5p
Write a 5–7 page final report for Derek or Meredith’s defense attorney.
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Introduction
Forensic psychologists may do assessments for either the prosecution or defense. Once an assessment has been completed, a written report is commonly used to communicate the forensic psychologist’s conclusion. It may include items like potential origins of the behaviors (both biological and environmental, speaking to the classic nature versus nurture argument in psychology), current manifestations of the behavior and potential diagnosis, assessment approach, and other ethical or demographic considerations related to the case. In Assessment 3, you will continue reviewing the case you explored in Assessment 2 and apply your knowledge and skills related to assessment and ethics to provide a final report.
NOTE: This assessment builds on Assessment 2. It’s recommended that you complete Assessment 2 before Assessment 3.
Preparation
· Review the case study you chose (Derek or Meredith) from the
Criminal Offenders: Case Studies
media piece. (down below)
· Review the
DSM-5-TR diagnostic criteria for:
· Depressive disorders.
· Bipolar and related disorders.
· Anxiety disorders.
· Schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders.
· In the Capella library, locate three peer-reviewed journal articles:
· At least one article on the mental health disorder.
· At least one article on the assessment you chose.
Instructions
Write and submit a 5–7 page report summarizing Derek’s or Meredith’s diagnosis and its influence on their behavior.
In your paper, include the following:
· State the disorder Derek or Meredith show signs of having.
· Reference the
DSM-5-TR when you do this, and specifically state how they meet the diagnostic criteria for that disorder.
· This discussion should be approximately one page.
· Describe the mental health assessment you chose. Discuss the assessment’s validity and reliability.
· Be sure to demonstrate how this assessment is appropriate for your case study.
· This discussion should be approximately one page.
· Discuss the possible biological, developmental, behavioral, situational, and protective factors that may explain or cause the behaviors in the case study.
· This discussion should be approximately one to two pages.
· Discuss ethical considerations related to assessing this client and provide examples.
· This discussion should be approximately one page.
· Review the crime as described in
Criminal Offenders: Case Studies
and describe how the disorder influenced the commission of the crime.
· This discussion should be approximately one to two pages.
Use the
APA Style Paper Template [DOCX]
for your paper. Be sure you review the Case Study: Final Report scoring guide
to ensure that you have met all the criteria for this assessment.
Additional Requirements
Your paper should meet the following requirements:
·
Written communication: Written communication is free of errors that detract from the overall message.
·
APA formatting: Resources and citations are formatted according to the APA style and formatting standards.
·
References: At least six references—your textbook, APA
Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct, the
DSM-5-TR, and three peer-reviewed journal articles. Note: You can use sources you found for Assessment 2.
·
Length of paper: 5–7 typed, double-spaced pages of content, in addition to the title page and references page.
·
Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.
Competencies Measured
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and scoring guide criteria:
· Competency 1: Interpret behavior based on biological, social, and psychological factors.
· Apply DSM-5-TR criteria to a case study.
· Interpret behavior based on biological, behavioral, situational, developmental, and protective factors.
· Develop an explanation of the relationship between the mental health disorder and the crime.
· Competency 2: Apply reliability and validity and generalizability to research findings and assessments.
· Apply reliability, validity, and generalizability to a chosen assessment.
· Competency 3: Apply psychological ethical principles to forensic psychology.
· Apply ethical principles to an assessment in forensic psychology.
· Competency 4: Apply information literacy skills to problems in forensic psychology.
· Apply evidence from peer-reviewed journal articles.
· Competency 5: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for professionals in the field of psychology.
· Use APA style formatting for citations and reference list with only minor errors.
· Address assessment purpose in a well-organized text, incorporating appropriate evidence and tone in grammatically sound sentences.
Case Study Assessment Form
Directions: Based on your chosen case study, carefully fill in each box in the four sections below. Follow the directions for each step.
Biographical Data
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Name: |
Meredith |
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Age: |
20 years old |
Gender: |
Female |
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Race or ethnicity (if known): |
Native American |
Marital status (if known): |
Not reported |
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Other important details: |
DSM-5-TR Observed Symptoms
Directions: Follow the decision tree below, with criteria modified from the
DSM-5-TR, answering yes or no for each question. Feel free to zoom in to make it easier to use.
