Michael Courtenay

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Please use blue or black ink when filling out this admission form. Additional information from all but the patient must be initialed by the author. Please answer all questions to the best of your ability. For further information or guidance, please contact a member of St. Christina staff at the number provided
in our guide brochure.
_____________________________________________________________


I am the psychologist of the subject in question, Michael James Courtenay. I will be providing detailed responses to the questions that Michael either omits because of nervousness, lack of background knowledge, indecisiveness or refusal.
-Dr. Katerina Ivanova Psy.D

Patient Full Name: COURTENAY, MICHAEL

Age: 14
DOB: 5/12/1997
Gender: Male
Address: Marquette County Youth Home- 2111 Division Street
City: Marquette
State: Michigan
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Height: 5’2 ft.
Weight: 112 lbs.
Eye Color: Green/Gray
Hair Color: Brown
Distinguishing Marks: I have freckles on the bridge of my nose but you can barely see them. I had braces but I recently got them off, so I don’t have anything that makes me stand out. When I get older I want to get a tattoo of a cross somewhere I can cover up… if I’m less scared by then. I’m Catholic and always will be; the tattoo will stay with me just like God.


Medical History:

Please list any and all allergies and age of onset below:
Mom says I don’t have any. I’ve never gotten a reaction to anything either, at least not that I can remember. Wait! I might have forgotten that I’ve had an allergic reaction before- in that case, maybe. But Mom says that I don’t so I probably don’t.

Michael does not have any known allergies. The answer above shows one of the recurring thoughts in his Obsessive Compulsive Disorder; he pathologically doubts himself. The indecisiveness in his answer is most likely due to his Dependent Personality Disorder. -KI

Are you aware of any ongoing medical issues?:
Mom says that I don’t have any of those either. I’ve only been to the hospital for mental stuff.

There aren’t any medical issues present. -KI

If yes, list age of diagnoses by medical professionals, or age of onset below:
N/A -KI

If you are receiving treatment for an ongoing medical complaint, please list prescriptions, strength of dose, frequency of dose, and other treatment plans below:
N/A -KI

Do you smoke tobacco, consume alcohol, or use street drugs? If yes, please list number of packs per day, number of drinks per day and/or names of consumed drugs below:
I know what a cigarette is, and when I still lived with my mom, she kept a lot of alcohol in the fridge in the basement. (I wasn’t allowed to tell anyone that we had that fridge. There were cases upon cases of beer and they were always being replaced.) What are street drugs? Things like cocaine? I actually don’t know what cocaine is- Mom said that if I do drugs then I won’t amount to anything. I want to make her proud of me one day so I’ll try to stay away from cocaine. What does it look like? I can’t avoid it if I don’t know what it looks like!

N/A -KI



Psychiatric History:

Have you been diagnosed with any psychiatric issues? If so, please list diagnoses and age of diagnoses below:
Dr. Ivanova says that I have General Anxiety Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Dependent Personality Disorder. I was diagnosed with all three when I was twelve- that was when I went to the hospital the first time. (I spent Christmas there. The second time I went to the hospital I was there for my birthday- it was awful.) Dr. Ivanova explained them all to me separately, but I don’t fully understand them. I know that GAD makes me anxious (Duh) and OCD makes me have repetitive thoughts that cause me to repetitively do things or avoid things. But I really don’t understand DPD. I know that it makes me attach to people too much, but doesn’t everyone do that?

Michael has demonstrated through our sessions that he doesn’t see the problem with not having his own opinions (Whenever given the opportunity to voice his own opinions, he quotes his mother, someone smarter than him or a book.) nor does he see a problem with clinging to others excessively. Unfortunately, the one disorder that he can’t understand is the most crucial- I’ve explained DPD to him numerous times, but that is the tricky part; personality disorders are hard to treat in the sense that the sufferer doesn’t know why there is a problem. They are most often completely fine with their treatment interfering behaviors or ideologies because they often define them as human beings. I believe that Michael is one of these cases. –KI

If you answered yes to the above, please list any and all prescriptions, including dosage and frequency of dosage, and other treatment plans below:
I take 10 mg of Paxil in the morning once a day. I’m really good about taking it because Mom would strangle me if I had an anxiety attack after not taking my meds. She said she would at least- I don’t think she actually would, though. She had a hangover when she said that, so she might have just been irritated. And even if she wanted to, she wouldn’t be able to now. Dr. Ivanova said that I’m not allowed to see her, at least not for right now. I hope she’s okay. I really miss her.

