Walter White and ASPD

Name of Client: Walter White Name of Para-Clinician: Student’s Name 

Residence: Movie Character

Date of Birth: Not known Place of Birth: Not known

Ethnicity: Not Known

Gender: Male

Education: Chemistry

Faith Practice: Religious delusional 

Method of Payment for Services: 

Cash ( ) Sliding Scale ( ) 

Medi-Cal ( ) Medi-Care ( ) 

Private Insurance ( ✓ ) 

Services Requested: Yes ( ✓ ) No ( ) 

Agreement to Services: Yes ( ✓ ) No ( ) 

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CONFIDENTIALITY STATEMENT: 

Client’s privacy rights are embedded in professional healthcare provider standards, the U.S. and state constitutions and other state and federal laws addressing patient records (Morgan, Polowy, Carvino & Kraft, 2007). Clients’ rights to exercise self-determination (NASW, Standard1.02, 2008) are at the core of decisions regarding the release or disclosure of client information However, these rights may be impacted by the requirements of certain legal proceedings or court orders or may be affected by the requirements of insurers, employers, or other requesting entities (Polowy, Morgan, Bailey & Gorenberg, 2008). It is the social worker’s obligation to maintain the client’s confidences, as guided by the client, to the extent permitted by law (NASW, Standard 1.07, 2008). It is generally …NASW Code of Ethics, 2020. 

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Client Signature: Date: 

Para-Clinician’s Signature: Date: 

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Current Situation: After watching the film a TV series, namely Breaking Bad , I realized the character of Walter White who becomes a progressively skilled liar over a period of time. Each of his lie intends to serve a specific purpose. Walter expresses normal emotional reactions to varying situations ranging from remorse, desperation, and empathy (Man of Recaps, 2019). Even though he doesn’t take pleasure in causing harm to others, he demonstrates lack of self-control on his rage emotions when he kills Mike. He has sought help from a therapist even though the tests he never had a positive diagnosis. The script of the film intends to demonstrate Walter as a usual man who has always aspired to do everything rightly (Puri, 2013). Hence, his unusual behaviors raises a need to assess whether he is suffering from a behavioral condition that requires a medical diagnoses to determine whether he suffered from any illness.

Initial Face-to-Face Assessment: Since Walter White is a movie character, it was impossible to have a face-to-face assessment given that the character he demonstrated relied on a film script and did not represent what happened to an actual person. Nevertheless, assessing from his character, it is evident that Walter enjoys good relations with his family and he has genuine concerns towards them. For instance, he has demonstrated his willingness to forego laws and moral principles, whenever he wanted to fight for the interest of his family members. Moreover, his personality is characterized with some pride, entitlement, and ambitions. Based on his character, it is evident that Walter depicts to be suffering from a personality disorder.

The Treatment Plan 

Meeting the client for the first diagnosis demonstrated a need for the client to have other visits for follow-up aimed at assessing the client’s bio-Psycho-socio attributes. The following practices will be completed to have an effective treatment plan.

Treatment Plan 

Walter requires a written report that reminds him about the weekly visits that he has to make to the hospital for follow-up and also determine whether he needs additional intervention. The healthcare giver notifies Walter about weekly home visits aimed at meeting his family and evaluate how they are coping with the treatment and assess the moral support given.

After determining that it is essential to engage Skyler and their son into the treatment plan, the practitioner further decides on the interventions that shall apply to each of the parties (Man of Recaps, 2019).

Notify members of the family about their involvement in the treatment plan and request them to sign a consent form for their inclusion. Give a copy of the consent form to Skyler.

Conduct a Bio-Psycho-Socio functioning assessment that will help understand the patient’s health condition in details. The intervention measures that the client will be subjected to will rely on the information acquired from this assessment.

Investigate resources such as nutrition and medical aide that is accessible to the patient’s.

Maintain effective communication between the practitioners and members of the family concerning their own health and that of Walter.

Help the Skyler and her son to access family therapy by recommending to them the practitioner that should carry out the task.

Faith Practice 

Being a practicing scientist who is excellent in Chemistry studies made it difficult for him to relate with Christian belief. When he was diagnosed with cancer, the film demonstrates his spirituality to be made of darkness. The director of the film emphasizes on demonstrating Walter with a negative and dark image, which is associated with evil. For instance, in the scene where Walter tells Jesse that he is lucky to have done something special in his life in reference to the meth business, the video demonstrates the dark life that has trapped him and falls short of demonstrating his faith practice (Bowlby, 2020). Additionally, Walter also seems to dehumanize death when he uses the words “there is nothing but chemistry here” referring to his ailing condition and the likelihood of succumbing (Bowlby, 2020). He believes that cancer is a Chemistry challenge whose solution is yet to be determined. The prospect in this case demonstrates unreligious beliefs because people of Faith connect their life to some supernatural power that differs from one religion to the other. Therefore, it is recommendable that the Para-Clinician ask Walter whether he would be okay to receive faith-based intervention. In the scenario where the clients gives consent towards the practice, the healthcare giver must ensure that a written consent form is signed and the patient issued with a copy.

