Case Study: Anxiety into Anger Turned
When anger does not have an outlet, it can have lasting and damaging effects on the person who experiences the emotion. In this case study, we will look at one young lady who is beginning to explore the role of anger in her life, and how it could be addressed in couples therapy through the use of assessment tools and Emotionally Focused Therapy.
Case Study
Emily R., 28 years old, entered therapy in November, 2013 with presenting issues of anxiety. At the time of our first session she had been married four years, and had a two year old daughter. Her anxiety was focused on her pregnancy with her second child, which was at the beginning of its second trimester. Specifically, she was having significant anxiety about the possibility of miscarriage. She had one miscarriage before her first pregnancy, and two between her first and her second pregnancy.
As we explored the presenting issue, Emily described a history of anxiety. She experienced severe separation anxiety throughout her childhood, especially from her mother, and suffered generalized anxiety throughout her school years. Emily's anxiety had been treated with cognitive-behavioral therapy, medication, and enrollment in a private high school that had a component of therapy as part of their curriculum. As she entered college, she found her anxiety more manageable, but it has returned full force with this second pregnancy. She is currently employed as a contract manager at the company which is partially owned by her husband. She notes that her work is the one place where she feels completely confident and does not experience anxiety.
In her description of her family of origin, Emily noted several elements that may have contrib...
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...und that her anxiety was masking anger, this assessment was useful in discovering the role of anger in her life. The assessment showed significant scores in almost every category of anger style. Speaking broadly, Emily scored 3/9 for the category of hidden anger, which includes anger avoidance (⅓), “sneaky” anger (⅔), and 0/3 for paranoia. She scored 4/12 in the category of explosive anger, with subcategory scores of ⅓ in sudden anger, 3/3 in shame based anger, and 0/3 in both deliberate and excitatory anger. The area of greatest concern is the category of chronic anger, in which Emily scored 9/12, with 3/3 in both habitual anger and resentment/hate, ⅔ in moral anger, and ⅓ in paranoia.
Works Cited
Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale. (2014, March). Retrieved from
http://www.coloradoeft.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Revised-Dyadic-Adjustment-Scale-RDAS-1.pdf
living in such a manner. I did not know the exact cause of her anxiety
Some women such as Jennifer Moyer become overwhelmed with fear for the baby. In the beginning after Moyer gave birth to her son she felt irritable and experiencing difficulty sleeping. After her six week check up was when things really fell apart for Moyer.
Emotionally focused therapy is designed to be short-term in structure. Developed principally by Dr. Susan Johnson, the main target of this type of therapy is couples and is focused on expressing emotions. The primary goal of emotionally focused therapy is to create a safe and long-lasting bond between romantic partners and family members while expanding and restructuring significant emotional responses. Partakers in emotionally focused therapy are emboldened to express their thoughts and emotions in a safe environment without fear of judgment. In this paper, we will discuss a therapy session between Sue Johnson and a couple, Leslie and Scott.
Having a child can be the happiest moment of a person’s life. A sweet little baby usually gives new parents tremendous joy. That joy can be accompanied with anxiety about the baby and the responsibility the new parents are faced with. The anxiety, in most cases, fades and joy is what remains. For some new mothers, however, the joy is replaced with a condition known as postpartum depression. “Postpartum depression is a serious disorder that until recently was not discussed in public…Women did not recognize their symptoms as those of depression, nor did they discuss their thoughts and fears regarding their symptoms” (Wolf, 2010). As such, postpartum depression is now recognized as a disorder harmful to both mother and infant, but, with early detection, is highly treatable with the use of psychotherapy, antidepressants, breastfeeding, and other natural remedies, including exercise.
