Question

A socially withdrawn and suspicious male client on an inpatient psychiatric unit refuses to take medications because according to him the pill has a special code written on it that will make it poisonous. During the interview, the patient reported that he was receiving signals from an electronic device implanted in his body which is responsible for his shoulder and arm constant pain. Patient further told the psychologist that the FBI is monitoring and recording his every movement and that microphones have been planted in the unit walls.

What type of symptoms is the patient experiencing? Explain with reference to the presenting complaints.                                                                                                                                                

Answer 1

Delusions are beliefs that conflict with reality. Delusions and hallucinations are one of the most common symptoms of schizophrenia. The person here in the case study is experiencing the delusional symptoms. The symptoms shows that the person is suffering from Paranoid schizophrenia, most common subtype of schizophrenia. The kind of delusions the patient is experiencing are persecution in nature.

So to sum up the person has paranoid schizophrenia based on the presenting problem.