Case Study Sample on Jim Carrey: Leading Artist on Probation for Deteriorating Health

Introduction

Jim Carrey is a White U.S. citizen aged 38 and lives in the State of Georgia. He is an artist but was placed on probation by his employer when he started becoming delusional. As a leading artist, his work revolved around coming up, reviewing, and initiation of new artworks and designs that can fetch highly in the market.

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Currently, he is on probation until further notice considering his deteriorating mental, emotional, and physical stability. The latest company reports indicate that he cannot work well, and until his situation is reversed, he is on paid probation. He, therefore, continues to earn under the care of his next of kin, who happens to be the sister.

She is in charge of all the needs that Jim Carrey may need and ensures he lacks nothing. Considering that he continues to receive his monthly income based on his agreed contract with the employer, his living standards can get categorized under the Upper Middle-Class Level. If not for his unstable condition, he would have been a fairly happy person with a projected plan for the future.

Thesis Statement (Problem Statement)

The paper is based on Jim Carrey, an artist by profession but is schizophrenic. The focus is on making a case with the use of the DSM-5 prototype criteria that elaborates on five personality disorders. The disorders include psychopathic or antisocial, avoidant, schizotypal, obsessive-compulsive, and borderline. Specific focus will also touch on the delusionary and psychotic disorder criteria of DSM-5. The achievement of the thesis will be through the personal history of Jim Carrey, biological factors, psychological factors, social factors, and the signs and symptoms exhibited.

The History and Current Circumstances

Personal History

Jim Carry has been an employee of DTY Limited, a firm that deals with artwork and web designs. He joined the company at the age of 22 and has worked for six years. He started showing signs of social withdrawal and depression at the age of 24, and this did not stop though he was still efficient in his work. He later became hostile and suspicious and regarded criticism with contempt. In most cases, people are encouraged to regard criticism because it paves the way for development and improvement positively.

At the age of 26, things worsened when he developed a habit of unpredictable sleeping patterns. At times, he may stay awake for a long time, while on other occasions, he may find himself oversleeping. He even became forgetful and, at times, not able to concentrate.

Biological Factors

He is always known to be single though his sister normally checks on him one’s in a while. The sister once said that his elder brother Tim also had a similar problem, and consequently lost his job something which may opine that the problem runs within the family. The elder brother was, however, not lucky because it became acute and difficult to control. His conditions were characterized by extreme symptoms not comparable to those of Jim Carrey or those of their father.

A combination of medication and lifestyle intervention failed. In the end, he experienced immense depression and isolation. He later died, and it was ruled out as suicide by the Homicide State Department. His father also had a similar condition between the age of 12 and 18, but he was later treated and still alive and healthy.

He just celebrated his 61st birthday. As such, it is explicit to note that the condition could be genetic, and an urgent intervention should be considered before it gets out of hand. If possible, certain measures should also be put in place to ensure that the future generation is guarded against the condition.

Psychological Factors

At the age of 28, the issue became acute, and he suffered a greater extent of related psychological complications. The complications may get viewed from the dimension of delusional disorder, those of psychotic, schizophreniform, schizophrenia, and schizoaffective disorder. Jim Carrey’s situation progressed to extreme hallucination; he could not differentiate what was real and what was not (Mota, Copelli, & Ribeiro, 2017). He also had disorganized speech patterns where he could listen to himself and think that was other people speaking to him, as such, could not continue working even though his contract was still active.

The situation worsened, and intervention had to be sought; as such, he undertook therapies with the hope of improving his coping mechanisms and life skills. His relationship issues were also in line, and the therapy played a significant role in ensuring that he connected with the people who were close to him, for example, the sister. The medication was also placed on line though not effective if it is the only intervention strategy. As such, a combination of therapy, social support, lifestyle changes, and medication was implemented to aid in addressing the problem.

Social Factors

Jim Carrey is described as a person who values his privacy. What is not clear is if the privacy lifestyle is attributed to by the underlying mental condition. He likes keeping his thoughts and himself as such, not a sociable person. He, however, appears to be closer to the sister, something which seems a mystery. The closeness is limited to a few conversations since he keeps to himself most of the time. His academic performance during his school days also revealed a brilliant child between the age of 5 and 12. Still, things took a turn when he joined the senior school at the age of 16 onwards, perhaps, the time when the mental condition was quickly accelerating. On a different perspective, his excellent artwork is an inborn talent.

Signs and Symptoms Exhibited by Jim Carrey with the inclusion of the DSM-5 Criteria

Jim Carrey is always delusional and particularly that of grandeur, he usually describes his friendship with Bill Gates and even described an artwork he did for him and was yet to deliver (Uno & Coyle, 2019). He describes a perfect relationship that he has always shared with the Gates’ and how they respect him with the inclusion of their planned trip to visit President Trump at the White House. He normally points on an empty wall, the place where he supposedly placed the artwork for Bill Gates and insisted that his audience must be in concurrent. He also experiences extreme visual hallucination where he argues with one Tim Carter, a person he describes as arrogant and with horns like head and has refused to order an artwork from him (Pickard, 2011). He informs the person of how famous he is and how he is doing him a favor by considering him for a friend.

In his argument, he moves about his location, claiming timing Tim Carter because he wants to remove one of his horns. He also seems to have a disorganized speech formula based on the trouble he portrays of failing to maintain a specific line of thought. Precisely, he can get described based on loose associations and clang. It is common for him to change topics without a particular sense of connection. He also uses meaningless, rhyming words, something that is strange.

Another sign that Jim Carrey portrays is based on his consistent disorganized behavior. Most of his goal-oriented programs have been disrupted and can no longer take care of himself. Some days he may seem active, and in other days, he may appear to be extremely off. His emotional responses are equally unpredictable; some of his behaviors are bizarre and may lack inhibition. Based on the DSM-5 criteria, it is explicit that the diagnosis of Jim Carrey may primarily rely on the delusional disorder and a brief psychotic disorder. Most of the signs and symptoms presented by Jim Carrey in this discussion are those that are consistent with visualization and mental patterns, and organizations.

Conclusion

Schizophrenia exists as a serious condition that needs proper treatment and approach. I have been educated on the different degrees of delusions that people with schizophrenia face. The age bracket for its severity is a concern considering that they are the most productive years of a person. Many, at times, societies associate the condition with witchcraft, and those who fall into the trap of that myth seek religious interventions or may go to the extent of seeking the help of those who can break the myth. It is, however, clear that it a condition that can occur from the different front with no inclusion of mythology. As such, I can normalize abnormal behavior through the provision of consistent therapy to the affected.

References

Mota, N. B., Copelli, M., & Ribeiro, S. (2017). Thought Disorder Measured as Random Speech Structure Classifies Negative Symptoms and Schizophrenia Diagnosis 6 Months in Advance. npj Schizophrenia, 3(1), 1-10. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41537-017-0019-3

Pickard, B. (2011). Progress in Defining the Biological Causes of Schizophrenia. Expert reviews in molecular medicine, 13. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/expert-reviews-in-molecular-medicine/article/progress-in-defining-the-biological-causes-of-schizophrenia/BB7C9DFC9E625C56EDFC8154A9ADE381

Uno, Y., & Coyle, J. T. (2019). Glutamate Hypothesis in Schizophrenia. Psychiatry and clinical neurosciences, 73(5), 204-215. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/pcn.12823