Instruction
Week 4 Application Assignment: Personality as a Comorbid Disorder
Overview
When diagnosing clients, personality disorders are often not the primary focus of clinical attention. Personality disorders are rarely what brings someone in for treatment. Rather, they tend to complicate other diagnoses that may bring the client in for treatment. Understanding the reporting and treatment of such diagnoses is critical to Clinical Mental Health Counselors.
Assignment 4 will help you to clarify your understanding of Personality Disorders. You should also listen to the lecture, review supplemental materials, and use the rubrics as guides to help you complete the assignment. This assignment will count toward your final grade and is due by Day 7. It is worth 75 points.
Directions
Write a short paper (2-3 text pages) discussing the treatment considerations for a person presenting with both a mood disorder and a personality disorder.
What distinguishes them in terms of diagnosis? What distinguishes them in terms of treatment? How would your treatment of someone with just a mood disorder differ from your treatment of someone with both a mood and a personality disorder?
As a portion of your paper, you will create a fictional case with both a mood and personality disorder diagnosis and briefly discuss treatment considerations. Be sure to provide the exact diagnosis and diagnostic codes in your example. The following sections are suggested for your paper.
Comorbid disorders (when two disorders are present)
Treatment Considerations for Personality Disorders
Case Example
Use your textbooks and the DSM to support your writing. You may also use information from other scholarly sources such as articles found in the Lamar library. Be sure to write your paper using APA style and cite all references accordingly.