Mentor Assessment #4: Case Study #4

Date: April 6, 2016

Topic: Psychiatry
Preview:
The following Mentor Assessment details the fourth case study given to me by Dr.
Arauzo. This case study details Dr. Arauzos encounter with a man who is not your typical left
brain or right brain man.

Patient Background:
This patient, known as Patient D, is a married man in his late 50s who is being treated for
depression by Dr. Arauzo. Patient D grew up being abused emotionally and physically in a poor
household. He was born prematurely and had been bullied by kids for being too small through
school. Patient D marries a woman who has two kids from a previous marriage. These kids soon
have their own kids, and Patient D is gifted two grandkids that he loves and adores. After a few
years, Patient D meets a second woman with whom he falls in love with, and tries to leave his
wife and grandkids for her. When he leaves, the wife is utterly devastated and the grandkids are
cut off from seeing him. Although he is madly in love with the new woman, not seeing his
grandkids crushes him so he returns to his wife. After going back to his old wife, whom he does
not love anymore, the other woman commits suicide because she loved him so much. After all
this occurs, he still is not allowed to see his grandkids.

What To Look For:

Since Patient D had been previously treated for depression, Dr. Arauzo must watch his
emotions and moods to ensure his condition does not worsen or come back. Patient D, through
the whole case, showed no abnormal behavior besides the expected grief and stress. Since he was
at no significant risk for deepened depression, Dr. Arauzo focused mostly on therapy and
prescribed no medicine for him, except for an over the counter natural antidepressant called
Sam E..

Lesson:
According to psychological studies, most men are left brained, meaning they approach
situations more analytically, while women tend to be right brained and more emotional. Dr.
Arauzo recognized that Patient D had what is commonly called balance brain. This means that
he was equally emotional as he was analytical. By knowing that Patient D was capable of using
emotion to heal the situation, Dr. Arauzo focused on the therapy aspect of psychiatry and had
him talk about his issues instead of relying on medications to help.

Terminology:
 Balance Brained- Term used to define people who show a mixture of analytical thought and
logical thought
Left Brained- Linked to linear and analytical thought, the smart side of the brain
Right Brained- Linked to creative thought and emotions, the abstract side of the brain