Biological Variables
The mother brought Demetri, her 39-year-old son previously diagnosed with schizophrenia, because of his deteriorating mental well-being. The mother claims that this was due to his discontinuation of the necessary prescribed drugs about a month ago. This stop in his post-hospital treatment is not the first. The interviewer noticed that he clearly showed exaggerated feminine features when walking. It is implausible, but it may be the first sign of gender dysphoria in Demetri. According to Stusiński and Lew-Starowicz (2018), “less than 5% of schizophrenic patients are looking for the possibility of a surgical sex reassignment” (p. 1056). The physician responsible for Demetri’s future hospitalization should still consider this observation.
Psychological Variables
Demetri’s worsened schizophrenic state had already manifested itself in multiple mental forms. For example, his mother reports his emotional response has become unpredictable. His radically different behavioral reactions to his mother and the interviewer are proof of this. Demetri’s speech partially degraded and became filled with regular, simple, and meaningless rhymes. Moreover, she became afraid of him as he became much more aggressive, specifically toward her. Increased impulsive aggression and verbal violence is a clear signs of worsening schizophrenia (Leclerc et al., 2018). One can say that such a rapid deterioration results from multiple incomplete treatments.
Social Variables
Schizophrenia began to manifest itself and affect Demerti’s mental health in his adolescence, which is why he could not finish school and find a job. It is safe to say that his socialization ended very early, and he still lives with his mother. Surprisingly, it does not prevent Demetri from leaving their house, his comfort zone, for several months, which is impossible without developed social skills. These two contradictory facts make it impossible to fully identify and evaluate them without an in-depth study of Demetri’s personality. In addition, his new eccentric style of clothing is another proof of his worsening condition.
Competence
It is clear that Demerti’s significantly worsened mental health after he stopped his medication poses a danger to his mother and himself. He needs urgent hospitalization, including long-term supervised medicinal treatment and diagnosis for other psychological disorders. Support and constant contact with social workers are other things that require effective treatment for Demetri. It can be assumed that he deliberately acts rebellious in his pharmacotherapy, so his future next one should be closely monitored.
References
Leclerc, M. P., Regenbogen, C., Hamilton, R. H., & Habel, U. (2018). Some neuroanatomical insights to impulsive aggression in schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Research, 201, 27-34. Web.
Stusiński, J., & Lew-Starowicz, M. (2018). Gender dysphoria symptoms in schizophrenia. Psychiatr Pol, 52(6), 1053-1062. Web.