Case Scenario
Client name: Jane Doe
Age: 28
Gender: Female
Background:
Jane Doe is a 28-year-old female who was bought to hospital by ambulance when she was found
unning barefoot on a highway in the middle of the night. She has been admitted to the mental
health unit. She has no significant medical history and does not use any substances.
According to her mother in the last month there has been a sudden change in her behaviour. She
has been expressing paranoid beliefs and has begun staying in her room all day praying. The family
eports that she often talks to herself and will laugh or yell for no reason. She sometimes says things
as if she is speaking to someone. For instance, yesterday she yelled “I told you already! Leave me
alone!” When her mother asked who she was talking to, she didn’t respond.
She is also extremely suspicious of other people, including her own siblings and friends, but she still
trusts her mother. Jane states that the devil has possessed her family members and is trying to kill
her. During conversation, she often jumps from one unrelated topic to another, and it is very difficult
to understand what she is saying.
Her mother states that Jane has never behaved like this before. However, she does admit that over
the last 6-7 months, Jane has become increasingly superstitious and isolative, and that her mood has
een quite low. She has been showering less frequently and she also quit her job at ANZ bank,
stating that she felt overwhelmed and couldn’t keep up with the workload. About 5 months ago,
Jane stopped playing soccer, which she used to love, and she also stopped going out and seeing her
friends. She used to be very outgoing and social.
Jane’s mother is very religious and she believes that her daughter has been cursed by her ex-
husband. She would like a priest to perform an exorcism on her daughter, and is giving Jane holy
water to drink. She is very distrustful of medications and of Doctors, and doesn’t want Jane to stay in
hospital. She insists that her church can help Jane and the Doctors cannot. She is observed telling
Jane “just keep praying. God will save you”. Jane also wants an exorcism and states that the devil is
controlling her mind. She is refusing to eat or to take any medications, stating that she doesn’t trust
the nurses or Doctors.
Jane’s mother gave birth to Jane at the age of 40. She said it was a very difficult pregnancy and she
was born preterm at 32 weeks. Jane suffered abuse from her father up until the age of 11, when her
mother moved her and her siblings to Australia. She has not seen or spoken to her father since then.
Jane did well at school and started working at ANZ bank after high school. She always had a large
group of friends, but always suffered from low self-esteem and anxiety. She was always a
perfectionist. She has always had a strong faith in God and is a member of Hillsong, a large
evangelical church.
Questions:
1. Explain how Jane meets the criteria for schizophrenia in the DSM 5. Give details of the
symptoms experienced (300 words)
2. Watch the video of an interview with Jane and write an MSE (300 words)
3. Choose one biological, social or psychological factor that may have increased Jane’s risk of
developing schizophrenia. Use research to support your ideas (400 words)
4. Discuss 2 nursing interventions that will help Jane’s recovery. You should define the
intervention and discuss why it will help Jane, including any limitations. Use research and the
case study to support your ideas (1000 words)
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to follow the word limit for each section?
No, this is a guide only. However, your word count should not be too dissimilar. For instance,
if you write only 300 words for question 4, and 1000 words for question one, you will likely
loose marks as section 4 requires a more detailed response.
In what format should I answer question 1?
You can write in a paragraph or using dot points. Refer to the video for information on this.
What do you mean by ‘nursing intervention’?
A nursing intervention is something that nurses do with patients. Think, what can the nurse
do that will help Jane in her recovery?
I want to suggest art therapy/CBT/ECT etc.... is that a nursing intervention?
Anything that the nurses can do or be a part of would come under nursing intervention. Your
focus should be on explaining the intervention, discussing the evidence for or against it
(research) and telling me why it is suitable for Jane.
I am feeling lost, what do I do?
Email your unit coordinator Sarah on XXXXXXXXXX
I don’t know how to write an academic assessment and/or do referencing
Contact the li
ary or the learning support service at CDU for help with academic writing and
eferencing.
mailto: XXXXXXXXXX