnormal Psychology

How do you teach your students about the diagnostic process? Do you have them read a case study? Do you show them a quick video in class?

Do you ever get the sense that they're not really engaged in the case studies you give them?

With the new McGraw-Hill Interactive Case Studies, your students are involved in the diagnostic process, developing empathy and critical thinking skills as they work their way through 12 differential diagnoses.

What did our student reviewers have to say about the Interactive Case Studies?

"You get to apply what you know, or think you know. It helped me piece together the whole puzzle." – Student at the University of Georgia

"It's very interactive. You have to think about what you're doing." – Student at Prairie View A&M University

"It felt like a game… more interesting than reading the text." – Student at University of Nebraska – Omaha

"Cool activity… I would choose it over boring homework." – Student at San Jose State University

Our instructor reviewers were on board, too, agreeing that students would learn much more from the case studies and enjoy them much more than a worksheet.

Let's take a peek at the Interactive Case Studies!

At the beginning of the case, students are introduced to the practitioner they will be working with. The practitioner guides the student throughout the case, providing background, conducting the client interview, and discussing possible diagnoses based on the presenting case.

As students observe the client interview, they are presented with a series of glowing objects, which – when clicked – provide background information about the client that cannot necessarily be obtained from the interview. Examples include medical records and interviews with family.

At three checkpoints during the case, students are asked to decide which information from the interview is more relevant to making a diagnosis, and which information is less relevant.

Throughout the case, students have access to an interactive continuum to see the range of behavior for the particular disorder, from functional to dysfunctional. The continuum indicates the behaviors students should pay attention to, while also conveying the idea that behavior is on a continuum and that a diagnosis is never black and white.

At the conclusion of the interview, students are asked to match the information in their notebook (which is populated at each of the three checkpoints) to the symptoms of the disorder.

After performing this exercise, students are asked to select whether they believe the client has one of two presented disorders (or no disorder). The practitioner then makes a diagnosis, provides feedback to the student, and offers an overview of their treatment plan for the client.

The Interactive Case Studies are live for fall classes, and are assignable and assessable within Connect.

Which disorders are covered by the Interactive Case Studies?

There are 12 case studies, covering the following disorders and groups of disorders:

• Trauma- and Stressor-Related Disorders
• Psychotic Disorders
• Bipolar Disorder
• Depressive Disorders
• Anxiety Disorders
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders
• Eating Disorders
• Substance-Related Disorders
• Conduct and Impulse Control Disorders
• Somatic Symptom Disorders
• Gender Dysphoria and Transvestic Disorder
• Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

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Case Studies in Abnormal Psychology

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Psychology in Everyday Life

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Compelling real-life cases that students will love exploring

Updated for DSM-5-TR! This popular supplement complements courses in abnormal and clinical psychology with 20 case histories based on real clinical experiences. With new material by M. Zachary Rosenthal (Duke University), each case study describes the individuals history and symptoms and includes a theoretical discussion of treatment, a specific treatment plan, the actual treatment conducted, and assessment questions. The casebook also provides three "You Decide" cases written without diagnosis or treatment, so students can identify disorders and suggest appropriate therapies and treatments. Several cases now include contextual factors from the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Ethan E. Gorenstein; Ronald J. Comer; M. Zachary Rosenthal

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Table of Contents

Ethan E. Gorenstein

Ethan E. Gorenstein is clinical director of the Behavioral Medicine Program at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center and a professor of clinical psychology in the department of psychiatry at Columbia University. He is also the author of The Science of Mental Illness (Academic Press). He has an active clinical practice devoted to the use of evidence-based psychological treatment methods for problems of both children and adults.