Therapeutic Services Treatment Discussion 

The Para-Clinician will discuss with Walter about the possible therapeutic treatment approaches applicable in his case. After issuing him with all the relevant information, the Para-Clinician will require him to sign a form giving his consent for him to access clinical treatment. Subsequently, the Para-Clinician will move a step further to identify a practitioner that will help in this case and refer Walter to him.

Client Signed Consent to services: Yes ( ✓ ) No ( ).

Symptomatology, Definitions, Descriptions 

Biological, Psychological and Social Cultural Symptoms: 

Walter has a medical history where he was diagnosed with cancer. The diagnosis marked his turning point because he lacked enough funds required to facilitate his recovery. Furthermore, his changed character demonstrates an individual that is suffering from a personality disorder because he begins making decisions that he himself cannot believe. Furthermore, he acquires an uncontrollable anger. The signs and symptoms that Walter shows in a Bio-Psycho-Socio Assessment are as follows:

Biological 

There is little known about Walter’s biological family making it difficult to learn about the biological symptoms that influenced his well-being. Nevertheless, the Para-Clinician will be looking out for symptoms such as an existing family history of a close relative suffering from personality disorder. The condition is genetic making it easier to be contracted by members of one family.

Psychological 

Walter White’s took a turn when he realized that he suffered from Lung Cancer and he decided to involve himself in meth business as he targeted to raise adequate funds that would help taking care of his family (Man of Recaps, 2019). However, he got so attached with the business such that it was difficult for him to quit even after he made enough money to sustain his family and hospital bill. Another psychological problem would result from him being a competent Chemistry teacher yet he struggled taking care of his family. The financial crisis has potential to cause him some trauma because it made him less worthy the efforts he made in his profession.

Abnormal Psychological Models 

The abnormal psychological models aims at understanding the unusual patterns of behavior among different members of society. The unusual behavior is perceived to have a significant mental impact on the affected individual (Verona & Patrick, 2015). Below is an analysis of different abnormal psychological models based on the present case.

Biological 

The biological aspects evaluated under this section include genetic composition, nervous system, and chemical imbalances in the individual’s body. Nevertheless, it is a challenge identifying the biological aspects from Walker White because the character is analyzed in an imaginary form (Man of Recaps, 2019). Nevertheless, an individual demonstrating a personality disorder like in the case of Walker depicts a family history of an individual that suffered from ASPD. Thus, if the illness is genetic, he should give such an account.

Psychodynamic 

The psychodynamic aspect evaluates the psychological aspects that make up the personality of the client. For instance, Clomer (2014) suggests that the Para-Clinician should evaluate attributes such as presence of stress in the individual, early experiences, and self-efficacy. Evidently, since Walter was diagnosed with Cancer, he experiences high level stress because he lacked adequate funds required in accessing medical treatment. Furthermore, Walter had before struggled taking care of his family even after being a successful Chemistry teacher. Hence, poverty and the illness caused him some trauma that changed his character and personality.

Behavioral 

Under the behavioral model, the emphasis is on evaluating Walter’s behavior after experiencing a psychological disorder that changed his life completely. In this case, it is the Cancer diagnosis that changed his life and led him to making decisions to engage in Meth business so that he could raise enough money to take care of his family and access medical care required to facilitate his healing. His behavior changed completely after joining the business because he became more aggressive and could even give instructions to kill those he considered enemies of his business.

Cognitive 

The cognitive model focuses on the deficiencies on the thought process among people such as the inability of an individual to make sound decisions (Clomer, 2014). Evidently, based on the manner in which Walter addresses issues, it demonstrates lack of problem solving skills. He chooses to be aggressive and even kill people that he disagrees with. Additionally, he is also protective of his family and does not shy getting into problems with the law. Hence, his cognitive functioning depicts an existing problem on his personality and ought to be addressed.

Humanistic 

The humanistic model discourages practitioners from focusing on the dysfunctional aspects of the patient, but instead focus on aspects that contribute to an individual’s overall well-being (Clomer, 2014). Subsequently, Walter is a hardworking person who loves and cares about his family because everything he does targets at adequately providing to them. He had two jobs while working as a Chemistry teacher that would help him raise adequate income to take care of his family. Furthermore, he ensured to protect them from any person that would cause some harm to them.

Social-Cultural 

The socio-cultural model of psychology assesses the impact of immediate environment on an individual’s well-being and decisions he make (McGrail et al., 2018). Based on Walter’s personality before and after he joined the Meth business demonstrates the immediate environment influenced him. When he worked as a Chemistry teacher, he was contented by what he earned and even though he had some pride, he engaged well with individuals in his immediate society. Later when he engaged in Meth business, his personality changed because he operated in an environment that lacked empathy towards others and the only way he would survive was by being aggressive.

