Johnathan A 47-year-old man presented with depression and anxiety related to problems at work. He was a successful corporate executive who specialized in financial consulting and had the underlying intellectual potential to become the CEO of the company.
However, he had a series of “problems with superiors” at work that impaired his advancement up the corporate ladder and led to his switching companies every year or two, moving laterally as opposed to advancing his career path.
Based on our first session it was revealed that his parents separated and divorced when he was younger, and he his father would only see him once per year. As these memories emerged during the course ofour first session the patient expressed great feelings of anger toward his father for abandoning the family and suffered from abandonment issues.
Studies show that experiencing parental death or divorce in childhood increases the risk of developing a mental health condition. In fact, children who are parentally bereaved have higher rates of depression, post-traumatic stress (PTSD) and functional limitation.
We diagnosed him both with depression and anxiety and was placed on Lorazepam and Zoloft, which were increased over the first month until he felt better. We used Cognitive Behavioral Therapy that focuses on singling out patterns of negative thinking and behavior and replacing them with positive ideas and actions.
Johnathan now just received a promotion, is enjoying his work, and has lost the “edge” that had complicated his prior relationship with superiors. He no longer takes the Lorazepam, and his Zoloft dosage has been reduced.