Ronald J. Comer

Ronald J. Comer has been a professor in Princeton University’s Department of Psychology for the past 47 years, also serving for many years as director of Clinical Psychology Studies and as chair of the university’s Institutional Review Board. In 2016 he transitioned to emeritus status at the university. He has received the President’s Award for Distinguished Teaching at Princeton, where his various courses in abnormal psychology were among the university’s most popular. Professor Comer is also Clinical Associate Professor of Family Medicine and Community Health at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. He has also been a practicing clinical psychologist and served as a consultant to Eden Autism Services and to hospitals and family practice residency programs throughout New Jersey. In addition to writing the textbooks Fundamentals of Abnormal Psychology (tenth edition), Abnormal Psychology (eleventh edition), Psychology Around Us (second edition), and Case Studies in Abnormal Psychology (third edition), Professor Comer has published a range of journal articles and produced numerous widely used educational video programs, including The Higher Education Video Library Series, The Video Anthology for Abnormal Psychology, Video Segments in Neuroscience, Introduction to Psychology Video Clipboard, and Developmental Psychology Video Clipboard. Professor Comer was an undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania and a graduate student at Clark University. He currently lives in Florida with his wife, Marlene. From there he keeps a close eye on his nearby grandchildren Delia and Emmett, somehow making the same mistakes with them that he made with their father Jon and their uncle Greg a generation ago. Then again, that turned out pretty well.

M. Zachary Rosenthal

Dr. Zach Rosenthal is a clinical psychologist and Associate Professor with a joint appointment in both the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at Duke University. He leads the Duke Center for Misophonia and Emotion Regulation, Duke Cognitive Behavioral Research and Treatment Program, Anti-Racism Community in the Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, and is Co-Chief Psychologist for Duke University Medical Center. Dr. Rosenthal teaches and mentors undergraduate and graduate students, does research, treats patients, provides clinical supervision, and disseminates treatments through clinical training and consultation locally and internationally. He has published extensively and received grants to conduct research from a range of funding sources, including the National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense, various foundations, and major donors. As a licensed psychologist in North Carolina with expertise in cognitive behavioral therapies, he specializes in treating adults from an evidence-based and trauma-informed perspective with borderline personality disorder, misophonia, and other complex multi-diagnostic presentations.

Third Edition | 2022

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5 Abnormal Psychology Case Studies That Are Worth Your Attention 

Most psychology students study abnormal psychological conditions in terms of the patterns and behaviors associated with each one. Short case-studies may be used; however for a more profound understanding of these conditions, a deeper look into the cases is necessary. One excellent source used for this purpose is Case Studies in Abnormal Psychology, 9th Edition . Written by four professors, each case outlines the events leading up to the patient initiating therapy, the patient’s family and social history, the treatment, the discussion of the condition and etiological considerations. These in depth cases make excellent options for psychology students looking for some data to include in essays and presentations. There are five cases in particular that are worth looking into:

• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Rape Trauma This case study tells the story of a young woman who was raped by a TA of a class she was taking at university. PTSD has been a more recent topic in abnormal psychology and, thus, is of a particular interest for students looking to contribute to the field. Furthermore, the case considers issues important to women such as the reactions of people in her social network and her ability to make decisions regarding reporting the rapist, etc.
• Hypertension in an African American Man This case is particularly interesting due to the etiological and treatment implications since the patient was African American. The patient struggled to deal with pressure and the desire for success and perfection, resulting in a serious condition. The patient also expressed struggles of being a black man in a largely white man’s world, especially at the time of the study. Difficulties of difference of the race between the therapist and patient are discussed.
• Major Depressive Disorder This case is particularly interesting as explanations for gender differences are discussed considering this disorder. In this case study a woman’s struggle with depression is outlined along with the causes including grief and sadness over the loss of a marriage and stressful events, which particularly affect women.
• Parasomnia: Nightmare Disorder and Isolated Sleep Paralysis Sleep disorders are also relatively new to abnormal psychology, and an interesting case in an area that has not yet been researched very deeply proves it. This area has received more attention recently due to the large number of people affected by sleep disorders.
• Paranoid Personality Disorder This area of abnormal psychology hasn’t been heavily researched, making this case study an interesting and helpful one for students looking to understand more about this disorder. This case study outlines the life of a man who exhibits a paranoid personality disorder, but doesn’t complete the therapy which is typical of people who exhibit these behaviors.Use these case studies to make your writing more proficient and interesting at the same time. After all, your professors are usual people who want to read juicy papers with challenging facts. So, while writing, think about them too.

