ne, Mrs. Carter would leave food cooking on the stove for hours on end. Another prominent characteristic described by Lisa was Mrs. Carter's tendency to repeat the same questions over and over again. Furthermore, Mrs. Carter who was highly adept at knitting and making quilts was no longer able to complete such projects without making a big mess.
Based on Lisa's report, Mrs. Carter had suffered a gradual decline in her cognitive ability in the following areas: memory impairment, aphasia or language problems and apraxia or difficulty with implementing motor activities. Her symptoms thus warranted a diagnosis of Dementia of the Alzheimer's Type. What was critical in this diagnosis was that her symptoms could not be attributed to other types of central nervous system diseases undermining the mind such as Parkinson's disease, physiological conditions, or ingested substances (APA, 2000, p. 157).
Axis I 294.10 Dementia of the Alzheimer's Type, Without Behavioral Disturbance, With Late Onset
Axis IV Problems with care-giver (daughter)
John was referred to the therapist for further diagnosis by the primary care physician after he was released from the hospital. One week ago, John celebrated his twenty-first birthday with his friends at one of his friends' home. John was unable to recall subsequent events of that evening. According to his friends, John drank a large amount vodka, champagne, beer and whisky over a six-hour period and fell unconscious to the ground from the couch. Paramedics delivered him to the hospital. He was placed in an oxygen tank where he was unconscious for the subsequent six days. During the interview, John did not show any signs of behavioral or cognitive impairments.
Based on the reports, it was evident that John suffered from Alcohol Intoxication. Due to a high ingestion of alcohol, John fell into a stupor or a comatose state for six days. Furthermore, he also suffered from im...