ABSTRACT
The biopsychosocial formulation, differential diagnosis, and risk assessment will be immensely helpful in informing the treatment plan for patient. The treatment plan is divided into three sections (biological, psychological, and social) with two components in each section (assessment and interventions). The "reversible" workup ensures that the patient does not have a physical condition or take any medications/substances that, if addressed (or "reversed"), might improve the patient’s psychiatric condition. Psychological testing may be utilized to assess current symptom severity or to provide additional data about the patient’s underlying condition. Patients are often unaware of their psychological vulnerabilities and so feel baffled by the recurrent difficulties they experience in their lives. Helping the patient identify which psychosocial stressors they are particularly vulnerable to and reducing the current psychosocial stressors are two methods to help diminish their distress. Cognitive-behavioral therapy attempts to provide the patient with a set of tools with which to manage the strong emotions and subtle cognitive changes encountered.