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Abnormal Psychology: Case Studies

These abnormal psychology case study examples cover four different psychological disorders. Check out this sample essay if you’re interested in mental illness and therapy.

Case Study One: Margaret

Case study two: lillian, case study three: jim, case study four: janet, works cited.

In most cases, psychologists draw their diagnostics by conducting an interview with their clients like the one conducted by Louise on Margaret. This is based on the fact that understanding one’s problem from the horse’s mouth is easier. There are various factors that may be deduced from such an assessment. For example, Louise was able to identify many changes that her client has undergone and the difficulty she faces in dealing with them.

There are also social factors that cannot be understood otherwise that impact greatly on many people with psychological disturbances. It was also as a result of this assessment that the client reported her recent memory loss, which shows her awareness of her abnormal conditions. Therefore, this assessment was meant to determine what ails Margaret and thereafter draw some useful therapies to help her go back to normalcy.

In her conclusion, Louise drew some conclusions concerning Margaret’s condition. Margaret reported some changes in her menstrual periods. She noticed a change in her moods which has partly contributed to her moodiness, although this could be a result of hormonal imbalance due to menopause, considering Margaret’s age.

Further, Louise underlined Margaret’s dealing with her son being away and her inaccessible daughter as she is too preoccupied with her child. Margaret is diagnosed to be struggling with this change of life hence her condition.

Louise also drew from Margaret that she has become frequently forgetful, and she is aware of it. She is also aware of her change of mood and reaction towards her daughter, which she does not want her to discover. This could be attributed to her general feeling of anger and loss; thus, she has lost interest in life.

This show of self-awareness is depicted when Louise asks her about her anger towards her daughter. She burst into tears because Louise had discovered her true feelings towards her daughter, which she was concealing. The reactions portrayed by Margaret during the assessment are the best example of another dimension of Margaret’s psychological assessment.

Margaret portrays anger and sadness following her relationship with her daughter. She believes that her daughter rushed into marriage, and she is now less concerned about her. It was also concluded that due to pervasive anxiety, she loses sleep, overeats, overdrinks, and has spasmodic moods and memory distractions. As a result of this, she has gained extra weight that she sees as part of her problem.

In Margaret’s assessment, psychological testing is vital because it would test her take on her condition. For example, whether she appreciates change or to whom does she hold responsible for her condition. Self-proclamation is important as it is out of such discussions that a professional draws conclusions on how to handle the situation.

This is called mental status evaluation in which the coherence in thought is assessed. Due to her history with her family, she could be judged as having depression. Margaret’s father is reported to have died when she was three, and this led to her mother being away from home most of the time. That could be the reason for her unconscious suppressed desire not to separate from her children.

Physical screening for Margaret is necessary in order to diagnose various possible complications that may be evident as a result of the signs and symptoms she narrated. There are several problems that could be confirmed in the course of medical examination. Medical testing could rule out her biological hormonal imbalance following the previous hormonal test done on the patient (Halgin and Whitbourne 21).

Considering her age and the frequent premenstrual moodiness, it is logical to rule out hormonal imbalances related to menopause. Possible complications for Margaret’s case include memory lapse due to memory losses witnessed and neurological malfunction. Physical examination may also be useful in confirming the reason for her being overweight and the increased appetite that has devastated her sex life.

Case two illustrates Lillian’s defense in life, where she draws confidence in herself through her personality disorder. Her defense of splitting is her major preoccupation in dealing with her situation. Right from the onset, she complains and enquires as to why her life is being made difficult by what she refers to as some idiot.

What follows is a description of how other people have blocked her way always. Her description of the event that unfolded in the coffee line proves that she is the problem, but her weaknesses are evident in her mistreatment and blame on others. This way, according to her, she is not the problem; the problem is from without.

Lillian is also very sensitive on matters of gender discrimination as she cites that her former boss treated her badly because she was a woman. She resorts to finding a solution in the workers union. This is a commonsensical issue, but she doesn’t care anyway because she is not the problem. Her problem is proved further by the fact that she currently does a housekeeping job even after her college education.

