Anxiety
« Previous EntriesMentoring Youthful Patients
Tuesday, February 28th, 2012One example is developmentally determined: therapy with depressed and anxious patients in late adolescence and early adulthood. Creating a viable independent identity for oneself is the task of this life stage. Identity formation involves reworking identifications with parents and other important adults from childhood, rejecting unwanted traits and synthesizing others […]
Unresolved Issues
Tuesday, February 21st, 2012Unresolved issues at various stages of life influence the patterns of symptoms, perceptions, and unmet needs that must be taken into account to offer an optimal therapeutic environment for healing in each case. The descriptive diagnostic categories we use today based on symptom lists do not help us to make the […]
The Case of Tommy Continued
Thursday, February 16th, 2012In Tommy’s case the developmental stages at which the traumatic episodes occurred defined the particular ways in which PTSD anxiety manifested itself, both the specific triggers that set off panic attacks and the character and consequences of PTSD anxiety in his life. While developmental factors are not always so crucial and […]
The Case of Tommy Continued
Tuesday, February 14th, 2012His capacity to respond quickly and constructively to my use of early interpretation was confirmed once more in the second session. I wondered why, after months of suicidal fantasy, Tommy chose to cut his wrist, a suicide method that in my experience many women but few men use. He had no […]
The Case of Tommy Continued
Thursday, February 9th, 2012The success of this treatment plan would depend upon Tommy’s intelligence, motivation and capacity to form a trusting therapeutic relationship. Fortunately, Tommy had had loving parents, was endowed with a kind and appealing personality, and was strongly motivated to succeed. He had achieved a 4.0 grade point average during his […]
The Case of Tommy Continued
Tuesday, February 7th, 2012It was in the context of this pervasive insecurity that Tommy had to face the challenges of adolescence and adult life. It is no surprise then that separation from home was associated with fearful intrinsic memories that could be triggered by the slightest setback in his life, bringing up the panic, […]
The Case of Tommy Continued
Thursday, February 2nd, 2012Adults who behave as if they look at life in this immature way often suffer from arrested development caused by traumatization under the age of three years. Given the developmental stage at which the second hospitalization occurred, it is likely that Tommy interpreted the pain and separation of heart surgery as […]
The Case of Tommy Continued
Tuesday, January 31st, 2012At age 18 months when Tommy had his heart surgery, most children have attained secure object constancy but their notions of cause and effect are still primitive and magical. They cannot distinguish clearly between fantasy and reality. It is the stage of omnipotent wishes and fears. If toddlers want something and […]
The Case of Tommy Continued
Thursday, January 26th, 2012After hearing his story, I immediately suspected that Tommy had been misdiagnosed and that his underlying problem was Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. The ages of his hospitalizations were key to his specific PTSD symptoms. At age 8 months when Tommy was first hospitalized, most babies have bonded to their mothers or […]
The Case of Tommy
Tuesday, January 10th, 2012Tommy’s story offers a dramatic example of how important developmental cues can be for accurate diagnosis and treatment. Tommy was a 27 year old college student who came in suffering from lingering anxiety two months after a panic attack that occurred while he was on summer break living with his parents […]
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