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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Heath on April 16, 2000, at 15:39:41
I am just an Undergrad Psyc Student. I am currently writing a psychoanalysis on Howard Hughes Jr. and can't figure out which axis a substance dependence. Can someone help? Also, the Psychologist that did Hughes's original psyc. autopsy suggests that he had an avoidant personality disorder. Every description that I have read of APD doesn't seem to fit him. Has the symptomology changed over the years for this particular disorder?
Posted by boB on April 16, 2000, at 18:56:41
In reply to DSM-IV HELP!!, posted by Heath on April 16, 2000, at 15:39:41
As a reporter, I am astounded that schools are having students diagnose dead people who can only be known by reading journalistic accounts of their lives. I sure as heck don't provide enough interviewing and testing for anyone to diagnose based on my stories, even though much of my work involves efforts to humanize and share personal insights about my subjects and sources.
If you insist on diagnosing Hughes, you should know that at least one of his biographers never met him and later admitted that his unauthorized biography was a hoax.
To the credit of your professor, at least you are not asked to practice on real people, who could be seriously disturbed by an unqualified diagnosis.
Posted by Cindy W on April 16, 2000, at 20:08:19
In reply to Re: DSM-IV HELP!!, posted by boB on April 16, 2000, at 18:56:41
> As a reporter, I am astounded that schools are having students diagnose dead people who can only be known by reading journalistic accounts of their lives. I sure as heck don't provide enough interviewing and testing for anyone to diagnose based on my stories, even though much of my work involves efforts to humanize and share personal insights about my subjects and sources.
>
> If you insist on diagnosing Hughes, you should know that at least one of his biographers never met him and later admitted that his unauthorized biography was a hoax.
>
> To the credit of your professor, at least you are not asked to practice on real people, who could be seriously disturbed by an unqualified diagnosis.i'm also amazed that you have to diagnose somebody you can't interview. i've read several books about Hughes (you have to realize some of these people never met him) and ocd or obsessive-compulsive disorder was a suggested diagnosis. substance dependence is coded on axis i. hope this helps!
Posted by Heath on April 16, 2000, at 23:30:53
In reply to Re: DSM-IV HELP!!, posted by Cindy W on April 16, 2000, at 20:08:19
> > As a reporter, I am astounded that schools are having students diagnose dead people who can only be known by reading journalistic accounts of their lives. I sure as heck don't provide enough interviewing and testing for anyone to diagnose based on my stories, even though much of my work involves efforts to humanize and share personal insights about my subjects and sources.
> >
> > If you insist on diagnosing Hughes, you should know that at least one of his biographers never met him and later admitted that his unauthorized biography was a hoax.
> >
> > To the credit of your professor, at least you are not asked to practice on real people, who could be seriously disturbed by an unqualified diagnosis.
>
> i'm also amazed that you have to diagnose somebody you can't interview. i've read several books about Hughes (you have to realize some of these people never met him) and ocd or obsessive-compulsive disorder was a suggested diagnosis. substance dependence is coded on axis i. hope this helps!Thanks for your help Cindy. I appreciate the comments from both you and Bob. There is no need to worry, these papers are only used for a letter grade, they will NEVER be published or looked at by anyone but the Prof. Suprisingly, there is a wealth of information on Howard Hughes. I happened to find an article written by the psychologist that conducted Howard's Psych. Autopsy after his death. THis psychologist (Raymond D. Fowler) had access to almost all of Hughes's documents and was able to interview people that surrounded Hughes. I did happen to run across the hoax Biography. I cold tell within the first few pages of the book that it was Horribly inaccurate. I think that the one thing that we need to keep in mind is that with ANY profession (even Journalism)it takes time and practice. This paper was designed to help us understand a particular perspective (i.e. Psychoanalytic, Behavioral, Humanistic) and be able to write from that perspective. This was not designed to give us our Junior Psychology Badges! HA!HA! Besides, the only other way for us to practice would BE to use real people. Nobody wants that, not even us silly undergrads. The entire reason that I chose Hughes was because it is has always been a well publicized fact that he suffered from OCD and substance dependence. I really didn't want to get into making a ton of assumptions. Anyways, thanks for your comments and your help. Heath
Posted by boB on April 18, 2000, at 21:33:23
In reply to Re: DSM-IV HELP!!, posted by Heath on April 16, 2000, at 23:30:53
Oh, jeez, I laid in bed thinking about this one. Maybe I need to get sleeping pills. That or a girlfriend. Maybe a girlfriend and some Viagra.
Anyway, the concept of psychological autopsy made me wonder. I am more familiar with victimology and forensic psychology. Did this psychologist cut into Hughes' brain, or was he just basing his analysis on hearsay?
My impression is this diagnose-the-dead-guy exercise is more of a lesson in accepting the authority of the professor, and screening potential practitioners. Anyone who refuses to acknowledge the validity of the method fails the class and never gets to practice. Condemned, like me, to mere babble!
It is no wonder scholars picked a capitalist as a subject for their exercise. It seems to further exhalt the ivory tower at the expense of the silly merchant class. Why don't they assign students to diagnose one of their own, perhaps Sigmund Freud, a reputed cocaine addict whose seminal work in the field of psychology was informed by his addiction and his sexual obsessions?
This is the end of the thread.
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