Before this, she had gone down the stairs and lost six jobs in ten years. Her social life is limited to her drinking friends and unstable lasting sexual relationships with men she meets at the bar. She uses her drugs to soothe her nerves. This is helpful because it would be worse if she reduced herself to depression due to self-blame. This is necessary from her point of view because she feels better about herself when she does so.

Lillian’s constant anger in borderline personality disorder may be natural or inborn. History proves that Lillian, even before her father died, would conflict with her mother when her father sided with her. This proves that she could have a natural tendency to have bouts of anger. Her father could have been that kind, as demonstrated by his support and siding with her in her row with her mother. If her father did not see any cause of hunger in her daughter, both could have something shared.

There is also a possibility that Lillian’s condition could be a result of disappointment and many failures in life. Lillian has had a string of disappointments in her employment. She lost her job and has plummeted to the position of housekeeper. This could turn her to anger.

In her social life, we are also told that she feels guilty often, but her defense is her unconscious transfer of that blame to a second person’s act. This way, she is elated and soothed that she is clean. Therefore, there is a possibility that Lillian’s anger could be both a result of some existential factors and inborn.

Lillian’s borderline personality disorder is dependent on taking very many other factors constant. “It was only drawn from her blame on others and dominance of anger fluctuations from hope to disappointments in relationships, workplace conflicts, drug use and lack of self-appraisal” (Halgin and Whitbourne 21).

It was never considered that this could be an inborn condition. There could also be a possibility that her condition is worsened by her drug use, however mild. The differential analysis could therefore ignore some important parameters influencing some situations.

Her antisocial personality disorder was ruled regardless of her self-blame sometimes. She has failed to relate well with people at work, friends, and even her mother because of this condition. This leads her to blame everyone for some cause. For instance, she feels her mother favors her siblings; she thinks her boss at work hates her because she is a woman and generally feels victimized by other people’s acts. Lillian justified her misbehavior as drug use as a response to the stress caused by other people whom she finds as a problem.

Lillian’s anxiety disorder is born of her desire to expect too much from others. She expected too much laxity from her boss that she had to be sacked. She expects too much from her mum and also from society, especially from the union representative, and thus it is hard to avoid disappointments and disillusionments.

In Case three, we are introduced to Jim and his situation that requires psychotherapy. A very good example of a vegetative sign of depression is his inability to sleep which is consistent. This is accompanied by his extreme feeling of despair and anxiety. Sigmund Freud, an expert in the field of psychoanalysis, would analyze depression as anger turned against the self. This can apply to Jim because he blames himself for ruining his girlfriend’s life when he abandoned her.

There is also the issue of body and mind struggle. Normally the two entities coordinate harmoniously to produce normalcy in life. However, his case is different from all the depression. His mind contemplates suicide in order to punish himself, and as a result, he has shed off much of his weight. Jim’s body and mind, as a result of this struggle and depression, are now enemies.

Another struggle between his mind and body is seen whenever he comes up with a painting. He literally ends up destroying it. There is a contest and infighting of his mind and body, and thus he poses the biggest danger to himself more than to anyone else. It is for this chief reason that the clinical findings prescribe that protective hospitalization is required until medication and psychotherapy work on him.

A mood-congruent delusion is a state where someone is inconsistent in their usual mood that affects the reinterpretation of things in another way. For example, Jim is not consistent in his former behavior when he starts looking at himself as a destroyer. His way of perception changed as a result of his depression and self-blame. He has conceptualized a world of depressed thoughts and patterns confirming his melancholy.

Actually, all that Jim ails from is anger. He is for sure angered at himself for ruining his girlfriend’s life. That is why he has had relentless attacks on himself, resulting in depressed behavior, thought processes, and mood fluctuation. There is some evidence of concealed anger in Jim. One reason he can conceal this is that he may have loved his girlfriend so much that hurting her would devastate him too.