Michael is referring to his mother giving him up to the state, which happened on April 29th of this year. Evelyn Courtenay, the night she was fired from her teaching position at Northern Michigan University, took Michael to the police station and told the officers that she would no longer be able to provide for her child. She was a functional alcoholic until she lost her job for constantly being late and showing up repeatedly with hangovers. I believe that Evelyn gave Michael to the authorities (who later placed him at the Marquette County Youth Home after it was found that none of his relatives could take care of him) because she did not want him to know that she was fired or see her spiral downward. It was the counselors at the home who told him of her actual situation. He knew that his mother had a problem with drinking, but due to his dependence on her, believed her when she said she was fine out of denial. (A common symptom of alcoholism) From Michael’s general naïve attitude, it wouldn’t take a rocket scientist to see that most of this is because Evelyn protected him fiercely. There isn’t a doubt in my mind that she loved him, and continues to love him even though Michael is in the home and she is in rehab. It has been reported to me that she is struggling currently and will not be out of in-patient treatment for longer than expected. I haven’t told this to Michael; it may cause a second mental breakdown. He was already hospitalized once while staying at the youth home. When he is more stable, he will be informed. –KI

If you answered yes to the above, please describe noted feelings, symptoms, triggers and incidents associated with the diagnoses, and ages of incidents below:
I hate being alone; I can’t handle it at all. My mom used to teach classes at the same time I was at school and she stayed home most of the time because she would have a few drinks before and after I went to bed- she also had papers to grade. She did everything alone and she yelled at me if I disturbed her too much by following her around; I was usually okay with her distance as long as she was in the house. But sometimes she’d go to the bar with a few friends or on a date with a guy. (Most of her dates didn’t like me very much. They’d say I was annoying because I talked too much. One of them, I think his name was Steve, got annoyed because I kept organizing the beer in the fridge once by brand name, once by size of the bottle. Mom tended to attract mean people; she met a good chunk of them in bars.) When I’d have to be in the house alone for whatever reason, I’d have anxiety attacks. I cry and hyperventilate when I’m alone ANYWHERE. I even get nervous if I’m walking to class alone or waiting on line in a public bathroom if I’m not near people I know. I have a lot of repetitive thoughts and ways to avoid the things that I’m afraid of. I always doubt whether or not I do my homework, so I have to complete it as soon as it’s assigned and I have anxiety attacks when that routine is ruptured. Another routine that I have that can’t be broken is that I say my prayers before bed; I know I’ll go to Hell if I don’t. I organize things a lot; every night before I went to sleep, I used to organize my mom’s bookshelf; it would alternate depending on the day if I organized it by alphabetically by title, last name of the author or subject. (Mom used to get mad at me because she’d never be able to find her books.) Whenever someone would take me on a camping trip, I could organize three bins of stuff and fit the items neatly into one. My other deepest-darkest fear, besides being alone, is hurting people. If I DO hurt someone without meaning to, I’ll never forgive myself for it and the instance repeats in my head over and over until I’ll never forget it. I can even vividly remember hurting people as far back as kindergarten- one time, I took a purple crayon off of the table when Rachel Bates was using it and she got mad because she wasn’t able to finish the picture she was drawing. I snapped it in half because I gripped it too tight. I go to school with her and I doubt she remembers it, or me for that matter, but I do. I feel so bad about that- I’m such a terrible person. All I do is hurt people; I’m definitely going to Hell.

