Case Study on depression

                                                                    Read Tracy’s case study below and respond to the questions. This case study assesses your understanding of the entire content covered in this  worksheet.

I wanted to end my life                

Tracy was raped while on her way home from school by bicycle. She was traumatised and frightened by the rape, that when she got home, she changed, bathed and told no one what happened. Tracy was very independent and not used to telling her parents about her life. Two weeks after she was raped she was desperately traumatised. She was struggling to cope at school.

Tracy was tipped as the next head girl of her school and was top of her class. But now she could hardly function. She could not sleep, eat, study or even chat to her friends. Finally she confided in a teacher, who referred her for counselling. Tracy felt that her life was not worth living and had a plan to commit suicide. Her counsellor realised how serious her trauma and depression were and had her hospitalised for two weeks. This gave the counselor time to start to address and treat the depression and help Tracy to deal with the trauma instead of putting all her energy into avoiding it.

Follow up treatment lasted for some time until she was able to deal with the horror of what she had gone through and get on with most aspects of her life. She will remember the rape forever but it no longer prevents her from living and enjoying her life.