Mental health articles

Sample Mental Health Case Study- Case 1

Lucy was 23 when she had her first baby. During the first few days afterthe baby was born, she had been feeling tearful and mixed up. The midwife reassured her that she was only passing through a brief phase ofemotional distress, as experienced by many mothers. She suggested that Lucy and her husband spend a lot of time together and care for the baby and said that her mood would improve. As expected, Lucy feltbetter within a couple of days. Everything seemed fine for the next month or so. Then, quite gradually, Lucy began to feel tired and weak.Her sleep became disturbed. She would wake very early in the morning,even though she felt tired. Her mind was filled with negative thoughts about herself and, to her fright, about her baby. She began to lose interest in her home responsibilities. Lucy’s husband was becoming irritated with what he saw as her lazy and uncaring behaviour. It was only when the community nurse visited for a routine baby check that Lucy’s depression was correctly diagnosed.

What’s the problem? Lucy was suffering from a kind of depression that can occur in mothers after childbirth. It is called postnatal depression.

Sample Mental Health Case Study-2

Rita was a 58-year-old woman whose husband had suddenly died the previous year. Her children had all grown up and left the village for better employment opportunities in a big city. She had started experiencing poor sleep and loss of appetite soon after her husband died. The symptoms worsened once her children left the village after the funeral. She started experiencing headaches, backaches, stomachaches and other physical discomforts,which led her to consult the local clinic. There she was told she was well, but was prescribed sleeping pills and vitamins. She felt better immediately, particularly because her sleep improved. However, within two weeks her sleep got worse again and she went back to the clinic. She was given more sleeping pills and injections. This went on for months ,until she could no longer sleep without the sleeping pills.

What’s the problem? Rita had a ‘physical’ presentation of depression resulting from the death of her husband and loneliness because her children were no longer living with her. The clinic doctor had not asked about her emotions and gave her sleeping pills. This led to Rita becoming dependent on sleeping pills.

Tags: case study, Mental health