Michael’s separation anxiety is due to his DPD. Some of his compulsions to go along with his OCD are religiously completing homework and organizing things while his obsessions are never forgetting if he hurt someone and making sure that he hasn’t hurt anyone. He has other obsessions that are not mentioned in this answer, such as having an overvalued sense of responsibility, (repetitively thinking that everything is his fault) pathologically doubting himself and fearing that he did something wrong and repressing the memory of it to name a few. Some of his compulsions are checking to make sure he hadn’t stolen anything and repressing the memory while leaving a store, going great lengths to check to make sure nothing terrible will happen, and apologizing multiple times for something even AFTER someone would reassure him that there is nothing to apologize about. Michael tends to blow small examples of “hurting” others out of proportion. He would react to bumping into someone in the hallway as an indelible crime. Some of these less serious ways of “hurting” others, such as taking the crayon, include annoying others by being anxious, having too loud of a voice in the library and even showing slight pride in his accomplishments. It is through compiling these small crimes (if they can be called as such) that Michael feels that he deserves to go to Hell. -KI

Have you ever been hospitalized for these diagnoses? If yes, please provide facility name(s) and age of admissions and discharges:
I was hospitalized once when I was twelve and once just recently. Both were at Marquette General Hospital’s adolescent ward.

The dates are as follows: 1st hospitalization- December 24th-December 29th for a spike in anxiety that lasted over one week and Evelyn fearing for his safety. 2nd hospitalization- May 10th, 2011-May 13th, 2011 for a mental breakdown during his first few nights at the youth home. -KI

Are you aware of a history of psychiatric complaints in your family? If yes, please list family member(s), diagnoses, and how this affected you personally:
Dr. Ivanova says my mom is an alcoholic. I don’t know my dad well enough to know if he has issues. I don’t know if anyone in my family has anxiety though. I so I have no idea where I got that from.

There is a history of alcoholism on Evelyn’s side of the family. Her mother was a binge drinker due to depression before her death, which occurred before Michael was born. Unfortunately, I do not have adequate information on James’, his father’s, side.



Environmental History:

Are you aware of any complications during your birth? If yes, please explain below:
I’ve never heard my mom talk about it, so probably not. She lets me know if I hurt her by screaming at me, and I'm sure she'd tell me if I was a hard baby to birth.


Are you aware of any difficulties in development during your infancy, such as learning disabilities, speech impediments, etc? If yes, please explain below:
I had a really bad stutter until the summer of 5th grade. I had to go to speech therapy and everything. I was made fun of a lot in school because of it.

Are you aware of any long term separation from your mother during your infancy? If yes, please explain below:
No. My dad left the house when I was a baby, though. He writes to me on my birthday but that’s only once a year. The youth home was going to make arrangements for me to live with my dad, but he has another family now and he said that he doesn’t have any room in his house for me. I guess that’s true, but my step-mom doesn’t like me very much so she probably persuaded him not to. My step mom’s name is Morgan and she has two daughters. When I visited them over the summer, she kept glaring at me and telling me to stay away from them. (Tori and Brielle are ten-year-old twins.) Mom never talks about my dad; when she does she gets angry and curses. My mom got an envelope from him every month but I don’t know what for.

There weren’t any reported separations from the mother during infancy. James Miller, Michael’s father, divorced Evelyn and moved to Kentucky due mostly to her alcoholism. Through Michael’s words in session, one may inference that his stepmother doesn’t want him in the house because she suspects he will rape her daughters. This is a despicable accusation; one of his obsessive thoughts is frantically making sure he didn’t hurt anyone, even when there is little to no reason to. If his father’s new wife actually talked to him for five minutes other than alienating him from her family, she would see that he even isn’t even capable of telling a lie much less assault a little girl. -KI

Please describe the location and environment in which you grew up. Please list town and state, and what it was like and how this affected you:
I’ve lived in the same town my whole life- I live in Marquette. It’s in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (The one that looks like the check mark, not the mitten!) and pretty much right on Lake Superior. Marquette is a small town, but President Obama spoke at the college my mom taught at recently, so I guess it’s more famous than I thought. It snows here from late autumn to mid-spring so everyone owns a snow blower and there’s no such thing as a snow day in public schools.

Please describe your educational history. How were you in school, both as a young child and in later grades? How were your grades? Did you enjoy school? Please answer below:
I actually did really well in school all my life (A’s, occasional B’s) up until this school year. I don’t know what happened. I started getting C’s and D’s because I don’t do so well on tests. When the test is put in front of my face, I forget everything even if I studied. So I kind of stopped studying in general. Homework and classwork save my grade from plummeting too much. I like learning anything, but I get bullied a lot, so I can’t say I enjoy school. That, and the fact that all of the friends that I had hate me now.