Secondly, he sees himself as selfish when he turns down her request. He might have deep-seated regrets as to why life let him meet a girl who did not understand him when he presented his case.

He may conceal this because, first, he has himself to blame and has made out his decision, though unconsciously, to punish himself. This leads him to spend most time fantasizing about his physical health and contemplating suicide. His dreams at night would reveal his concealed fears and desires, as it is theorized by Sigmund Freud in his interpretation of dreams.

From the onset, Jim was judged for himself, and he declared his guilt and assigned himself punishments. He no longer finds need or pleasure in company. He spends time smoking cigarettes and thinking about his death. As a result of this self-guilt, he has declined to eat and thus lost a good deal of weight. He has also undertaken unconscious self-punishment by neglecting his hygiene and general normal life. He has imprisoned himself in bed, where he buys a lot of time to think about his worthlessness and pain.

Another punishment he has subjected himself to is to destroy his creative products. Whenever he does work, he destroys it at the end of the day. There is also psychological punishment where his consciousness is always tormented by nightmares of some gruesome women attacking him, which reduces him to crying like a child. This can be associated with his suppressed desire to punish himself, and whenever this happens, Jim feels that his selflessness deserves punishment.

In the fourth case, the precipitating stressor event that might have kicked off Janet’s schizophrenic episode can be noted from the history his parent gave. There was a time when she was reported to have scratched her wrist with a razor in an act that is termed self-destructing. Then there was her being separated from her family members who used to care for and support her. There are other factors that are noted in her history to have been repressed causes.

She reported that from the time she was young, the girl had been shy, socially awkward, and sensitive. This historical evidence shows that she has had that condition, but under the cause and understanding of her family members, it had been contained. Moreover, when she was seven years, she had gone slow school. The family undertook a therapy that was corrective to the situation.

In her adolescence, she frequently argued with her mother. Although this can be attributed to hormonal changes that are experienced by many adolescents, the argument reportedly resulted in self-harm. She was more provocative and worrisome, although this behavior just popped in and disappeared later. Another behavior was that Jane would behave eccentrically, engaging in complex rituals to trigger her sleep. Sometimes she would not want to be seen eating, a clear indication of her psychosocial malfunctioning

Another factor that may have triggered her condition may be her roommates and new environment. She was, on joining college, introduced to an environment that she was probably not used to. She was then left to be controlled by her long-encased schizophrenia. Janet’s primary delusion is her attempt to rescue herself from some inner dangers and fears.

Her delusion interprets her parents and nurses as threats geared towards sabotaging her idealized salvation, which is to be actualized through Dr. M. It started earlier when she would quarrel with her mother. At this age, it did not come out clearly, as at those formative stages, her condition would retreat.

Her confidence and overexcitement in justifying her condition are rife with evidence that she is no longer self-sensitive. She fantasizes about Dr. M, whom she has assumed as a sole hope in bringing about salvation in the world. Her delusion has reduced the world to herself. To her, the world is under attack by the same threatening unknown and can be saved only when her desire to unite with Dr. M comes to reality. This is her ultimate optimism and desire to be saved or reserved.

Her delusion and hallucination fit together so that she misinterprets real life as an attack. This can be traced back to when she was young. She could not understand her mother, and they would pick quarrels that sometimes resorted to self-destruction. Therefore, the world she has been living in is not the real world. Her hallucinations are evident in the way she interprets Dr. M. She has conceived a Dr. M who is being blocked from reaching her, even after she was instructed by a voice to merge with him and save the world.

The mistaken sensory perceptions and how she interprets reality as a threat make the two fit together to produce the kind of Janet we see.

Her hospitalization saves her and others because she is a danger to others and herself. She has terrifying intrinsic experiences described as command hallucinations. These hallucinations instruct her to do anything to herself and others. When she perceives everyone as a danger, there is a possibility that she can attack anyone under the influence of her delusions. This can also be because her reality is faulty, and her judging reality is misleading.

Halgin, Richard, and Susan Whitbourne. Abnormal Psychology: Clinical Perspectives on Psychological Disorders . 6th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2010. Print.

