Mr. Davis' Psychosocial Evaluation Case Study: Assessing Social & Mental Well-Being

Introduction

For Mr. Davis' case, I would recommend a psychosocial evaluation, which is an assessment that would assess Davis' social and mental well-being. The methodology will analyze Davis' capacity to stay in society as well as his perception. The objective of the examination would be to comprehend Davis' social and mental status, and thus, allowing the forensic investigator to identify the appropriate decision to base on while Mr. Davis is at trial as well as the correct medical care to deliver to the client. The main aspects of the psychosocial analysis will include the identification of the primary complaint in Mr. Davis' case, which is the assault of a young scout with the fear that he was one of the spies sent to murder him. The analysis will involve the examination of Davis' narration of the scenario as well as the evaluation of Mr. Davis' initial schizophrenic paranoia complaints that might have resulted in the current criminal act (Bellack, 2011). The assessment will pertain to the analysis of the severity, duration, location, modifying factors, context, and timing of the documented complaint. The next step will be the identification of the previous psychiatric matters in regards to Mr. Davis' case, for instance, his constant fear that there are spies sent to kill him, a condition encouraged by his paranoid schizophrenic state of mind. The forensic assessor will also determine the drugs and medications used by Mr. Davis; the step will involve the analysis of both the previous and current medications used by Mr. Davis, including their frequency and dose. In Mr. Davis' case, it is recorded he tends to stop ingesting the medicines once he leaves the hospital, and thus, he is haunted by both visual and auditory hallucinations.

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It is also significant to assess Mr. Davis' first drugs and alcohol ingestion behaviors as well as the method used while taking the pills, either through injections or inhalation. The drug amounts ingested, and the frequency of intake should also be assessed. The step will assist in the identification of the factors that encourage his paranoid schizophrenic mind-set. The final stage is the evaluation of violence risks, including abuse and homicidal risks. From the case study, Mr. Davis had been violently abused by youths who left him lying helplessly to the ground. However, due to his paranoia, he believed the teenagers were sent to murder him; hence he was forced to look for a means to protect himself in case the spies came to attack him again. Thus, Mr. Davis' violence can be attributed to the fact that he was defending himself; however, since he had psychological issues, he attached the wrong person (Bellack, 2011). Therefore, violent threats in Mr. Davis' case can be pinned onto factors such as his failure to take medication, the experienced psychotic symptoms and hallucinations, as well as his limited socioeconomic status since he stayed in the streets.

Use of Previous Research in the Establishment of Evidence-Based-Approaches

Drake, Bond, & Essock, (2011) assist in the identification of the appropriate models for the management of schizophrenia. The disease control systems ensure monitoring of the sick persons even away from the hospitals as well as identification of proper measures to ensure patients manage themselves. Wagner's long-lasting care framework aims at combining factors such as the improvement to the acquisition of community assets such as self-management and self-help classes, which nature patients like Mr. David into persons that can manage their disease by taking medication at all times. The models also facilitate the institution of clinical info plans that comprise of evaluation, treatment schemes, amenities, results, and algorithms; thus, allowing active disease management for people like Mr. Davis, an act that leads to quality care and avoidance of violent issues that arise due to the infection such as Davis' killing of an innocent boy. Chien et al., (2013) also offer some psychological and pharmacological involvements needed for individuals who have schizophrenia; such interventions need to be delivered in the early phases of the disease's manifestation to improve the patient's prognosis.

Psychological Theory to Be Applied

For Mr. Davis' Case, the Theory of mind (ToM) evaluation is useful in the psychological analysis of his cognitive state and eventual setting of the court verdict. According to Scherzer et al., (2012), ToM can be defined as the cognitive functioning of an individual that permits him/her to attribute intentions, feelings, or beliefs towards others. The ToM approach is significant as it defines the neuroanatomic basis and involved conduct of people; thus, it assists in understanding aspects such as autism, normality, and schizophrenia. Therefore, in Davis' case, who is a schizophrenic patient portraying adverse symptoms such as hallucinations is affected by lack of content, that is, Davis is full of paranoia to the point that he gets unaware of his intentions. For example, the fact that he hits the young boy on the head and even continues to beat-up the boy's lifeless body up to the point when the police intervened shows that as a schizophrenic patient, he underwent issues such as social withdrawal and flattened effect (factors that can be identified through the assessment of the ToM) which resulted in his violent behavior.

Approach to Be Chosen

For Davis' case, cognitive therapy will be the most appropriate psychosocial assessment to be done. According to Bellack, (2011), cognitive therapy helps in assisting patients in acquiring tactics for managing their unusual symptoms. For example, using Mr. Davis can be trained by the use of the cognitive therapy approach to ensure reduced distress related to both delusions and hallucinations.

References

Bellack, A. S. (2011). Psychosocial treatment in schizophrenia. Dialogues in clinical neuroscience, 3(2), 136. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3181651/

Chien, W. T., Leung, S. F., Yeung, F. K., & Wong, W. K. (2013). Current approaches to treatments for schizophrenia spectrum disorders, part II: psychosocial interventions and patient-focused perspectives in psychiatric care. Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment, 9, 1463. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3792827/

Drake, R. E., Bond, G. R., & Essock, S. M. (2011). Implementing evidence-based practices for people with schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 35(4), 704-713. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2696376/

Scherzer, P. B., Leveille, E., Achim, A., Boisseau, E., & Stip, E. (2012). A study of the theory of mind in paranoid schizophrenia: a theory or many theories?. Frontiers in Psychology, 3, 432. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3497936/