MelFoof
New member
- Joined
- Mar 6, 2026
- Messages
- 10
This is a strange one. I'm a third-year psych major, and for my abnormal psychology class, we have to write a detailed case study analysis of a patient with a specific disorder. We choose from a list of de-identified cases from the professor's old clinical work.
I chose one that looked interesting—a young adult with generalized anxiety disorder and panic attacks. As I read through the intake forms and session notes, I felt this weird, uncomfortable familiarity. The way this person described their worry spirals, the physical symptoms, the avoidance behaviors... it was like reading about myself.
I have GAD. I've had it since I was a teenager. I'm managing it with therapy and medication, but it's still there. And now I have to write an objective, clinical analysis of someone who sounds exactly like me.
The assignment requires us to identify maladaptive thought patterns, recommend treatment approaches, and critique the interventions used. Everything I write feels like I'm analyzing my own brain. When I write "the patient engages in catastrophic thinking," I hear a little voice in my head saying "yeah, like you did this morning when you thought failing one quiz would ruin your life."
I'm trying to be professional. I'm using the DSM criteria. I'm citing studies. But it feels weirdly personal, like someone's reading my diary. I'm also worried that my own experience might bias my analysis. Am I being too sympathetic? Am I missing things because they feel "normal" to me?
Has anyone else had to write about something that hit close to home? How do you separate your own stuff from the academic work? Should I tell my professor? I don't want special treatment, but I also don't want to be blindsided by my own emotions while writing this.
I chose one that looked interesting—a young adult with generalized anxiety disorder and panic attacks. As I read through the intake forms and session notes, I felt this weird, uncomfortable familiarity. The way this person described their worry spirals, the physical symptoms, the avoidance behaviors... it was like reading about myself.
I have GAD. I've had it since I was a teenager. I'm managing it with therapy and medication, but it's still there. And now I have to write an objective, clinical analysis of someone who sounds exactly like me.
The assignment requires us to identify maladaptive thought patterns, recommend treatment approaches, and critique the interventions used. Everything I write feels like I'm analyzing my own brain. When I write "the patient engages in catastrophic thinking," I hear a little voice in my head saying "yeah, like you did this morning when you thought failing one quiz would ruin your life."
I'm trying to be professional. I'm using the DSM criteria. I'm citing studies. But it feels weirdly personal, like someone's reading my diary. I'm also worried that my own experience might bias my analysis. Am I being too sympathetic? Am I missing things because they feel "normal" to me?
Has anyone else had to write about something that hit close to home? How do you separate your own stuff from the academic work? Should I tell my professor? I don't want special treatment, but I also don't want to be blindsided by my own emotions while writing this.