Erica Howard is a 19-year-old African American female who dropped out of high school due to becoming pregnant with her first son, Eric. Erica’s boyfriend Jayce is supportive of her and the baby. Erica’s newborn is only 6 months old and she is surprised that she is pregnant again. She is now in her second trimester and has a lack of prenatal care. When she received her first ultrasound, at 14 weeks, she was concerned when she saw that the baby was almost fully developed. According to the doctor, she became pregnant only three months after her first delivery. When spoken with Erica she expressed that she was very ill with this pregnancy and the baby does not move at all. The doctor explained that the baby might be
Frye opens the essay with a statement how women’s anger is not well received by this society. Men view women’s anger as worthless and ignorable because they cannot control their anger as they view them simply because she was upset, hysterical or crazy. Men tend to control their anger by through violence, or downgrading by informing her how he cannot handle her anger. Male had not understood the fact that anger is normal reaction for the irritability, disorderly and frustrations caused by other person from the person to able go forth to their desired goal. For example, you are looking forward to go a concert but the storm hit, thus making the concert to cancel which it ends of disappointment but not anger since you cannot control the weather.
Babbel, Susan, Ph.D. “Post Abortion Stress Syndrome (PASS) - Does It Exist?” Psychology Today. N.p., 25 Oct. 2010. Web. 14 Mar. 2012. .
emphasized a lack of restraint. Popular psychology identified “the positive aspects of anger” and encouraged couples to communicate their desires to one another.
enjoy, was that of which her father dictated to her. This early trauma Emily had to endure
After giving birth, women will have hormonal oscillations (Rosequist). In the meanwhile, their bodies are getting back to their normal state, however if that “blues” does not go away, it can evolve in a deep depression. As she recalls, saying: “And yet I cannot be with him, it make me so nervous”(Gilman), it is obvious that Post-Partum depression is the cause of her poor attachment with the child; the mother can be hazardous to the baby; mood swing occur, and in extremes circumstances, about 1 in 1,000, it can bring psychotic indications (Hilts). If this condition if left untreated, it can cause serious psychological and physical damages. Treatment would include anti-depressants and therapy. This can also trigger other types of mental
The primary diagnosis for Amanda Anderson is separation anxiety disorder (SAD) with a co-morbidity of school phobia. Separation anxiety disorder is commonly the precursor to school phobia, which is “one of the two most common anxiety disorders to occur during childhood, and is found in about 4% to 10% of all children” (Mash & Wolfe, 2010, p. 198). Amanda is a seven-year-old girl and her anxiety significantly affects her social life. Based on the case study, Amanda’s father informs the therapist that Amanda is extremely dependent on her mother and she is unenthusiastic when separated from her mother. Amanda was sitting on her mother’s lap when the therapist walked in the room to take Amanda in her office for an interview (Morgan, 1999, p. 1).
It is crucial for those mothers who are planning another pregnancy to discuss with their specialist psychiatrist and review medication. Other treatment measures include electroconvulsive therapy, which is effectively administered in a hospital setting.
According to Kirby Deater and Deckard in their article “Anger”, anger is a complex psychological behaviour which has its own structure. Some researchers believe in that anger is an overwhelming emotion that has effects on man's personality, as well as it indicates the different perspective by which people
Postpartum depression has emerged as an important issue to nurses working in the health care setting due to the potential effects on infants and children (Meadows-Oliver, 2012). Depression is a leading cause of disability, and women are greatly affected by it. Postpartum depression is a mood disorder that occurs frequently during the first three months after delivery, thus making it one of the most common postpartum complications. Some characteristics of postpartum depression can interfere with maternal functioning such as loss of interest, agitation, depression, sleep disturbances, changes in appetite, and decreased concentration (Horowitz, Murphy, Gregory, Wokcik, Pulcini & Solon, 2013, p. 2). These characteristics of postpartum depression affect the mother and extend to the infant.
Anger changes the behavior pattern of the person as a result of changes in his emotional status. it is accompanied by physiological and biological changes. Actions resulting from anger often lead to undesirable physiological and health consequences, because the neuro-transmitters/hormones (eg. adrenaline) released during anger intensify impulsive action and obscure rational