CASE NOTE James Holmes - Grade: B+ PDF

Preview

Summary

Movie Review....

Description

SOCIAL WORK

1

Case Note: James Eagan Holmes Synopsis James Eagan Holmes is an American male of Caucasian descent born in 1987 to Robert Holmes and Arlene Holmes. James Holmes kills 12 people plus 70 others injured in a shooting spree inside a cinema hall during the showing of the 2012 Batman movie The Dark Knight Rises. James Eagan Holmes is arrested and charged with the Aurora Colorado murders. At the time of the attack, James Holmes had shown signs of being mentally ill and was seeing a college psychiatric doctor help with his mental condition. He was found guilty by a jury bench on July 16, 2015, of 24 counts of first-degree murder and 140 counts of attempted murder, which is two counts for each victim plus another count for possession of explosives and given life sentence without parole (Ostrosky & Ardila, 2017). According to Dr. Lynne Fenton, the university psychiatrist who was treating James Holmes, James had homicidal thoughts and was obsessed with killing, thoughts which occurred at least 3-4 times a day. A small book mailed to Dr. Lynne Fenton by Holmes had an intricate plan on how the attack was going to be carried out. In the book, Holmes insinuated that taking other people's lives would be valuable to his life and prevent him from killing himself. The exgirlfriend also testified that Holmes sent text messages of how killing people would add human capital to his account (O'Neill & Weisfeldt, 2015).

SOCIAL WORK

2

Biopsychosocial Assessment James Holmes is said to have been born in a well-functioning family with a good childhood. James loved sports, most especially soccer, and cross country athletics. No criminal record can be linked to him, but according to his mother, James had a problem with mental illness relatively at a young age and had a suicidal attempt at age 11. At a young age, James Holmes was considered to be suffering from mental health and is said to have been seeing hallucinations of clawed ghosts walking on the wall. Dr. Fenton diagnosed Holmes with social anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder, a reason why he was obsessed with killing others. The doctor also saw signs of psychosis and paranoia. James had a girlfriend by the name Gargi Datta whom they broke up with barely two months before the Aurora massacre. In court, the girl testified to the fact that James had, on some occasions, mentioned that he wanted to kill people. James' sexual orientation is straight male with no gender identity issues (O'Neill & Weisfeldt, 2015). After finishing his high school at Westview High School, Holmes attended the University of California, graduating with a neuroscience degree certificate. Holmes also attended and completed his graduate school with top honors at UCR, proving that he was a top performer in his studies and later on registered for his doctorate in neuroscience at the medical campus, University of Colorado. James Holmes considered himself an agnostic and cultural identity as an English speaking white Caucasian male. James Holmes's biggest strength is his intellectual ability and prowess, as can be seen in his educational achievements. The support he got from the family and especially the mother who advocated for his mental illness awareness which could have helped avert the tragic event (O'Neill & Weisfeldt, 2015).

SOCIAL WORK

3

DSM 5 Diagnosis 301.22 Schizotypal Personality Disorder (STPD) is a pervasive pattern of social and interpersonal deficits marked by acute discomfort and reduced capacity for close relationships as well as cognitive distortions of behavior. It is a condition characterized by a list of social and interpersonal deficiencies including paranoid ideation as seen when he fails his exam and his girlfriend leaving him; vague thoughts and speeches as seen in the incomprehensible notebook sent to his college psychiatrist; weird fantasies and odd beliefs such as believing that killing others can protect from killing himself; ideas of reference shown by his belief that killing would add points to his life’s account; a lack of close friends but closeness to family members as seen when he drops out of college and becomes distant to friends; and excessive social anxiety seen in the kind of calm demeanor he portrays in public so as to hide his mental challenges (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). It begins at early adulthood and the diagnosis is met at the point when James has a sense of confidence in his brilliance and achievements in his studies all through his undergraduate, graduate, and Ph. D. His mental breakdown is seen at the point when he fails his Ph. D oral tests and eventually drops out school without notice. Things got worse when his girlfriend broke up with him, further hurting his feelings of self-entitlement. Some of the conditions ruled out were Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), and depression. BPD is characterized by fits of rage and difficulties with emotional regulation. James Holmes is not seen as having problems with emotional regulation problems and is considered sane to stand trial. The school psychiatrist mentioned that part of the treatment that she recommended for Holmes was anti-depressants, which did not work ruling out depression too (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).

SOCIAL WORK

4

Treatment Talk therapy, also known as psychotherapy, is the defined treatment for schizotypal disorder. And it is essential to note that schizotypal personality disorder (STPD) is treatable but not curable. Therefore, there is no medication for STPD, and any pills given would be to help treat any other medical conditions like depression or anxiety. Psychotherapy consists of treatments aimed at helping an individual learn how to manage their emotions and relate better with others. It can also help them learn commutation skills, develop their self-esteem, and selfconfidence (Horowitz, M. J., 2018).

SOCIAL WORK

5

References American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5®). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Pub. Horowitz, M. J. (2018). Formulation as a basis for planning psychotherapy treatment. American Psychiatric Pub. O’Neill, A., & Weisfeldt, S. (2015). Psychiatrist: Holmes thought 3-4 times a day about killing. Cable News Network. Retrieved from http://cnn. it/1BhGQvr. Ostrosky, F., & Ardila, A. (2017). Mass Murderers. In Neuropsychology of Criminal Behavior (pp. 86-95). Routledge....