Clinical Interview Role-Play Part 1 - Family, Social, and Mental Health History

Summary

In the script, a 23-year-old college student seeks help for anxiety and problematic drinking. They discuss their family dynamics, revealing a distant relationship with a successful sister and feeling overshadowed by her. The student acknowledges anxiety since age 13 or 14, with current moderate severity, and has a supportive boyfriend. They had brief therapy and psychiatric consultations in the past but discontinued them, feeling unready. Now, in their senior year, they're committed to treatment to address their issues and improve their life.

Takeaways

• 📝 The individual has filled out extensive paperwork as part of their first visit to the clinic.
• 🔍 The interview process includes detailed and emotionally oriented questions to guide the individual's care.
• 🤔 The person is primarily concerned about their anxiety, which they describe as nervousness affecting various aspects of their life.
• 📉 The individual's anxiety has been present for approximately 10 years, with varying intensity.
• 🍺 They acknowledge an increased alcohol consumption to cope with anxiety, leading to occasional excessive drinking and negative consequences.
• 👨‍👩‍👧 The person comes from a family where they feel overshadowed by their successful sister, which may have strained their relationship.
• 🏠 The family dynamics include distant relationships with siblings and a tendency to compare the individual to their sister.
• 👫 The individual has a supportive romantic partner and a close group of three college friends they consider confidants.
• 🏋️‍♀️ They consider themselves active, engaging in the gym and yoga, and generally maintain good physical health.
• ⏳ The individual had previously been to therapy and seen a psychiatrist but did not continue due to feeling unready and not seeing the immediate value.
• 🔄 They are now more open to treatment and ready to address their issues, recognizing the impact on their life and the desire to make changes.

Q & A

What is the main reason the individual sought help?

The individual sought help due to anxiety and concerns that it might get worse.

How long has the individual been experiencing anxiety?

The individual has been experiencing anxiety on and off for about 10 years, starting from the age of 13 or 14.

What is the individual's current level of anxiety on a scale of 1 to 10?

The individual rates their current anxiety level as a 6.

What triggers the individual's anxiety?

The individual's anxiety is triggered by various situations such as going to school, work, and the prospect of graduating college.

How does the individual cope with anxiety?

The individual copes with anxiety by drinking alcohol, which helps in the short term but leads to negative consequences.

What is the individual's family structure like?

The individual has a sister, mother, and father, with the sister being very successful and the parents also being successful.

How would the individual describe their relationship with their sister?

The individual describes their relationship with their sister as distant, more like acquaintances than siblings.

Who in the family is aware of the individual's anxiety and drinking?

The individual's parents are aware of both the anxiety and the drinking, while the sister is aware of the anxiety but not directly informed about the drinking.

What is the individual's social life like?

The individual has a serious romantic interest and is close with three college friends, with whom they share personal issues.

How does the individual's romantic partner respond to their anxiety and drinking?

The romantic partner is supportive and often helps the individual when they go out, ensuring they get home safely.

What is the individual's history with mental health treatment?

The individual saw a counselor and a psychiatrist a few years ago but did not continue with the treatment as they did not feel ready to deal with their issues at the time.

Why did the individual decide to seek help now?

The individual decided to seek help now because they realized they are not handling their anxiety as well as they thought and it is affecting other areas of their life, especially as they are in their senior year of college.