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Symptom: |
Observed: |
Not observed: |
Depressive Symptoms |
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Depressed mood most of the day, nearly everyday (feels sad, empty, hopeless): |
Yes |
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Loss of interest or pleasure nearly every day: |
No |
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Significant weight loss when not dieting or weight gain, decrease or increase in appetite nearly every day: |
No |
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Insomnia or hypersomnia nearly every day: |
No |
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Psychomotor agitation or retardation nearly every day: |
No |
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Fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day: |
No |
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Feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt nearly every day: |
Yes (likely after the murder) |
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Diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness, nearly every day: |
Yes (as a resultofher emotional state and impulsivity) |
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Recurrent thoughts of death, recurrent suicidal ideation without a specific plan, or a suicide attempt or a specific plan for committing suicide: |
Yes (she reported suicidal ideation) |
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Manic Symptoms |
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Abnormal and persistent elevated, expansive, or irritable mood and abnormal, persistent increased activity or energy: |
No |
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Inflated self-esteem or grandiosity: |
No |
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Decreased need for sleep: |
No |
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More talkative than usual or pressure to keep talking: |
No |
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Flight of ideas or subjective experience that thoughts are racing: |
No |
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Distractibility (attention too easily drawn to unimportant or irrelevant external stimuli) as reported or observed: |
Yes (she showed distractibility I her behavior) |
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Increase in goal-directed activity (either socially, at work or school, or sexually) or psychomotor agitation: |
Yes (impulsive behavior and aggression) |
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Excessive involvement in activities that have a high potential for painful consequences: |
Yes (vandalism,car theft, and murder) |
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Anxiety Symptoms |
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Excessive anxiety and worry, occurring more days than not, about a number of events or activities: |
Yes (anxiety,panic attacks prior to the murder) |
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Difficulty controlling the feelings of worry: |
Yes |
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Restlessness or feeling keyed up or on edge: |
Yes |
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Easily fatigued: |
No |
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Difficulty concentrating or mind going blank: |
Yes |
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Irritability: |
Yes |
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Muscle tension: |
Yes |
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Sleep disturbance (difficultly falling or staying asleep, or restless, unsatisfying sleep): |
Yes (noted beforethe murder) |
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Psychotic Symptoms |
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One or more delusions with a duration of one month or more: |
No |
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Hallucinations: |
No |
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Disorganized speech: |
No |
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Grossly disorganized or catatonic behaviors: |
No |
Diagnosis
Directions: Fill in the table below, answering each prompt in turn. Support your conclusions with information from your textbook, the
DSM-5-TR, and peer-reviewed journal articles.
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Name of diagnosis: |
Bordrline Personality Disoder (BPD) with co-occuring substance use disorder and potential dissociative episodes. |
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Provide a brief rationale for diagnosis. This should be 1–2 fully developed paragraphs. Use APA style citations. |
Impulsivity, emotional dysregulation, and difficulties with other people are some of Meredith’s characteristics (e.g. bullying and untethered relationships). Homicidal dissociative states also indicate a possible dissociative disorder comorbidity or a psychotic episode (Parr et al., 2022). |
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Describe the possible biological origin of these behaviors. This should be 1–2 fully developed paragraphs. Use APA style citations. |
Genetic predispositions relating to emotional dysregulation and impulsivity have combined with stressors from the environment including the loss of paternal grandmother and an unstable home setting to cause the development of BPD and mental health symptoms (Ansari et al., 2023). |
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Describe the possible learning and situational factors that might influence these behaviors. This should be 1–2 fully developed paragraphs. Use APA style citations. |
The combination of Meredith’s childhood bullying and social difficulties along with the substance use that she has been engaging in and the unstable home environment may have allowed for a reinforcement of maladaptive coping mechanisms such as impulsivity and emotional outbursts (Paulus et al., 2021). |
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Describe the possible developmental risks and protective factors that may influence these behaviors. This should be 1–2 fully developed paragraphs. Use APA style citations. |
Early traumatic experiences, such as the loss of her grandmother, coupled with neglect or instability in her home live, may have affected her ability to regulate her emotions On the protective side, she has a relationship with Carl and a brief period of stability at the family cottage which provides some positive social support. |
Proposed Assessment
Directions: Use the Mental Measurement Yearbook or PsycTests to locate an assessment for the mental health disorder you identified above. Then fill in the table below.
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Name of Assessment: |
Borderline Evaluation of Severity over Time (BEST) or identical evaluation instrument for the BPD |
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Assessment of reliability: |
It is reliable in the identification of the severity of the BPD symptoms and monitoring of the changes over time. |
Assessment of validity: |
It is supported by studies indicating the relationship with the existing criteria for the BPD like the DSM-5. |
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Recommended population: |
Adult population diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, espeicially individuals with histories of traumaorunstable relationships. |
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Describe the assessment. This should be 1–2 fully developed paragraphs. Use APA style citations. |
The tool helps in the evaluation of the severity of the borderline personality symptoms such as impulsivity, emotional stability, and the difficulty with relationship that are common in Meredith case (Pfohl et al., 2009). |
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Scientific evidence supporting the use of this assessment for this individual (appropriate for both the disorder and the demographic characteristics of your chosen case study). This should be 1–2 fully developed paragraphs. Use APA style citations. |
Existing evidence support the use of BPD-specific assessments among those with emotional regulation and interpersonal problems, as evidenced by Meredith’s behavior (Leichsenring et al., 2024). |
