Jack Case Study

Systemic Approach

Problems started very early in childhood, watching his father be violent towards his family and to him. However, no one noticed that there was something wrong with him until after his own mother made him homeless – he was crying out for help but instead of helping, he was further punished, rejected and left to get worse. His mother had her own problems to deal with and probably did not know how to cope with him so she blocked it out.

Unsure who referred him to psychiatric services.

He was very protective over his family – trying to be the man of the household? Toxic masculinity, ‘head of the family’ mindset instilled into him at a young age. However with his history of alcohol abuse and violent tendencies, he is probably causing more of a rift in his family as it would remind them of their father, who they all think they are better off without anyway.

He was never able to have closure over his own sexual abuse, and instead began projecting memories of the abuse onto his own sister, perhaps. Coping mechanism? If he can protect his sister, he will feel better about not being able to protect himself/have someone protect him.

Copying his father’s alcoholism. He believes this is an appropriate coping mechanism because that was his role model. He sees himself turning his father, but this is his worst nightmare.

Around the time Jack was transitioning from a child to a teen, his father’s alcoholism and abuse worsened. When he was sexually abused and failed his GCSEs, his parents were going through a divorce. Jack began self-destructive and attention-seeking behaviours but this would always be overshadowed by things like harassment and burglaries. When his mental health worsened (paranoia, delusions), his mum fell ill. Jack’s health improves when he is working with the homeless project and the hospital. Every time Jack needs attention, something else steals it away from him. Perhaps this need for care and attention is the root of his delusions in which people are going after him; he is finally receiving attention, but due to his trauma, it is not good attention – he has little experience of that.

Any history of mental illness in the family?

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One thought on “Jack Case Study

  1. “Copying his father’s alcoholism. He believes this is an appropriate coping mechanism because that was his role model. He sees himself turning his father, but this is his worst nightmare.”

    I didn’t think of that 😮

    “Any history of mental illness in the family?”

    or that

    “If he can protect his sister, he will feel better about not being able to protect himself/have someone protect him.”

    or that.

    How you describe everything sounds very psychodynamic. Which is funny cause I thought I was going to use a psychodynamic approach myself, yet missed the kind of detail you have in describing these possible links.

    References to possible psychological theory might help the formulation overall.

    I think Jack’s life has been in such turmoil in so many ways that it’s difficult to think of one way to address everything (which I thought a Psychodynamic approach might do), but since you put “systemic approach” it got me thinking that it might be better to focus on more recent events and how those are experienced and tackled instead.

    Anyway, thanks for posting.

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