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Case Studies in Abnormal Child and Adolescent Psychology

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Il testo presenta dei casi che sono ben costruiti; le domande (e il corredo di risposte, altrettanto adeguate) tuttavia sono molto specifiche per gli studenti del corso che tengo e che diventeranno principalmente "social workers"; dunque non sono chiamati ad avere una competenza diagnostica così profonda

• Case studies based on real children provide realistic examples for students to pair with chapter readings.
• Short case studies modeled after DSM-5 clinical cases provide flexibility for instructors to assign these as in- or out-of-class assignments.
• Discussion questions paired with each case provide opportunities for critical thinking and analysis.

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Chapter 1: The Science and Practice of Abnormal Child Psychology

Chapter 2: The Causes of Childhood Disorders

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Retrospective Cohort Study: Definition & Examples

Julia Simkus

Editor at Simply Psychology

BA (Hons) Psychology, Princeton University

Julia Simkus is a graduate of Princeton University with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She is currently studying for a Master's Degree in Counseling for Mental Health and Wellness in September 2023. Julia's research has been published in peer reviewed journals.

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Saul Mcleod, PhD., is a qualified psychology teacher with over 18 years of experience in further and higher education. He has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Clinical Psychology.

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Associate Editor for Simply Psychology

BSc (Hons) Psychology, MSc Psychology of Education

Olivia Guy-Evans is a writer and associate editor for Simply Psychology. She has previously worked in healthcare and educational sectors.

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A retrospective study, sometimes called a historical cohort study, is a type of longitudinal study in which researchers look back to a certain point to analyze a particular group of subjects who have already experienced an outcome of interest.

In a retrospective cohort study, the researcher identifies a group of individuals who have been exposed to a certain factor and a group who have not been exposed (the cohorts), and then looks back in time to see how the rate of a certain outcome (like the development of a disease) differs between the two groups.

For example, a researcher might identify a group of people who smoked and a group who never smoked, and then look back at medical records to see how the rate of lung cancer differs between the two groups.

This type of study is beneficial for medical researchers, specifically in epidemiology, as scientists can use existing data to understand potential risk factors or causes of disease.

Researchers in retrospective studies will identify a cohort of subjects before they have developed a disease and then use existing data, such as medical records, to discover any patterns and examine exposures to suspected risks.

In cohort studies , one group of participants must share a common exposure factor, and this group is compared to another group of participants who do not share the exposure to that factor.

For example, men over age 60 who exercise daily could be compared to men over age 60 who do not exercise daily (control) to study the prevalence of diabetes in men over 60.

Researchers collect data from existing records to study a relationship and determine the influence of a particular factor (i.e., daily exercise) on a particular outcome (i.e., diabetes) and to analyze the relative risk of the cohort compared to the control group.

Feasibility

Estimating the relative risk of a population tends to be easier with retrospective studies than prospective studies. Retrospective studies are conducted on a smaller scale than prospective studies.

Because researchers study groups of people before they develop an illness, they can discover potential cause-and-effect relationships between certain behaviors and the development of a disease.

Inexpensive and less time-consuming

Retrospective studies tend to be cheaper and quicker than prospective studies as the data already exists, and researchers do not need to recruit participants.

Beneficial for rare diseases

Researchers in retrospective studies can address rare diseases easier than in prospective studies because, in prospective studies, researchers would need to recruit extremely large cohorts.

Limitations

Bias and confounding variables.

Most sources of error in retrospective studies are due to confounding and bias. These errors are more common in retrospective studies than in prospective studies, so a retrospective study design should not be used when a prospective design is possible.

Recall bias

Participants might not be able to remember if they were exposed or when they were exposed, or they might omit other details that are important for the study.

Missing data

Because researchers are using already existing data, they rely on others for accurate recordkeeping, and important information may not have been collected in the first place.

