Anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD) have a devastating impact on an individual’s ability to live, work, and conduct relationships. These disorders are often harder to identify than other conditions. Difficulty in diagnosis is compounded by the fact that expressions of anxiety differ widely from culture to culture. Anxiety is often co-occurring with depression and with OCD, as well as with trauma disorders. The boundaries between these illnesses can be blurred.
This week you examine those boundaries by analyzing a case from the anxiety and OCD spectrums. You also consider cultural idioms and the cultural formulation interview (CFI) of the DSM-5. The CFI is designed to help a social worker adapt diagnosis and treatment both to cultural variations and to the individual experience of a person within that culture. Given that anxiety may manifest in diverse ways due to cultural influences, you practice using the CFI to guide treatment conceptualization for anxiety.
Learning Objectives
Students will:
- Analyze a case study focused on an anxiety disorder utilizing steps of differential diagnosis
- Recommend an intervention for treating anxiety disorder
- Role-play a client interaction to complete a Cultural Formulation Interview
- Analyze cultural variables in mental health treatment planning
Learning Resources
Required Readings
Morrison, J. (2014). Diagnosis made easier (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
Chapter 12, “Diagnosing Anxiety, Fear, Obsessions and Worry” (pp. 167–184)
American Psychiatric Association. (2013a). Anxiety disorders. In Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: Author. doi:10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596.dsm05
American Psychiatric Association. (2013l). Obsessive compulsive and related disorders. In Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: Author. doi:10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596.dsm06
American Psychiatric Association. (2013d). Cultural formulation. In Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: Author. doi:10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596.CulturalFormulation
Diáz, E., Añez, L. M., Silva, M., Paris, M., & Davidson, L. (2017). Using the cultural formulation interview to build culturally sensitive services. Psychiatric Services, 68(2), 112–114. doi:10.1176/appi.ps.201600440
Required Media
TEDx Talks. (2015, May 29). Living with #OCD | Samantha Pena | TEDxYouth@TCS [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btO3kE2RrEY&feature=youtu.be
TEDx Talks. (2016a, October 11). My hidden OCD exposed | Anne Swanson | TEDxVermilionStreet [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3f4Gf5Q_2w
Optional Resources
American Psychiatric Association. (2013i). Glossary of cultural concepts of distress. In Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: Author. doi:10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596.GlossaryofCulturalConceptsofDistress
Dominguez, M. L. (2017). LGBTQIA people of color: Utilizing the cultural psychology model as a guide for the mental health assessment and treatment of patients with diverse identities. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Mental Health, 21(3), 203–220. doi:10.1080/19359705.2017.1320755