Case Sudy of Lovino Vargas

Psychologist: Antonio Fernandez Carriedo

Introduction

The following is a case study of a man victim of human trafficking. The patient's name is Lovino Vargas. Human trafficking was among the greatest source of survival for most people below the poverty line. It provides for their day to day living resources such as food, water, medicines and clothing in exchange for their dignity. These people who degraded themselves believed that giving up their dignity would be the only way to survive as they are coerced by the people who sell them. It caused trauma, depression, anger management issues, low self-esteem and a presence of awkwardness to Lovino Vargas. After the therapy had been applied, Lovino Vargas was slowly rising up to his new life.

Patient/Client

Lovino Vargas is average and five feet, three inches tall. He is twenty years old when he approached his psychologist for help. He had originated from Italy and currently living with his brother, Feliciano Vargas, and his brother's partner, Ludwig Beilshmidt.

At age five, Lovino's family illegally migrated from Italy to America in hopes it will help them rise up from the poverty line. His parents are both alcoholic and he would usually witness his father beating up his mother. Lovino's younger brother, Feliciano, was taken by their grandfather in hopes of helping his grandson as he is a legal immigrant. Lovino was eight when he had witnessed his father murder his mother when he arrived home. He was regularly beaten by his father and teachers claimed that he always goes to school with bruises and an excuse of getting into fights. He had a history of aggressiveness and it was not doubted. At age ten, he stopped going to school altogether.

At age twelve, Lovino was sold to a pimp by his father. The pimp raped and beat him if he does not get any costumers for the night. Lovino was then rewarded with sweets such as lollipops and chocolates afterwards. Prostitution was not the only thing done to Lovino as he was forced to work day and night. He was provided with little nutrients causing him malnutrition.

Lovino was known for his prostitution until his brother took him in and provided for him. Lovino had taken unskilled jobs while living with his brother but was unable to keep his jobs due to his aggressiveness and mood swings. Lovino is currently working as a helper in recovery for people like him brought to the mental institution where he had recovered.

Symptoms and Diagnosis

Lovino Vargas was brought in to the mental institution as demanded by the state after causing too much trouble of getting into a huge fight with a politician nearly murdered the politician. Physical and mental check-ups were done. It had shown Lovino Vargas had scars on the back, thighs and stomach. When asked how he acquired the scars, he frowned and said he is not sure yet but he is sure he will remember it soon enough.

Lovino Vargas was silent most of the time and disconnected to the people around him. He mostly sat in the garden in silence or does his chores in silence. He avoids desserts and just gave it to somebody else. When forced to eat his dessert by a fellow patient once, Lovino show aggressiveness and for days referred to himself as Romano. In those days, Lovino would be always angry and could not stay in place. He was often seen wandering around nervously. Lovino's new personality is a misandrist and was rather charming and gentle to women.

After a few days, Lovino was back to being melancholy and referred to his psychologist by the nickname and was especially clingy. During a group therapy session, Lovino Vargas told his life story but left out a crucial detail on where his mother was and what happened when he was eight all the way to he was fourteen. He was confused why he can't remember those details.

On a one-on-one session with his psychologist, Lovino was suddenly a different man and confessed what he witnessed his father did. His diagnoses were Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Manic Depression and Multi-Personality Disorder.

Plan

This plan was taken into consideration the severity of the patient's disorders with regard to his resistance to treatment.

Components (Types of Therapy Chosen)

Letting the patient re-live the traumatic event would be the best way to get the patient to cope and overcome the effects of the trauma. The trick is to re-arrange the events in such a way in will be therapeutic rather than traumatic to the patient. As traumatic events are hard to recreate, imaginal exposure shall be used.

Hypnosis is also taken into consideration to bring together the two personalities of Lovino Vargas. It is recorded that the name of the alter ego is Romano Vargas.

The complication is that traumas cause the patients to repress their memories of the event and reliving the event is frightening to both the patient and the therapist. If handled properly, it will be therapeutic for the patient.

Application

Lovino Vargas denied the existence of Romano and claimed that it is probably just his brain repressing the memories. After a long consideration, Lovino accepted his alter ego is their and said that he would rather just keep him in there. He does not want Romano to disappear.

Reliving the traumatic events worked and Lovino was soon a different man. Still being melancholy and disconnected, a talk with his brother Feliciano confirmed that Lovino had always been that way since a kid and was prone to cursing. The cursing began when his psychologist played a rather harmless prank on him by scaring him with a porcelain doll.

Results/Outcome

The psychologist allowed Lovino to keep Romano and allowed them two to talk once in a while. After the therapy, Lovino was sentenced to leave the state back to his country but under the circumstances provided by his psychologist, Lovino Vargas was allowed to stay as a legal immigrant.

Further therapy was done to help him in his manic depression and Lovino was shown to sow great results with the cooperation of his alter ego. A breakthrough was seen when Romano finally decided to be one with Lovino.

Conclusions

Human trafficking is illegal and it caused more than just a terrible life to the person harassed by the people behind it. It may be his way of survival once but Lovino Vargas had strived to achieve a better future with the help of his brother. Lovino Vargas was suffering to more than just one mental disorder due to the traumatizing childhood he had to go through while growing up. The conclusion is that his experiences in his childhood are the cause of Lovino Vargas being different and aggressive to the people around him. Through the help of the therapy provided by his psychologist, Lovino Vargas was able to live a new life far more different than he had suffered through.

References:

Barlow, D., & Durand, M. (1999). Abnormal Psychology: Anxiety Disorders. New York: State of New York.

Tom Schimdt (2007). Integrated Research Paper: Dissociative Identity Disorder. Abnormal Psychology 3141.

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/labs-at-nimh/join-a-study/adults/adults-bipolar-disorder.shtml