Week Two Case Study 4

Case Study 4: Joanne, age 32, is involved with the first man that really counts in her life. As the couple has become more intimate, Joanne has started to have flashbacks about an uncle who touched her sexually when she was only eight years old. She is distressed to find out that she is shutting down feelings about her boyfriend and distancing herself from him. Although she has been sexual with other men, she says she can’t stand to let herself be sexual with someone she loves and trusts. She startles easily and reports a general increase in anxiety. She is very angry that she has to deal with the feelings about the incidents with her uncle that happened so long ago. She says that she thought she had gotten beyond all that.

This person has acute stress disorder, which fit the symptoms described by her such as having flashbacks, distancing herself from a common stimulus, and an increase in anxiety. The proper method of treating this would be to just wait it out, because the disorder may resolve itself with time. Medication can be used for a very short duration (up to four weeks) or psychotherapy can be used to assist the victim in dealing with the fear and sense of helplessness.