Social 

Socio Observations : Walter White has a strong support system from his family because he has also takes care of them. For instance, his wife Skyler attempts to protect and cover Walter after being discovered as a meth manufacturer using her bookkeeping skills (Man of Recaps, 2019). She attempts to demonstrate that she also has an income that helps in supporting Walter in taking care of the family. Jesse Pinkman is another individual that provides social support to Walter in his Meth business because they become partners. Jesse’s role is that of marketing the meth products, while Walter prepares the alcohol based on his chemistry knowledge. Consequently, it becomes easy for him to succeed in the business because he has someone to help him with the marketing tasks. He has also acquired new friends that he met in the line of his meth business. For instance, Ed helps him to run and settle as a fugitive when the police go looking out for him. Finally, even when Walter makes wrong decisions, he always has someone who supports his ideas and perform all the dirty work like killing people that breach deals or try to mess with his meth business.

Life Events : Walter is an employed Chemistry teacher who was married to Skyler and together had a teenage son. His wife was pregnant when he was diagnosed with Lung Cancer.

Socio Cultural Attributes : Client does not demonstrate any social cultural activity that he enjoys partaking besides conducting Chemistry experiments.

Summary of Bio-Psycho-Social Assessment: Based on the bio-psycho-social assessment conducted above, it is evident that Walter has some psychological conditions that demonstrate some abnormality. The assessment demonstrates that he suffers from a mental disorder that has affected his behavior, thought process, and mood. He exhibits all of these attributes, especially after involving himself with the Methyl business because he makes decision that he also cannot believe he did. Therefore, it is essential that he is further diagnosed to determine what mental condition he suffered from and receive the relevant interventions.

DSM-V Diagnosis 

Walter’s demonstrates a psychodynamic disorder because he makes decisions that he cannot come into terms with because he considers them so far-fetched. For instance, when he orders Mike to be killed, he does not believe he made such a decision. However, he argued that for him to survive in the business that ought to have been done. Moreover, another dysfunctional is when he is unable to quit the business even after he had made enough money to cater for his medical expenses and live a quality life. He also exhibits signs of religious delusion because he does not have a faith he attaches himself to due to his connection with scientific experiments. Walter’s mood is also greatly affected by his suffering because he feels detached from the world and its pleasures and he focuses on meeting the needs of his family. Walter was diagnosed for APSD and Schizophrenia and the results are as illustrated below:

Diagnosis 1 : Client, Walter White exhibits symptoms of APSD personality disorder, 301.7 (F60. 2) (Porter, 2013).

Diagnosis 2 : Client, Walter White exhibits symptoms of Schizophrenia disorder F20.9 (Rahman & Lauriello, 2016).

Disclaimer Statement 

This Para-Clinician submits this assessment and diagnosis under the supervision of

Jane Adams, Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Disclaimer: This form is strictly used for classroom assignment purposes. It is not a legal document pertaining to any individual. The indicated clients inserted in this form are fictional. The student practitioner nor the Instructor for this course are not claiming to be licensed clinical practitioners.

Signature Para-Clinician: ________________________ Date: _________

References 

Bowlby, E. (2020). Drugs, Death, Denial and Cancer Care: Using Breaking Bad in the spiritual care of cancer patients. Critical Studies in Television: The International Journal of Television Studies , 15 (3), 223–238. https://doi.org/10.1177/1749602020931009 

Comer, R. J. (2014). Fundamentals of abnormal psychology . Worth Publishers. 

Man Of Recaps. (2019). Breaking Bad - Full Series RECAP!!! In YouTube . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlLpIq41j2U 

McGrail, McGrail, & Rieger. (2018). A Teacher Goes Gothic: Walter White, Heisenberg, and the Dark Revenge of Science. Interdisciplinary Literary Studies , 20 (4), 486. https://doi.org/10.5325/intelitestud.20.4.0486 

Porter, D. (2013). Antisocial Personality Disorder DSM-5 301.7 (F60.2) - Therapedia . Theravive.com. https://www.theravive.com/therapedia/antisocial-personality-disorder-dsm--5-301.7-(f60.2) 

Puri, P. (2013, August 30). 21 paths: “Is Walter White a Psychopath?” | Paul R. Puri, MD . Paulrpurimd. https://paulrpurimd.com/is-walter-white-a-psychopath/ 

Rahman, T., & Lauriello, J. (2016). Schizophrenia: An Overview. FOCUS , 14 (3), 300–307. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.focus.20160006 

Verona, E., & Patrick, C. J. (2015). Psychobiological Aspects of Antisocial Personality Disorder, Psychopathy, and Violence. Psychiatric Times , 32 (3). https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/psychobiological-aspects-antisocial-personality-disorder-psychopathy-and-violence