Psychological Assessment of Sherlock Holmes

The final project for this course is a psychological assessment based on information from the course. The psychological assessment will consist of two parts. The first

part will include a case study based on a fictional character. The second part will include a psychological assessment on the selected character. The final product

represents an authentic demonstration of competency because it requires students to conduct a psychological assessment using course resources that support the DSM-5.

The project is divided into three milestones, which will be submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality final

submissions. These milestones will be submitted in Modules Two, Five, and Seven.

In this assignment, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following course outcomes:

• Assist students in understanding the biological, psychological, and social components of behavior and abnormality
• Help students appreciate the history of theory and therapy
• Develop the students’ awareness of the DSM, its history, and its function
• Help students learn about specific disorders, their origins, and their treatments
• Help students understand that not all people suffering from disorders have exactly the same symptoms
• Instill in students an appreciation of ethics in treatment and research

Prompt
The final project for this course is a psychological assessment based on information from the course. The psychological assessment will consist of two parts. In the

first part, you will prepare a case study based on a fictional character from a movie, book, or other media source. The character must have a psychological disorder,

with behavioral symptoms that are apparent to the average observer. In the case study, you will describe the following:

• The character’s demographics, including age, gender, education, work experience, and so on
• A description of the presenting problem(s) and behaviors, including any biological, psychological, or social symptoms
• Background information, including family and interpersonal relationships, substance use history, significant medical or mental health history, and so on

In the second part of the project, you will perform a psychological assessment of your selected character. This assessment should include the following:

• A diagnosis, including the appropriate DSM-5 code
• Identification of any psychosocial or contextual factors to be considered, as outlined in the DSM-5
• A list of specific behaviors or symptoms that support the DSM-5 criteria for the selected diagnosis
• Possible treatments, as well as how the treatment might be specifically beneficial to the client
• Identification of recent DSM-5 changes that might affect the diagnosis and treatment of this disorder
• Identification of specific ethical issues that might arise in providing treatment for this particular diagnosis

The final product represents an authentic demonstration of competency because it requires students to conduct a psychological assessment using course resources that

support the DSM-5. The project is divided into three milestones, which will be submitted at various points throughout the course in order to scaffold learning and

ensure quality final submissions. These milestones will be submitted in Modules Two, Five, and Seven.

Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:

1. Problems and Behaviors
a. What biological symptoms does the character present?
b. What psychological symptoms does the character present?
c. What social symptoms does the character present?
2. DSM-5 Function
a. What is the diagnosis of the character based upon the DSM-5?
b. What is the appropriate DSM-5 code for the diagnosis?
3. DSM-5 Criteria
a. Which of the specific symptoms displayed by the character support DSM-5 criteria for the diagnosis?
4. Treatment
a. What are the possible treatment options for the character?
b. What are the benefits to the character receiving certain treatments for his or her diagnosis?
5. History
a. How do recent changes to the DSM-5 affect the diagnosis of the character’s disorder?
b. How do recent changes to the DSM-5 affect the treatment of the character’s disorder?
6. Ethical Components
a. What ethical issues might be present when administering treatment to the character?