For your Final Paper, you will demonstrate your knowledge of psychopathology and apply your skills to a realistic scenario. Throughout this course, you have developed unique knowledge and skill sets that will allow you to critically analyze depictions of psychopathology in popular media and historical case examples from an informed point of view. Your Final Paper will be a psychological report that may be based on a character from a movie or a historical case study. Review the provided lists of movies and historical case studies that are approved for use in this assignment.  You must choose from these lists. You may not use examples from your personal life in the psychological report since doing so would be unethical (see Standards 2.04 and 9.01a in the Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct). As you create this report, you will be taking on the role of a clinician who is conducting an assessment and providing treatment recommendations for a patient (a character from your selected film or historical case study). Please note that a psychological report does not follow the same structure for reports you may have used in other courses. Your report must follow the format below and it must include each of the sections and their headings listed in this order: Identifying Information Within this section, you will describe basic information on your patient, including the person’s name, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, race, occupation, and location of residence (country, state, and region). Chief Complaint/Presenting Problem Within this section, you will include the patient’s primary complaint verbatim to identify the main source of his or her distress and/or concerns. If there is no verbatim complaint, include observable information to create an overall picture of the presenting problem. Typically, this section within a psychological report seeks to address the following question (further elaboration within this section is encouraged where possible): What are the patient’s complaints? (e.g., the patient might complain about “feeling on edge” or experiencing stress) Symptoms Within this section, you will interpret specific behavioral issues and intrapsychic conflicts as they relate to abnormal behavior, behavior patterns, maladaptive thought processes, and potential unconscious conflicts. Interpret and comment on the patient’s chief complaint and/or presenting problem in the context and language of the symptoms found in the DSM-5. (e.g., the patient who complains about "feeling on edge" might actually be experiencing symptoms related to post-traumatic stress disorder or generalized anxiety disorder) Personal History Within this section, you will analyze your patient’s personal background and history of abnormal behavior(s) that inform your diagnostic impression. You will also gather information about the patient’s cultural background and cultural norms. Typically, this section within a psychological report seeks to answer ...

1. For your Final Paper, you will demonstrate your knowledge of
psychopathology and apply your skills to a realistic scenario.
Throughout this course, you have developed unique knowledge
and skill sets that will allow you to critically analyze depictions
of psychopathology in popular media and historical case
examples from an informed point of view.
Your Final Paper will be a psychological report that may be
based on a character from a movie or a historical case study.
Review the provided lists of movies and historical case studies
that are approved for use in this assignment. You must choose
from these lists. You may not use examples from your personal
life in the psychological report since doing so would be
unethical (see Standards 2.04 and 9.01a in the Ethical Principles
of Psychologists and Code of Conduct).
As you create this report, you will be taking on the role of a
clinician who is conducting an assessment and providing
treatment recommendations for a patient (a character from your
selected film or historical case study). Please note that a
psychological report does not follow the same structure for
reports you may have used in other courses. Your report must
follow the format below and it must include each of the sections
and their headings listed in this order:
Identifying Information
Within this section, you will describe basic information on your
patient, including the person’s name, sex, gender, sexual
orientation, age, race, occupation, and location of residence
(country, state, and region).
Chief Complaint/Presenting Problem
Within this section, you will include the patient’s primary
complaint verbatim to identify the main source of his or her
distress and/or concerns. If there is no verbatim complaint,
include observable information to create an overall picture of
the presenting problem.
Typically, this section within a psychological report seeks to

2. address the following question (further elaboration within this
section is encouraged where possible):
What are the patient’s complaints? (e.g., the patient might
complain about “feeling on edge” or experiencing stress)
Symptoms
Within this section, you will interpret specific behavioral issues
and intrapsychic conflicts as they relate to abnormal behavior,
behavior patterns, maladaptive thought processes, and potential
unconscious conflicts. Interpret and comment on the patient’s
chief complaint and/or presenting problem in the context and
language of the symptoms found in the DSM-5. (e.g., the patient
who complains about "feeling on edge" might actually be
experiencing symptoms related to post-traumatic stress disorder
or generalized anxiety disorder)
Personal History
Within this section, you will analyze your patient’s personal
background and history of abnormal behavior(s) that inform
your diagnostic impression. You will also gather information
about the patient’s cultural background and cultural norms.
Typically, this section within a psychological report seeks to
answer the following questions (further elaboration within this
section is encouraged where possible):
Where did the patient grow up?
What cultures did the patient experience throughout life?
What was the patient’s school life like?
What were his or her grades? What is his or her highest level of
education?
What is the patient’s interpersonal relationship history?
What was/is the patient’s romantic relationship history?
What was/is the patient’s friendship history?
Family History
Within this section, you will analyze the patient’s familial
relationship(s) and identify any abnormalities that might affect
future treatment. You will also integrate information about the
patient’s family and cultural background to identify any
maladaptive behaviors and relational patterns.

