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Abnormal Psychology
A Case Study of Disco Di
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Abnormal Psychology: A Case Study of Disco Di

Introduction 

Psychological well-being is more than just the absence of sickness; it is a sense of

wholeness in one's life. Self-worth, personal success, and a positive personality are aspects

linked with our individual selves, but mental illness is the discord someone is going

through. This discord has an impact on not just the individual, but also their friends and family,
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as well as the society. The individual is unable to perform efficiently in many facets of their

life as a result of this discord.  

Abnormal psychology is the branch of psychology that deals with all of the mental

illnesses that people face. Diana Miller's "Disco Di" is about a little girl who, after a long time of

hardships, is sent to a psychiatric facility for therapy for showing features connected with mental

illness. These behaviors are also predicted to have been triggered by a distressing incident that

is constantly interfering with her life ever since. The diagnosis that was given to Disco Di was an

Axis I diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and an Axis II diagnosis of Borderline

Personality Disorder (MDD) and Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). The paper

will critically analyze Disco Di’s diagnosis and how has genetic and

cultural influences contributed to these factors as well as how to treat them. 

Diagnostic Features / Differential Diagnosis 

Diana Miller was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and Major

Depression Disorder (MDD) after almost seven hospitalizations when she attempted suicide once

more. She was admitted to the hospital after attempting suicide by swallowing fatal dosages of

valium and alcohol. On every level, the psychiatrist's diagnosis is right about Diana because she

experienced both BPD and MDD's standard diagnostic characteristics. Her MDD appeared

significantly sooner than her BPD, which is typical in psychiatric diseases. In actuality, her BPD

was most certainly the outcome of her long-term MDD, which she developed after the death of

her sister when she was 11 years old. 

Irritability, weight loss or increase, lethargy, suicidal thoughts, withdrawal from regular

everyday tasks, restlessness, anxiety, and negative feelings are some of the key symptoms of

MDD (Grobler, 2013). Mental illnesses share a lot of symptoms in most situations. This was
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likewise true of Diana's predicament. The odder and persistent symptoms, on the other hand,

were most likely caused by her BPD. Diana also had a wide range of BPD symptoms, including

irrational conduct, unhealthy coping mechanisms, and impulsive behavior (Homer, 2017). Diana

was also spontaneous, engaging in risky and careless behaviors such as intoxication and

infidelity on a regular basis. Despite this, Diana's therapist misdiagnosed a

couple additional serious illnesses because it was discovered that she also suffered from

Agoraphobia and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).  

Diana was addicted to consuming calories and her plate layout indicated people around

her that she might be developing OCD. Her panic episodes outside the house were also

agoraphobia symptoms. Resentment, unwelcome feelings, increased heart rate, and sweaty hands

are all prevalent symptoms in most diseases.  

Cultural, Gender, Social Environmental Factors 

It's difficult to measure depression in multiple cultures, thus "tools for intercultural

psychological health primary in order to communicate successfully and improve clinical

diagnosis" are needed. According to the findings, there is still a need for a tool that can correctly

detect depression in individuals from many nations and cultures. Each culture is very different in

its own way, and many deviant behaviors are seen only in specific cultures.  

Cross-cultural research has aided in determining the extent to which various cultures

might influence the frequency of mental disorders. For example, in Western society, a person

with histrionic personality disorder urgently seeks attention, yet in Japan, a phenomenon is

known as "hikikomori" is unusual behaviour in which a person goes to tremendous lengths to

escape any social contract. Hikikomori is a type of deviant behaviour that is comparable to

avoidant personality disorder, although it is more intense. In a Westernized society, media has a
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huge impact on how people perceive themselves as well as things around them, especially during

adolescence, which can lead to a negative association between many aspects such as associating

more bodyweight to being ugly. She developed a negative body image as a result of this societal

standard, which included both media impact and fast-food culture. This led to excessive eating

and harmful dieting techniques.  

Gender is also a common factor that is known to be involved in the development of

psychiatric problems. Physiologically, males and females are not the same. To be more specific,

each produces particular hormones that are claimed to have an influence on cognitive and

behavioural traits. Hormone fluctuations impact women's behaviour, emotions, and even mental

processes at various times of their lives and cycles. Interpersonal stresses, stress reaction,

reduced self-esteem, and other behavioural changes are all attributed to these hormones, as per

Rossler (2016). 

