The Case of Alicia: Possible Medical Issue Regarding her Current Weight

The Case of Alicia
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Abstract
While working with patients, counselors have various assessment instruments at their disposal. Nevertheless, if a counselor fails to put into an account of unique factors of every patient, such as cultural background, gender, or age, the outcome could be valueless in the manner assessment tools are used to solve the client’s concerns. This paper will focus on addressing Alicia’s conditions. Based on her physical look, Alicia appears to be underweight but still wants to lose a few pounds. In Alicia’s case, there are various issues that a counselor should address when selecting which assessment instrument would be most appropriate to assess Alicia’s conditions, including her psychological, physical, and social needs.
Introduction
Mental health professionals are normally expected to assist in solving clients’ issues such as adjustment disorders, marital disagreements, eating disorders, dealing with grief as a result of losing loved ones, and other many other issues (Hill, et. al, 2015). Every presenting concern is more than mere the surface of the matter since there can be crucial underlying factors causing the clients to seek support from a counselor.
One of the important roles that a counselor performs deals with selecting the most effective assessment tool that can, when efficiently utilized, offer sufficient information about the patient; an understanding of how the patients think and how they perceive their present situation. Assessments comprise of tools that enable counselors to gather information to diagnose, evaluate, assess, and address any concerns which a client may be undergoing when seeking support from a mental health professional (Berg, Peterson, and Frazier, 2012). Assessments also can be an important resource used to assess the present techniques of coping the patient is using at the present moment and assist to show how more appropriate and efficient coping techniques can contribute to more positive and effective outcomes. Through the roles of a mental health professional or counselor, such assessments can help to evaluate the needs, issues, and situation of patients.
Hill et. al (2015) opine that when working with patients, it is vital to take certain factors into account, such as the issue causing trouble, underlying causes, age factor, willingness to take part in the treatment, and multicultural awareness that is on the counselor’s part, including choosing most appropriate and effective assessment instrument to use from the initial assessment of the issue, and lastly the establishment of the therapeutic care plan. The above identified considerations will be assessed based on the case study of Alicia as stated in the sections below.
The Case Study of Alicia
Alicia is in her middle twenties. She comes to a counseling clinic because of a recommendation and encouragement by her colleague (Sadie) who is worried about the way Alicia is preoccupied with her eating and weight patterns. Alicia, therefore, accepts to seek assistance through counseling if that is they way to satisfy Sadie’s concerns.
Initial Care Assessment
Alicia seems to overrate her current weight as she claims that her weight is 120 pounds, which is within the range of the “normal weight” according to the BMI (Body Mass Index), which ranges from a Body Mass Index of 18.5 to 24.9 (Berg, Peterson, and Frazier, 2012). Alicia’s claimed measurement puts her Body Mass Index at 20.0. But according to her actual physical appearance, Alicia’s weight is more likely to put her in the category of the underweight class. Hill, et. al (2015) view that although the BMI assessment has certain limitations, such as overestimation of body fat percentage commonly seen among athletes and individuals with big muscles mass; for Alicia’s case, the BMI gives a cursory assessment showing a possible medical issue regarding her current weight.
Possible Issues at hand
There seem to be certain concerns facing Alicia’s life because her weight could be an underlying symptom of an indirect psychological based disorder. By simply concentrating on the physical appearance, the mental health professional or counselor could risk creating “tunnel vision”; therefore missing other underlying factors like depression, anxiety, and other related psychological issues (Hill, et. al. 2015). Alicia’s age indicates that she is in her early adulthood years, an age bracket in which several mental health disorders appear because of the developmental changes that happen during early adulthood years. Research studies of eating disorders reveal that most clients suffering from eating disorders are women aging between 12 and 25 years, which puts Alicia in that age bracket. It is vital to understand that she may have been experiencing eating pattern disorder for some time prior coming to the counseling clinic. Daniel, Lunn, and Poulsen (2015) identify that it would be vital to determining if she is suffering from either an eating disorder like bulimia or anorexia or suffering from a more different condition such as Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD).
Possible Assessments
To efficiently evaluate the patients; it is important for counselors to understand different assessments existing for them to utilize when working with patients. Diagnosing a cause of a disorder can be a difficult task, especially when the patient is not committed to attending the counseling during the initial attendance (Hill, Masuda, Melcher, Morgan, and Twohig, 2015). Therefore, counselors are expected to understand how to implement effective assessment, appropriate administration, accurate selection, and skilled evaluation, which are the outcomes of competent mental health professionals or counselors.
Screening/diagnosis of Body Dysmorphic Disorder
Although Body Dysmorphic Disorder and eating disorders can occur at the same time, there is no guarantee that such concurrence would always occur. Hill, et. al. (2015) identify that the SI-BDDr (Screening Instrument for Body Dysmorphic Disorder) is a screening assessment instrument that has six screening questions, which are consistent with the diagnostic criteria of the DSM-IV-TR (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). The Screening Instrument for Body Dysmorphic Disorder helps to determine various criteria, as well as (1) a preoccupation with imagined or perceived defect in appearance, and (2) the preoccupation leading to impairment or distress in occupational, social or other functioning areas. All items are given scores based on a no/yes response that consists of questions like “are you concerned with the perception that your body or an aspect of your body is deformed, ugly, unattractive or not beautiful? (Federici, Wisniewski, and Ben-Porath, 2012). In a study conducted in 2012, 96% of the participants, who were suffering from an eating disorder, gave a “yes” to that specific question; despite experiencing different types of eating disorders (Hill, et. al. 2015). As a screening tool for body Dysmorphia Disorder, the SI-BDDr has been used; thus demonstrates to have efficient specificity and sensitivity when utilized in general demographics of mental health clients.
When working with patients who have disordered eating patterns or distorted body images, normally there are other underlying psychological issues. Berg, Peterson, and Frazier (2012) identify that some of the correlated disorders like social anxiety, obsessive compulsive tendencies, comorbid eating disorders, and depression can frequently occur with body dysmorphic symptoms, or they can be mistaken to be body dysmorphic symptoms. Therefore, it is vital to ensure that efficient screening is conducted with a...