I. Topic: Anxiety-Based Disorders

II. Purpose: To help students recognize the symptoms of anxiety-based disorders.

III. Description: Problem-Solving Worksheet

Below are 5 short case studies of individuals suffering from different forms of anxiety. After reading each case, students will offer their "diagnosis" of the disorder described in the case study.

IV. Procedure:

1. Hand out the worksheet to the students in your class and have them complete the assignment, either in class or as a take-home assignment. When students are finished, discuss their responses together as a class in the attempt to further their understanding of this class of disorders.

Correct Answers:
Case Study 1: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Case Study 2:Psychogenic Fugue
Case Study 3: Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Case Study 4: Hypochondriasis
Case Study 5: Phobic Disorder (In This Case, Agoraphobia)

Instructions: Below are 5 case studies of different persons suffering from different forms of mental disorders. Your task is to state or describe what disorder you think each person is suffering from based on the case study.

Case Study 1

Zelda is extremely concerned with cleanliness. In fact, before she retires at night, she goes through a cleaning ritual of her clothes and body that sometimes lasts for up to 2 hours. If she misses a step in the ritual or performs part of it imperfectly, she starts the ritual all over again.

Case Study 2

Monica is suffering from a form of amensia. She has deliberately left her home town moved to another city 350 miles away, and has assumed a new identity, a new job, and even new personality characteristics.

Case Study 3

Alex periodically suffers from extremely high levels of anxiety but he cannot pinpoint the source or otherwise say why he is so anxious. He is terrified at times, his heart often races, he feels wobbly, and has difficulty concentrating.

Case Study 4

Karen worries excessively about developing a rare disease. When she meets friends or writes letters to her relatives, she is constantly discussing how she feels and expresses concern that even the most minor irregularities in the functioning of her body are symptoms of underlying diseases. She spents a good deal of time consulting doctors for a second opinion.

Case Study 5

Terry complains that he is experiencing recurrent episodes of lightheadedness, rapid breathing, and dizziness, especially as he attempts to leave his house. The symptoms have become so severe that, in fact, he is leaving his house less and less frequently. He now only goes the grocery store in the company of his sister. Once in the store, he checks immediately for the exits and windows.