3. Typically, this section within a psychological report seeks to
answer the following questions (further elaboration within this
section is encouraged where possible):
How old were the patient’s parents when the patient was born?
Who were the patient’s primary caregivers?
What was/is family life like? (Include any information relevant
to your diagnostic impression.)
Did the family move often?
What was/is the patient’s relationship with their siblings (if
applicable)?
What culture did/does the family come from?
What belief systems are attached to that culture?
Therapy History
Within this section, you will describe the patient’s therapy
history to inform your diagnostic impression. Analyze the
patient’s therapy history to identify the effectiveness of
previous treatment(s). Analyze previous treatment interventions
based on information and knowledge of the patient’s cultural
background.
Typically, this section within a psychological report seeks to
answer the following questions (further elaboration within this
section is encouraged where possible):
Who was the previous therapist (if applicable)?
How long did the previous therapy/therapies last?
What was the patient’s diagnosis?
What interventions did the therapist(s) use?
Were those interventions appropriate for the patient’s culture?
Was treatment successful?
Medical Conditions
Within this section, you will analyze the patient’s medical
history and comment on any possible medical conditions that
could influence your diagnostic impression. Interpret specific
behavioral issues as they relate to salient medical conditions. If
the person has any medical conditions, indicate that in this
section. Integrate information and knowledge about the
patient’s cultural background as it affects treatment options for

4. medical conditions.
Substance Use
Within this section, you will analyze and comment on the
patient’s substance use to identify any potential issues that
could influence your diagnostic impression. Interpret specific
behavioral issues as they relate to substance use. If the person
misuses specific substances, indicate that in this section.
Integrate information and knowledge about the patient’s cultural
background to inform your interpretation of substance misuse in
this patient’s case.
Typically, this section within a psychological report seeks to
answer the following questions (further elaboration within this
section is encouraged where possible):
Which substances does the patient use? (Include any over-the-
counter, herbal, and/or prescription medications.)
For how long has the patient used the substance?
What is the patient’s quantity and frequency of use?
Collateral
Within this section, you will interpret specific collateral
information as it relates to your patient’s abnormal behavior and
behavior patterns. You will also integrate information and
knowledge regarding the patient’s culture in your evaluation of
the maladaptive behavior as reported by the collateral sources.
Typically, this section within a psychological report seeks to
answer the following questions (further elaboration within this
section is encouraged where possible):
What do other people have to say about the patient’s behavior?
Are there any commonalities between the collateral sources’
reports?
Do the collateral sources have any psychological issues that
might exacerbate the patient’s problems?
Are there any police reports?
Are there any personality testing or intelligence testing reports
available?
Results of Evaluation
Within this section, you will analyze the patient’s behavior and

5. mental processes. There are two parts to this section. To begin
your analysis, you will write a brief evaluation of each theory
of personality development that you learned about in this course
and determine whether or not each theoretical orientation can be
used to conceptualize the patient’s current situation and
treatment goals. Next, use one major theoretical orientation to
write an in-depth analysis for your results of evaluation section.
Within the context of this theoretical perspective, you will
analyze all of the information from the previous sections.
Analyze specific behaviors, cognitions, and intrapsychic
processes as they relate to your diagnostic impression. Integrate
knowledge of the patient’s cultural background and norms
within that culture as you prepare your supporting evidence.
Typically, this section within a psychological report seeks to
answer the following question (further elaboration within this
section is encouraged where possible):
Based on the information you gathered in the previous sections,
what led to the patient’s current state?
Diagnostic Impression With Differential Justification
Within this section, you will provide your diagnosis for the
patient. To demonstrate your understanding of diagnostic
procedure and justification, specifically address each symptom
that the patient displayed and relate each symptom to a
diagnostic criterion in the DSM-5. Analyze the patient’s
behaviors and mental processes within your differential
justification. Clearly demonstrate that the patient meets criteria
to be given a diagnosis. If the patient does not meet criteria for
any diagnosis based on your assessment, explain why. Also,
explore any alternative diagnoses and explain why these were
not chosen.
Recommendations
Within this section, you will you provide treatment
recommendations for the person to help them improve his or her
quality of life. These recommendations must be based on the
theoretical orientation you used in your Results of Evaluation.
Explain why you chose your treatment intervention(s) and

6. include peer-reviewed articles that support your choice(s). If
treatment is not necessary, explain why. Pay close attention to
the person’s culture since some treatment options may be
insensitive to his or her culture or way of living.
Writing the Final Paper
The Final Paper:
Must follow the report outline provided above with the requisite
headings and be formatted according to APA style as outlined in
the Ashford Writing Center.
Must include a title page with the following:
Title of paper
Student’s name
Course name and number
Instructor’s name
Date submitted
Must address the assessment with critical thought.
Must use at least five peer-reviewed sources that were published
within the last ten years, in addition to the text, a minimum of
four must be from the Ashford University Library.
Must document all sources in APA style as outlined in the
Ashford Writing Center.
Must include a separate reference page that is formatted
according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing
Center.
Carefully review the
Grading Rubrics
for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.