• Investigation of risk factors for breast cancer (Press & Pharoah, 2010).
• Characteristics of trafficked adults and children with severe mental illness (Oram et al., 2015).
• Activated injectable vitamin D and hemodialysis survival (Teng et al., 2005).
• Reporting critical incidents in a tertiary hospital Munting et al., 2015).
• Reporting critical incidents in a tertiary hospital (Munting et al., 2015).
• Association between blood eosinophil count and risk of readmission for patients with asthma (Kerkhof et al., 2018).
• Risk factors for mental disorders in women survivors of human trafficking (Abas et al., 2013).

Frequently Asked Questions

1. what is the difference between case-control and retrospective cohort studies.

Case-control studies are usually, but not exclusively, retrospective. Case-control studies are performed on individuals who already have a disease, and researchers compare them with other individuals who share similar characteristics but do not have the disease.

In a retrospective cohort study, on the other hand, researchers examine a group before any of the subjects have developed the disease. Then they examine any factors that differed between the individuals who developed the condition and those who did not.

More simply, the outcome is measured before the exposure in case-control studies, whereas the outcome is measured after exposure in cohort studies.

2. Is a retrospective study experimental?

No, retrospective cohort studies are observational. Researchers analyze a group of subjects without manipulating any variables or interfering with their environment.

Researchers use existing data to investigate the target population, so no experimentation is necessary. Retrospective cohort studies examine cause-and-effect relationships between a disease and an outcome. However, they do not explain why the factors that affect these relationships exist.

Experimental studies are required to determine why a certain factor is associated with a particular outcome.

Abas, M., Ostrovschi, N.V., Prince, M, et al. (2013). Risk factors for mental disorders in women survivors of human trafficking: a historical cohort study. BMC Psychiatry 13, 204. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-244X-13-204.

Hess, D.R. (2004) Retrospective studies and chart reviews. Respir Care. 49(10):1171-4. PMID: 15447798.

Kerkhof, M., Tran, T.N., Van den Berge, M., Brusselle, G.G., Gopalan, G., Jones, R.C.M., et al. (2018). Association between blood eosinophil count and risk of readmission for patients with asthma: Historical cohort study. 13(7): e0201143.

Munting, K.E, et al. (2015). Reporting critical incidents in a tertiary hospital: a historical cohort study of 110,310 procedures. Can J Anesth/J Can Anesth 62, 1248–1258. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12630-015-0492-y

Oram, S., Khondoker, M.R., Abas, M.A., Broadbent, M.T., & Howard, L.M. (2015). Characteristics of trafficked adults and children with severe mental illness: a historical cohort study. The Lancet. Psychiatry, 2 12, 1084-91.

Press, D. J., & Pharoah, P. (2010). Risk factors for breast cancer: a reanalysis of two case-control studies from 1926 and 1931. Epidemiology (Cambridge, Mass.), 21(4), 566–572. https://doi.org/10.1097/EDE.0b013e3181e08eb3

Ranganathan, P., & Aggarwal, R. (2018). Study designs: Part 1 – An overview and classification. Perspectives in clinical research, 9(4), 184–186.

Song, J. W., & Chung, K. C. (2010). Observational studies: cohort and case-control studies. Plastic and reconstructive surgery, 126(6), 2234–2242. https://doi.org/10.1097/PRS.0b013e3181f44abc.

Teng, M., Wolf, M., Ofsthun, M. N., Lazarus, J. M., Hernán, M. A., Camargo, C. A., Jr, & Thadhani, R. (2005). Activated injectable vitamin D and hemodialysis survival: a historical cohort study. Journal of the American Society of Nephrology: JASN, 16(4), 1115–1125.

Further Information

• Cohort Effect? Definition and Examples
• Barrett, D., & Noble, H. (2019). What are cohort studies?. Evidence-based nursing, 22(4), 95-96.
• Hess, D. R. (2004). Retrospective studies and chart reviews. Respiratory care, 49(10), 1171-1174.
• Euser, A. M., Zoccali, C., Jager, K. J., & Dekker, F. W. (2009). Cohort studies: prospective versus retrospective. Nephron Clinical Practice, 113(3), c214-c217.

Module 13: Disorders of Childhood and Adolescence

Case studies: disorders of childhood and adolescence, learning objectives.

