Contemporary Attachment Theory: A Case Study

Introduction

An opportunity to work at Regency Hospice in Murrells, SC, provided the chance to meet a patient by the name of Mr. Henry. He is a war veteran aged sixty-seven years old. In his old age he had been diagnosed with liver failure, which provided some challenges in life. Davis, 2011, recognizes that there are some challenges from liver failure such as psychological, mental and physical trauma that result in a reduction in the quality of life. Mr. Henry lived alone in his apartment and regular visits to his home to provide him care, but was made difficult during his last days. He passed in 2014 because his illness was terminal and his refusal to be admitted to a hospital where decent care would be provided. In this paper, contemporary attachment theory is applied to try and diagnose his problems during his final years. Also, self-psychology will be applied to help understand his state of mind and provide probable treatment that can lead to a cure.

Psychological Assessment of Mr. Henry

Mr. Henry suffered greatly from alcohol dependency, which was a danger to his liver problem. Even in his last days he still acknowledged his dependency on alcohol, which made it worse as he would consume liquor despite our advice against it. Alcohol dependency is a symptom of a mental problem

A few symptoms have been brought to light where many of these war veterans are unable to rejoin society after experiencing trauma they endure during war. Mr. Henry yearned for a normal life, but could not have it because there were challenges in his life that had to do with his age, alcoholism, and other psychological problems. He experienced severe panic attacks, which made his life extremely difficult. He would have episodes of severe shaking and sweating just thinking of the war, these were results of his