Case Study 8

Case Study 8: A 26 year old man is very concerned about cleanliness and hygiene. He spends a significant amount of time each day washing his hands or showering, especially after touch a toilet seat, doorknob, or any other item he thinks may be dirty or contaminated. The patient explains that he is concerned about becoming infected or sick from touching these objects. He periodically acknowledges that the washing is excessive but explains that he becomes very anxious when he tries to avoid washing and eventually feels compelled to wash even more to make up for the omission.

The man in this case study is suffering from a case of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. His excessive washing, especially after touching "dirty" objects, leads one to believe this. When he realizes this and tries to stop, he becomes even more obsessed with cleanliness, and goes back to his old way of life. Due to this, it is quite easy to diagnose him with obsessive compulsive disorder. While easy to diagnose, it is not as easy to get over. He will have to go through therapy, and will need to be given some form of medication. Before jumping into either of these, however, the doctors will need to look at his life (both past and present), to see what type of treatment will be best for him(what medications will have the least side-effects, what type of therapy will best help the individual, etc). Also, the family will need to be aware of the disorder and all that it entails, as well as the risk of it being genetic. Most importantly, the patient needs to be willing to try and change their attitude. While these fears may never go away completely, they can be reduced. The final goal of treatment would be for him to be able to not obsess as much about cleanliness and for his disorder to make little to no impact on his daily life.

Ludwig Von Beethoven was a genius of his time. His music has stood the test of time and is still popular in today's society. Even with this renowned fame, Beethoven still suffered from manic depression, mostly due to his deafness. The only thing that kept him going was his music.


Beethoven was nervous that he would day become deaf, since he would get a strange buzzing sensation in his ears at times. As his hearing decreased, he continued to write his music and became the great composer that he is today. He continued to write more musical pieces, like his concertos, sonatas, an opera, and much more. He, however, could not face many people towards the end of his life. He was ashamed that a composer and musician could be deaf, and that he, in fact, was. He spent most of his times with his closest friends and family. He even considered committing suicide, as stated in his Heiligenstadt Testament.

Even though he was deaf, Beethoven was still a great composer. His legacy has lived on, even as he lost his hearing and eventually passed away. One cannot help but to admire this great leader of classical music, even though he would not himself believe that.




http://www.lvbeethoven.com/Bio/BiographyLudwig.html


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beethoven