| Course | MSW 509 Psychopathology |
|---|---|
| Week | 5 |
| Paper type | Differential diagnosis write-up |
| Length | About 520 words, 5 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Chamberlain University |
| Program | Master of Social Work (MSW) |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for MSW 509 Week 5
Differential Diagnosis Write-Up for Two Cases of Psychosis With Substance Use: Candidates Ranked With the Fact That Raises Each and the Fact That Would Rule It Out, the Timeline That Decides, Who Gathers It and the Caution These Labels Demand
Student Name
Chamberlain University
MSW 509: Psychopathology
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Differential Diagnosis Write-Up for Two Cases of Psychosis With Substance Use: Candidates Ranked With the Fact That Raises Each and the Fact That Would Rule It Out, the Timeline That Decides, Who Gathers It and the Caution These Labels Demand
Case 1: T., 22
Brought to the crisis center by a roommate after two days of saying neighbors were "broadcasting" T.'s thoughts. T. has used methamphetamine most days for three weeks and slept little. No prior psychiatric history known.
Candidates, ranked: substance-induced psychotic disorder, raised by heavy daily use beginning before the symptoms; ruled out if psychosis began before use or persists well beyond a month of abstinence. Brief psychotic disorder, raised by sudden onset; ruled out if symptoms are explained by the substance. Schizophrenia, raised only by the content of the beliefs; ruled out by short duration unless history shows earlier signs.
Case 2: L., 38
Referred by a shelter. For about a year L. has believed that the shelter staff are poisoning food; L. eats only sealed packages. L. drinks four to six beers most nights. A sister reports L. "started acting strange" before the drinking increased.
Candidates, ranked: a primary psychotic disorder, such as delusional disorder or schizophrenia, raised by a year of fixed belief and the sister's account that change came first; ruled out if the belief appeared only during heavy drinking and clears with abstinence. Alcohol-induced psychotic disorder, raised by nightly drinking; weakened by the order of events. Realistic mistrust, raised by L.'s experience in shelters, where theft and mistreatment occur; ruled out if the belief is fixed against all evidence and extends beyond plausible events.
The Timeline Decides
In both cases the deciding evidence is the order of events: which came first, the substance or the psychosis, and whether symptoms persist after about a month without the substance (American Psychiatric Association, 2022). Caton et al. (2005) found that people with primary psychotic disorders were more likely to have a family history of psychiatric illness and less likely to have a parent with substance problems than those whose psychosis was substance induced, which adds family history to the questions.
Who Gathers It and How
For T.: the social worker interviews the roommate and T. about the start of use and of symptoms, asks about family history and arranges a medical review for drug screening and sleep. For L.: the social worker interviews the sister, requests shelter records and arranges a medical review that includes alcohol withdrawal risk. Both cases are referred for psychiatric evaluation.
Caution
A psychosis label follows a person into housing applications, custody files and guardianship decisions. For L., mistrust of shelter staff may be partly earned, and a label could be used to dismiss L.'s complaints. Each write-up stays provisional until the timeline is gathered.
References
American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787
Caton, C. L. M., Drake, R. E., Hasin, D. S., Dominguez, B., Shrout, P. E., Samet, S., & Schanzer, B. (2005). Differences between early-phase primary psychotic disorders with concurrent substance use and substance-induced psychoses. Archives of General Psychiatry, 62(2), 137-145. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.62.2.137
MSW 509 Week 5 instructions, in plain terms
The fifth week asks for differential diagnosis write-ups, often for two cases treated the same way. Rank two or three candidates for each, state the case fact raising each and name the fact that would rule it out. Where substance use sits beside psychosis, the deciding evidence is usually a timeline: which came first and whether symptoms persist after the substance stops. Say who gathers that history, what will be asked and which medical review you refer for. A social worker can write a differential as a plan for gathering information, not as a final diagnosis. Treat mistrust carefully, since it may be earned. Psychosis labels follow people for years, so caution belongs in the paper. Keep each case's reasoning parallel so the comparison is easy to follow.
How the MSW 509 Week 5 example is put together
T., 22, believes neighbors broadcast T.'s thoughts after three weeks of daily methamphetamine; candidates are ranked as substance-induced psychosis, brief psychotic disorder and schizophrenia, each with its raising and ruling-out facts. L., 38, has believed for a year that shelter staff poison food, drinks most nights and, by a sister's account, changed before the drinking increased; candidates are a primary psychotic disorder, alcohol-induced psychosis and realistic mistrust. The timeline section applies the one-month rule from the DSM-5-TR and adds family history from Caton et al. (2005). Gathering is assigned: roommate, sister, shelter records and medical reviews. The caution section notes how a psychosis label could be used to dismiss L.'s complaints.
MSW 509 Week 5 rubric: what full points look like
Differentials are graded first on structure: candidates ranked, each with a raising fact and a ruling-out fact. A list of possible diagnoses without that reasoning earns little. Identical treatment of both cases is expected. Faculty weigh the timeline heavily, since it decides most substance and psychosis questions. Assigning who gathers history and what medical review is needed shows the differential is a plan. Handling mistrust that could be realistic, rather than labeling it, is credited. Caution about the lasting effects of a label rounds out the paper. The manual and any research on the timeline belong in APA references.
Common MSW 509 Week 5 mistakes, and how to avoid them
Differential write-ups commonly name the most dramatic diagnosis first and list others as afterthoughts. Another frequent gap is ignoring the order of substance use and symptoms, which is usually the deciding evidence. Some papers also treat a person's mistrust of institutions as paranoia without asking whether it is earned. If your cases differ, such as mood symptoms with alcohol use or psychosis after a head injury, send both vignettes; we would rank candidates with raising and ruling-out facts, set out the timeline needed, assign who gathers it and record the caution these labels require. Each case would get the same headings so a reader can compare the reasoning side by side.
Get a MSW-509 Week 5 example written to your instructions
Send the paired cases and the Week 5 assignment sheet from your classroom, and a custom example is written across both of them and returned inside 24 to 48 hours. The first one is free. Where you decide the evidence runs out is a judgment worth keeping your own.
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MSW 509 Week 5 questions, answered
Is a social worker allowed to write a differential at all?
In coursework yes, and in practice the reasoning matters even where the formal diagnosis belongs to somebody else. Assessment, referral and consultation are core competencies, and a worker who cannot follow a differential cannot advocate inside a team. What the profession does not do is issue a determination alone and then proceed as though it were settled fact.
How do I handle mistrust that sounds like paranoia?
Ask what the person has actually experienced before deciding what the belief is. People with long histories of policing, immigration enforcement, child protection or involuntary hospitalization often hold beliefs about institutions that are accurate. The criteria call for a belief held despite contrary evidence, so a writer who has not looked for the evidence cannot apply that criterion honestly.
What if both cases point to the same conclusion?
Then say so and show why the route there differed, because paired cases test reasoning rather than demand two different labels. The comparison section is where the marks sit either way. Identical conclusions reached along different evidence make a strong write-up, provided the writer notices the difference and explains what produced it.
Where can I find a free MSW 509 Week 5 sample paper?
This page holds a complete MSW 509 Week 5 differential write-up for two cases of psychosis with substance use.
What evidence decides the differentials in the MSW 509 Week 5 sample?
The timeline: whether the psychosis began before the substance use and whether symptoms persist after about a month without the substance.