case formulation

Elvis had many comorbid symptoms during his lifetime. Firstly, Elvis had issues with substance abuse. When he was in between appearances and shows he struggled to find a way to handle with a less hectic lifestyle. His autopsy revealed that he had at least fourteen different drugs in his blood stream. Starting around the time he was enlisted in the army, Elvis slowly began to take uppers to give him energy. When it was time to settle down, he would take sleeping aids such as Ethinamate (Romano, 2014).

He also had trouble with his weight. In his earlier years he was physically fit, becoming involved with martial arts and even horseback riding (EPE, 2014). However, starting in the 1960s, with his increase in shows and prescription drug use, his weight would fluctuate. He would often binge eat and then spend the next few days starving his body. He would gain exuberant amounts of weight and then shed those pounds off with diet pills. His bodyguard at the time also states that sometimes he and others would take diet pills with Elvis (Austin, 1994; Hirshberg, 1995).

Elvis also shows signs of depression and anxiety. After his mother passed away, Elvis spent days grieving carrying her housecoat with him everywhere. Many of his friends felt that he never fully accepted her death (Hirshberg, 1995). He also never fully accepted his father’s new marriage. Although he tried to act as civil as possible with his father’s new family the relationship never recovered. Not long after his mother’s death, he also experienced the death of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr. and Bill Black which affected him deeply. He never allowed himself to fully grieve (EPE, 2014). Soon he began to lose interest in activities he would normally enjoy. He even b...

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...teaching therapy; I feel that giving insight to Elvis about his behaviors, thoughts, and feelings that are both maladaptive and positive can give him a new perspective. Helping him understand the strong distinction between healthy thoughts and when they cross the line into unhealthy thoughts (Ellis & Dryden, 1997). For example going from, “This medication helps my physical ailments” to “If I don’t have more medication than now, I will suffer and be in constant pain.”

Also, as an REBT therapist, I can share any information about myself that is deemed useful to Elvis’ treatment. I want to build that key relationship with him so that he understands I’m open and nonjudgmental (Ellis & Dryden, 1997). However, even though Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy is slightly structured, I feel that I would choose what techniques to use as I got to know Elvis through our sessions.