• Identify disorders of childhood and adolescence in case studies

Case Study: Jake

Jake was born at full term and was described as a quiet baby. In the first three months of his life, his mother became worried as he was unresponsive to cuddles and hugs. He also never cried. He has no friends and, on occasions, he has been victimized by bullying at school and in the community. His father is 44 years old and describes having had a difficult childhood; he is characterized by the family as indifferent to the children’s problems and verbally violent towards his wife and son, but less so to his daughters. The mother is 41 years old, and describes herself as having a close relationship with her children and mentioned that she usually covers up for Jake’s difficulties and makes excuses for his violent outbursts. [1]

During his stay (for two and a half months) in the inpatient unit, Jake underwent psychiatric and pediatric assessments plus occupational therapy. He took part in the unit’s psycho-educational activities and was started on risperidone, two mg daily. Risperidone was preferred over an anti-ADHD agent because his behavioral problems prevailed and thus were the main target of treatment. In addition, his behavioral problems had undoubtedly influenced his functionality and mainly his relations with parents, siblings, peers, teachers, and others. Risperidone was also preferred over other atypical antipsychotics for its safe profile and fewer side effects. Family meetings were held regularly, and parental and family support along with psycho-education were the main goals. Jake was aided in recognizing his own emotions and conveying them to others as well as in learning how to recognize the emotions of others and to become aware of the consequences of his actions. Improvement was made in rule setting and boundary adherence. Since his discharge, he received regular psychiatric follow-up and continues with the medication and the occupational therapy. Supportive and advisory work is done with the parents. Marked improvement has been noticed regarding his social behavior and behavior during activity as described by all concerned. Occasional anger outbursts of smaller intensity and frequency have been reported, but seem more manageable by the child with the support of his mother and teachers.

In the case presented here, the history of abuse by the parents, the disrupted family relations, the bullying by his peers, the educational difficulties, and the poor SES could be identified as additional risk factors relating to a bad prognosis. Good prognostic factors would include the ending of the abuse after intervention, the child’s encouragement and support from parents and teachers, and the improvement of parental relations as a result of parent training and family support by mental health professionals. Taken together, it appears that also in the case of psychiatric patients presenting with complex genetic aberrations and additional psychosocial problems, traditional psychiatric and psychological approaches can lead to a decrease of symptoms and improved functioning.

Case Study: Kelli

Kelli may benefit from a course of comprehensive behavioral intervention for her tics in addition to psychotherapy to treat any comorbid depression she experiences from isolation and bullying at school. Psychoeducation and approaches to reduce stigma will also likely be very helpful for both her and her family, as well as bringing awareness to her school and those involved in her education.

• Kolaitis, G., Bouwkamp, C.G., Papakonstantinou, A. et al. A boy with conduct disorder (CD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), borderline intellectual disability, and 47,XXY syndrome in combination with a 7q11.23 duplication, 11p15.5 deletion, and 20q13.33 deletion. Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health 10, 33 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13034-016-0121-8 ↵
• Case Study: Childhood and Adolescence. Authored by : Chrissy Hicks for Lumen Learning. Provided by : Lumen Learning. License : CC BY: Attribution
• A boy with conduct disorder (CD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), borderline intellectual disability.... Authored by : Gerasimos Kolaitis, Christian G. Bouwkamp, Alexia Papakonstantinou, Ioanna Otheiti, Maria Belivanaki, Styliani Haritaki, Terpsihori Korpa, Zinovia Albani, Elena Terzioglou, Polyxeni Apostola, Aggeliki Skamnaki, Athena Xaidara, Konstantina Kosma, Sophia Kitsiou-Tzeli, Maria Tzetis . Provided by : Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health. Located at : https://capmh.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13034-016-0121-8 . License : CC BY: Attribution
• Angry boy. Located at : https://www.pxfuel.com/en/free-photo-jojfk . License : Public Domain: No Known Copyright
• Frustrated girl. Located at : https://www.pickpik.com/book-bored-college-education-female-girl-1717 . License : Public Domain: No Known Copyright