CASE STUDY: Read and answer questions on the following case study. 

Mr. Science 

Mr. Science is a 61 year old science teacher who became very fearful during the first semester of the new academic year. Over the next few months he lost interest in his hobbies, stopped reading and had difficulty doing computations or taking care of his finances. He even got lost driving to his school one morning. He began writing notes to himself to avoid forgetting things. Abruptly he retired from work and did not even consult his wife. He became stubborn and irritable and needed help in shaving and dressing. When he was examined 6 years after the first symptoms developed, he was alert, cooperative, but disoriented to time. He could not recall the names of 4 or 5 objects after 5 minutes and was unable to remember his college, his major and thought that Kennedy was president in 1978. His speech was fluent, but he had word finding problems. He called a cup a vase and the rims of glasses as “holders.” He did math poorly and could not copy a cube or draw a house. His interpretations of proverbs were concrete and had no insight into his problems. Lab tests were all negative. CAT scan showed cortical atrophy. 

Questions: 

1. What is his diagnosis? 

2. What are the symptoms that helped you make this diagnosis? What diagnostic criteria do they relate to? 

3. What are two other possible diagnoses and why did you not choose them? 

4. What kinds of psychological interventions would be appropriate in this case? 

5. What is his prognosis? 

Sample Solution

1. Mr. Science’s diagnosis is likely Alzheimer’s Disease.
2. The symptoms that indicate this diagnosis include difficulty with memory, disorientation to time, difficulty with computation and taking care of finances, difficulty with word finding, difficulty with copying a cube or drawing a house, and concrete interpretations of proverbs. These symptoms relate to the diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer’s Disease as outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).
3. Two other possible diagnoses could be Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) or Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD), however these have different symptom patterns and diagnostic criteria than Alzheimer’s Disease. MCI is characterized by memory impairment that does not interfere with daily life, while FTD is characterized…Order a customized and more comprehensive answer here