Interview analysis Assignment PDF

Running head: INTERVIEW ANALYSIS
PSY2010 ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY WEEK 2 PROJECT
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

INTERVIEW ANALYSIS1
Introduction
Abnormal psychology refers to the unusual types of emotion, behavior and thought
that might or might not be identified as a precipitating mental disorder. This assignment will
analyze the interview of three patients, suffering from ADHD, paranoid schizophrenia and
Tourette’s syndrome, respectively.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
David, the patient is a 16 year old school student who has been found to be incredibly
hyperactive in his behavior. Some of the presenting complaints were that he was not able to
focus his attention for a considerable period of time and often used to get ostracized by his
classmates for this behavior. Other signs and symptoms were related to regular complaints
from his teachers, difficulty in studying, reports of words jumping around, and problems in
expressing judgment capabilities (Faces of Abnormal Psychology, 2018). The condition was
diagnosed as Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) based on few of the DSM-IV
diagnostic criteria such as, (i) inattentive and/or hyperactive-impulsive symptoms, (ii)
impairment at home, school or work, (iii) noteworthy deficiency in academic, social, or
occupational environment, and (iv) excessive talkativeness (van de Glind et al., 2014).
Furthermore, signs of blurting out answers even before the question has been finished were
some other criteria that were used for David’s diagnosis.
Three themes that were considered while interviewing David were namely, coping at
school, trying to learn, and coping with ADHD. In response to whether he liked school,
David first displayed disapproval, but later talked about his interest in attending school due to
the presence of his peers. According to Crump et al. (2013) ADHD most often makes
children miss school and decreases their attendance. On asking if ADHD interferes with his
learning, David stated that he could not read for long and could not sit quietly like his peers,

INTERVIEW ANALYSIS2
thus disrupting the class (Faces of Abnormal Psychology, 2018). He also found the words
bouncing and jumping over the pages that made learning even more difficult. There is
mounting evidence for the negative impacts that ADHD creates on the learning grades in
school and the increasing workload often makes it difficult for the affected students to cope
up with the environment (Taanila et al., 2014). The final question was related to his capability
in controlling the illness, with an increase in age. Hyperactivity and fidgetiness, the two
primary symptoms of ADHD are found to decrease with an increase in age (Döpfner et al.,
2015). David stated that the administration of medications helped in enhancing his health and
with an increase in age, although he tried to control his impulsivity, he failed to do so.
The most commonly prescribed medication for ADHD is Ritalin that principally acts
by acting as a norepinephrine–dopamine reuptake inhibitor (NDRI) and modulates the
dopamine levels in the brain. According to Currie, Stabile and Jones (2014) this drug proves
effective in increasing attention ability, staying focused on tasks, and controlling all types of
behavioral problems. However, some adverse effects are associated with loss of appetite, dry
mouth, and nausea. This calls for the need of behavioral therapy that addresses the
problematic behavior by structuring the time, launching predictability and sequences, and
snowballing positive attention.
Tourette's syndrome
The patient Ben first reported symptoms at the age of three years such as, twitching of
the head and recurrent verbal tic. Further examination also revealed that his brother suffered
from the same condition. The condition was diagnosed by a neurologist. Some of the
common diagnostic criteria for the disorder that confirm the diagnosis in Ben are namely, (1)
presence of repeated motor and verbal tic, (2) appearance of the tic several times in a day, (3)
onset occurring before the age of 18, and (4) consequences that encompass marked distress or
momentous impairment, in relation to social functioning (Cavanna & Seri, 2013). Although