Pyscho-Education Report Paper Example

Psycho-education is one of the key aspects of therapy that involves understanding the need for support for the people with compulsive behaviors such as sex addiction and depression. This method is considered to be effective as it empowers the patients to take back control of their lives through accurate information processing and regulation of strong feelings which are associated with addiction and depression.

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Reasons for Referral

This is an evaluation to determine whether Kaylin Bell, a former marine can take control over his life again even after going through the depressing experiences associated with addiction and anxiety. Using psycho-education as part of the treatment plan will assist Bell to increase his chances of long-term recovery in various ways; for example, provision of valuable information that can help the patient alleviate worry and anxiety. This evaluation also provides the patient with the opportunity to understand the complex scientific aspects of addiction and depression in simple terms through an open session where he can ask questions freely.

History and Background information

Kaylin Bell is a former marine officer who was originally diagnosed with depression, severe anxiety, and bipolar depression. However, Bell also has a history of substance abuse. He is also diagnosed with sex addiction. All these are part of mental health problem that needs understanding. Bell now has various mental health issues that all contribute to his emotional discomfort and disturbances.

Behavior observation

Kaylin Bell was observed in his engagement during the sessions. During the observation, Bell was observed when he reported until he leaves. Bell was dull and quiet every time he moved into the room. Bell sat at the back where he could easily avoid eye contact with people and avoid being asked questions. Although Bell did not seem bothered by the discussions regarding his situation, he appeared very distracted most of the time he came for the session. The assistant tried in various ways to engage Bell in the discussion through the use of picture communication cards. Bell became restless and began slowly losing focus on the discussion. Bell was observed frequently moving out of the session and sometimes, babbling to himself. After some time, he transitioned back to the room and appeared actively engaged in the discussion. He was observed to look downwards, distracted on the phone, and always kept quiet. Overall, Kaylin Bell appeared to have a problem with building a relationship with other people who attended the session.

Tests Administered

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

Based on the diagnosis of Kaylin Bell, it was recommended that Thematic Apperception Test is administered. Thematic Apperception Test or TAT as it is popularly known is a projective measure used in the evaluation of peoples patterns of thoughts, attitudes, and observational capacity and emotional responses (Aronow et al., 2013). The evaluation factors mentioned above were based on the ambiguous test material that consisted of a set of cards that portray different human figures in diverse situations and settings (Aronow et al., 2013). Bell was asked to tell the examiner or assistant a story about each card. The questions include; what is shown in the picture, what has led to the situation, the feelings and thoughts of the characters shown in the picture, and the probable outcome of the circumstance.

The test was administered to Bell in a quiet room that is free from distractions. Kaylin Bell was told to sit at the edge of the desk in front of the examiner. The examiner accurately and slowly showed Bell a series of 12 story cards from the set of 31 TAT cards. Although some proponents of this test like Murray recommended 20 cards to be used instead of the commonly used which are between 10 and 14 cards (Aronow et al., 2013); but, the need to use 12 cards in this process was mainly influenced by the time required. The TAT test was administered for one hour where the patient was actively engaged in the process of identifying and explaining events and circumstances in the cards.

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) test was also administered to Kaylin Bell to assess his personality traits and psychopathology. The MMPI-2 was specifically used to assess Bells major categories of abnormal behavior (Framingham, 2016). The test that is designed with 10 clinical scales is used to assess 10 abnormal behaviors as well. The ten subscales represented in this test include hypochondriasis, depression, hysteria, psychopathic deviate, masculinity/femininity, psych asthenia, schizophrenia, hypomania, and social introversion. Since the effectiveness of the MMPI-2 test depends on the honesty of the participant or patient (Framingham, 2016), it was emphasized during the admission that Kaylin Bell is honest and frank while taking the test so as to reduce or minimize any possibility of its invalidity. The four main validity scales were involved; for example, the lie scale, false scale, back scale, and K scale. The weakness of this test is that someone may decide to exaggerate the report or denying some behavioral features being observed (Framingham, 2016); thus, reducing the validity of the test. However, to ensure that validity of the test was obtained and maintained, Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) test was administered.

Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI)

The PAI test is almost the same with the MMPI test because they both evaluate and assess the personality traits and psychopathology. However, the difference is the statement used in PAI which involves the four respondent rates presented on a 4-point scale. The four scales used in PAI is quite different from that used in MMPI test; for example, in PAI it involves 1) Not true at all or False 2) Slightly true 3) Mainly true, and 4) Very true (Karlin et al., 2005). These are the four main scales used in the PAI test. Kaylin Bell was subjected to this test not only because the MMPI test was invalid or insufficient but because most his diagnosis matched the conditional categories described in the PAI test. The four sub-scales in PAI provide the categories of conditions that can be observed. Validity scales is used to measure respondents inconsistency, frequency, negative and positive impression (Karlin et al., 2005). Clinical scales assess the respondents psychopathology categories such as anxiety, depression, paranoia, mania, schizophrenia, drug or substance abuse.

Treatment consideration scales is used to assess the factors associated with clinical disorders such as aggression, stress, and treatment rejection. Lastly, the interpersonal scales are used to measure the factors influencing the interpersonal functioning of the patient; for example, dominance and warmth. PAI test is also limited to certain areas of measure that may influence the validity and reliability of the findings. Some of the limitations include the inability to effectively measure certain constructs that may be of helpful in the assessment and evaluation of behavior and personality traits of an individual (Karlin et al., 2005). Some of the constructs include eating disorders which are a significant factor used to carry out a PAI assessment and other related tests like MMPI-2 discussed previously. However, improving the validity of this test requires the examiner to be cautious in interpreting the data collected non-English speaker.

Kaylin Bell fulfilled almost all the aspects in the four scales used in PAI test; thus, the need to administer it to help enhance the validity of the MMPI and TAT tests explained above. All the above-discussed techniques or tests were administered to the patient to help enhance the treatment process. The tests were administered because Kaylin Bell matched the profile across the different scales. This, however, demonstrated a diverse range of clinical features. The configuration of the discussed scales suggest or match an individual with a history of substance abuse, anxiety, depression and other addiction problem that all contribute to the development of mental problems. Interpersonal factors and the social environment factors all contribute to the perfectly established certainty about key issues and goals in life of an individual. The social environment provides the respondent or patient with the social supports that enable him/her deal with the stress. Depression, anxiety, addiction, and substance abuse can be treated with a proper psycho-education technique that requires integration of various tests. Kaylin Bells inability to build a relationship with the other people can be fixed through supporting the interpersonal and social environment factors influencing self-adjustments.

References

Aronow, E., Weiss, K. A., & Reznikoff, M. (2013). A practical guide to the Thematic Apperception Test: The TAT in clinical practice. Routledge.Framingham, J. (2016). Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI). Psych Central. Retrieved from https://psychcentral.com/lib/minnesota-multiphasic-personality-inventory-mmpi/

Karlin, B. E., Creech, S. K., Grimes, J. S., Clark, T. S., Meagher, M. W., & Morey, L. C. (2005). The Personality Assessment Inventory with chronic pain patients: Psychometric properties and clinical utility. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 61(12), 1571-1585.