The sociocultural elements that surround a person can also have a role in the development

of psychiatric diseases. The incidence of these illnesses is also influenced by family genes and

stressful life events (Homer, 2017). Diana, in our example, lost her sister when she was 11 year

old whom she was very close to hence this affected Diana's ability to build good connections

with other females. As a result, Diana engaged in unstable love relationships in order to satisfy

her loneliness.  

Paradigm/Treatment Methods 

Treatment for mental illnesses has progressed over time. The therapy of MDD, which

was once known as melancholia in the twentieth century, has changed dramatically in recent

decades. Opium and water baths, for example, were commonly used to alleviate depression. The

opium was given three times a day for three weeks. Daily opium doses were raised, then
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gradually lowered until the medication was phased out. Several other successful treatment

approaches have been applied as a consequence of developments in modern medicine and a

better knowledge of human psychology, yielding more beneficial results. 

Dialectical behaviour therapy, in particular, would be an effective remedy for Disco Di

since it has been shown to minimise suicide attempts, sadness, rage, pessimism, and drug abuse

while also improving social integration (Swales, Taylor & Hibbs, 2012). Dialectical behaviour

therapy has been advised for female patients with borderline personality disorder who have a

history of self-harm. The focus is on supportive treatment rather than medicines, which are only

provided in certain circumstances. There is no apparent therapy for the condition as a whole.

Instead, clinicians address the condition with a combined schema of many therapeutic

approaches. Forming trustworthy connections with patients and providing emotional

management skills training are examples of such techniques.  

Her undesirable genes and resulting metabolic anomalies, together with the shock of her

sister's death, caused the start of her drug abuse, sadness, and impulsive actions, all of which are

symptoms of borderline personality disorder. Dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT) and

pharmaceutical therapies are two more therapeutic options that can help with odd behaviour

symptoms. 

Conclusion 

Disco Di's major depressive illness and borderline personality disorder diagnosis may be

apparent in her sad mood, impulsivity, destructive behaviour, and frequent attempted suicides.

She exhibits evidence of hypomanic and severe depressive episodes, suggesting a bipolar II

diagnosis. In her instance, there are also traces of other illnesses, such as drug use disorder (as

seen by her addiction of alcohol and valium) and bulimia nervosa (as evidenced by her binge
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eating and subsequent crash diet). There were other factors such as gender influences, impact of

cultural variations that impacted Disco Di’s diagnosis.  

Making a psychiatric condition diagnosis might be difficult in general. Many of these

diseases, as seen above, have symptoms and behaviours that are similar. To prevent

misdiagnosing a patient, professionals should ensure that an accurate diagnosis is established.

Once a suitable diagnosis has been made, therapists may begin developing appropriate treatment

programmes that can help the patient progressively regain some feeling of normalcy in their

lives. 

References:

1. Faruque, S., Tong, J., Lacmanovic, V., Agbonghae, C., Minaya, D., & Czaja, K. (2019). The

Dose Makes the Poison: Sugar and Obesity in the United States – a Review. Polish Journal

of Food and Nutrition Sciences, 69(3), 219–233. https://doi.org/10.31883/pjfns/11073.

2. Grobler, G. (2013). "Major depressive disorder." South African Journal of Psychiatry, Vol.

19 No. 3, pp 157-163. Retrieved from

https://sajp.org.za/index.php/sajp/article/viewFile/946/555.
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3. Homer, O. (2017). "Borderline personality disorder." National Institute of Mental Health.

Retrieved from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/borderline-personality-

disorder/index.shtml.

4. Rossler, A. (2016). Sex and gender differences in mental disorders." The Lancet Psychiatry,

Vol 4, No. 1, pp 8–9. Retrieved from

http://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lanpsy/PIIS2215-0366(16)30348-0.pdf.

5. Swales, M. A., Taylor, B., & Hibbs, R. A. B. (2012). Implementing Dialectical Behaviour

Therapy: Programme survival in routine healthcare settings. Journal of Mental Health, 21(6),

548–555. https://doi.org/10.3109/09638237.2012.689435.