117

Jill: Hey Bob. Bob: Hey Jill, how's it going? Jill: I don't know, I'm just worried about Jack. Bob: Why? Jill: I don't know if I should be worried but, he's been acting extremely weird lately after his mother died in that car accident. Bob: Really? Well having your mom die is a very tragic event... What makes you think there's something wrong with him? Jill: Well, when I first thought that something was weird was when I went to his house to comfort him. At that point, he didn't come to school for about two weeks and I was worried so I went to house to talk to him. When I saw him, he was a wreck! He smelled disgusting and his room was so dirty that it looked scary. But, I ignored it and sat with him to make him feel a little better about his life. When I brought up the topic about his mom dying, he just started laughing! It started with a giggle and lead up to loud laughter that made a little tear i his eye from laughing so hard. Bob: Wow, that's really weird. Jill: Yeah, you think? And that's not it! When I came back from the restroom, he was talking to his pillow. He was telling him that everything was going to be okay or something like that. It started to really scare me so I slowly walked out. And then he turned to me and yelled,"Here, puppy!" and started petting the air like a dog was there or something. Bob: You should go take him for special help. Jill: I can't but I wish i knew what was wrong with him.

At first this seemed to be Post traumatic stress disorder, but none of the activities that they did are within those bounds, Thus I would come to believe it would be schizophrenia, but it is a very strange case indeed. Post traumatic stress disorder only has activities related to the event. Forgetting of the event, nightmares about the event, and also angry outbursts. Schizophrenia is like a jumbled mess of words and actions that not only do not seem to fit in what is going on, but also like other people are there. As he started laughing when Jill asked about his mom dying. Also his talking to someone that is not there. He does not seem to care about the things he used to, but that could be put under ptsd. So from what I observe, he might have both PTSD and Schizophrenia.

At the height of these delusions, I would say the best treatment for him would be at a hospital, so we can make sure he doesn't hurt himself. I would also proscribe Clozapine for the schizophrenia,as it also is the "nicest" of the drugs out there. If the patient is not able to leave the home, do to increased anxiety, then show the family how to deal with a schizophrenic. But with only a father left in the household, it will probably be too much for the family to watch over due to the need to be there almost twenty four seven. If such a situation occurred I would suggest a nurse to come be nanny for the day. It is extremely important that he takes his medicine every day, even if he doesn't want to. It is also important for the family to find ways to communicate simply with the child. Also with PTSD, treatment with a therapist to help with the idea of getting over his mother. Also cognitive therapy might be good if the disorder is not to bad. Recording all of his audible delusions and marking when they happen is also a good thing. Also, there are certain virtual reality games almost that help teach the patient between reality and illusion.

Grohol, J. M., & Psy.D.. (n.d.). Psych Central: Schizophrenia Treatment. //Psych Central - Trusted information in mental health and psychology//. Retrieved January 7, 2010, from http://psychcentral.com/disorders/sx31t.htm

You are correct ! Good job