Mrs. T. is a 62-year-old woman who immigrated from Taiwan with her husband to re-join their son who moved to the United States for a job eight years ago. Mrs. T. had a difficult time adjusting to life in a new country but was very happy to be reunited with her son and his wife, who are expecting a baby. Mrs. T. only speaks Mandarin and she moved to a neighbourhood with a high concentration of Chinese speaking immigrants, which was helpful in acclimating.
About six months after moving, Mr. T. unexpectedly passed away. Her son’s job transferred him to a city two hours away and very soon after, he and his wife had their baby. Mrs. T. loves the new baby very much, but she feels they have no room in their new life for her. She doesn’t want to move from the neighborhood where she can speak her native language, and she is feeling very sad and alone.
Mrs. T. says she doesn’t feel like doing much of anything and says nothing brings her happiness anymore. She hasn’t been sleeping well and says she spends most of the day in bed watching Chinese television. She is not eating much and has lost about 10 lbs.
Her son rearranged the furniture in her home to improve the feng shui. He would like her to see an acupuncturist and a Chinese herbal medicine specialist in her neighborhood to restore balance to her body.
For your initial post, use the biopsychosocial formulation grid system below to formulate your diagnosis and develop a comprehensive treatment plan for the case scenario.
What is your diagnosis? Do you agree with the son’s plan as part of her treatment plan? What is your treatment plan?
