Melinda is an exceptionally bright, 17-year-old African American young woman, in her first year at a state college. Both parents accompany her to your office. When she came home for spring break, she started talking nonsense, saying that the college’s biology department is using a high-powered laser to alter the DNA in her brain. She has always been an “A” student and has never shown any sign of psychiatric disturbance prior to this.
Discuss case-specific cultural factors as well as legal and ethical issues present in each case.
- Indicate the possible etiologies in a general way and the steps you would take to diagnose, treat, and manage these cases, with consideration of pharmacological intervention
- You don’t need to discuss every detail of your treatment – just write from the standpoint of a clinical psychotherapist who does not prescribe medication, but coordinates care with physicians who do.
