The following is a fictional case study about a client who is arrested and has been diagnosed with a personality disorder. As you read the case, think about what the diagnosis might be and the most effective way for the attorney to communicate with this client. Next week we will discuss further.
John is a 40 year old divorced man who lives in a rural neighborhood with his dog.
His closest neighbors are a family of two parents and three teenage boys. John reported to the police that his neighbors poisoned his dog. The investigation was concluded quickly after a call to the veterinarian who said that the dog was twelve years old and appeared to have expired from natural causes. John would not accept this conclusion. He called the police a few weeks later to report that his teenage neighbors were entering his house when he was at work. He said that nothing was missing but insisted that objects inside the house had been moved. When one of the boys chased a ball into John’s yard he shouted at him that he was trespassing. When his father walked over to the yard John confronted him with a rifle and fired a shot into the air. John was arrested. His blood alcohol was 0.15. John met with his attorney and stated that he was being set up by the neighbors. He stated that he had been treated unfairly all of his life and this was another example.
For our newsletter and blog this month we are reviewing Cluster A type Personality Disorders. The blog topics for this month are:
- What is a Personality Disorder? (8/7/15)
- Personality Disorders: “Cluster A” (8/14/15)
- Personality Disorders: Case Study (8/21/15)
- Personality Disorders: Legal Implications (8/28/15)
Note: To see all posts in this topic, click here