Stress from being away from home and his mother’s stay at rehab have caused his grades to suffer. I’m surprised he only has test anxiety- it is obvious he still cares about school, and he completes his homework to the point where it’s compulsive. He has been bullied mercilessly since elementary school, but even that wasn’t enough to bring his grades down. The combination of his mother’s situation, his move to the youth home, the bullying and that he doesn’t have any friends are what caused his grades to suffer. –KI

Do/did you have many friends growing up? Do/did you have a best friend? If yes, please explain below:
The only friends that I’ve ever had, and probably ever will have, were my teammates. My best friend was Alan, but he hates me now. See below.

Do/did you pursue any extra curricular activities or talents? If yes, please explain below:
I’ve been playing baseball on both Little League and school teams since I was a kid. Even though some of my teammates didn’t talk to me during school, we still worked well as a team. (I cry when I’m anxious or frustrated, I’m anxious in general, I talk too much and too fast, and I tend to follow people around. It annoys them. I’ve kind of accepted that most people I encounter won’t like me. That’s okay with me though- as long as I have some people I can count on. Besides, I don’t think I’d be able to handle being liked by too many people.) I was a pitcher and I was the ace (the main one relied on for official games) pitcher for the middle school team. The Tigers were made up of mostly the same people all four years of middle school, so everyone was pretty tight. Everyone on the team was really nice, but sometimes I got too hard to handle because of my anxiety. Although, they were always coming to me for a listening ear about problems at home or with their girlfriends. I can’t give advice very well, but I always listened and offered my two cents. (They mostly went to me because they felt I was the only one who WOULD listen- middle school boys are vicious.) There was one person who could stand me all the time though- his name was Alan Thatcher and he was the starting catcher for us. He loved that I had more ball control than most pitchers and that I could literally throw anything he asked for right in his glove. Alan defended me when everyone else made a comment on whether I was too nervous or shy and had a way with helping me calm down. He was cool, calm and collected almost all the time and a part of me wanted to be him. But everything changed when I left the team in the middle of the season- my mom had left and they placed me in the youth home days before this happened. I feel like my mom’s descent into non-functioning is my fault even though I don’t know why. Everything that I once thoroughly enjoyed made my stomach churn, and baseball was the main thing. When I told the team I was quitting, Alan was screaming at me, Coach had to go through everyone’s rosters to see who else had pitching experience and everyone else had mixed reactions. Even though everyone was angry with me, they were relatively okay with me leaving, except for Alan. When I left he made it clear that he never wanted to see my face again. When they were yelling at me, that was one of the times where I shut down- I didn't listen to any of it because I was telling myself worse. I never blamed Alan for his hatred... but I knew it was the right decision to leave. I couldn't bring myself to play anymore. On a lighter note, I go to church every Sunday and holiday mass, even though that doesn’t really count. But it’s something I do besides school, so I guess that’s an extra-curricular activity.

If sexually active, please list age of onset and sexual preference below. If not sexually active, are you aware of a sexual preference?:
I’m straight, and I’m a virgin. I’ve liked girls since maybe 5th grade. I’ve never even been kissed or had a girlfriend. I think I’ll wait until I’m married to… um… well, you know. The Lord would want me to wait.



Legal History:

Do/did you ever abuse controlled substances, including but not limited to prescription medications, street drugs or alcohol? If yes, please explain below:
I’ve never abused anything. That sounds mean.

N/A -KI

Have you ever been convicted of a crime? If yes, please list conviction, age of conviction and circumstances below:
N/A -KI

If you answered yes to the above, please list sentences connected to these convictions below:
N/A –KI

Have you ever knowingly committed a crime for which you were not convicted or sentenced? If yes, please explain below:
I stole a pack of gum on a dare once. That was so stupid- one of the stupidest things I've ever done. I didn't consider how wrong it was because I wanted to impress my friends. I didn't get caught, but I should have. I should have turned myself in and rotted in jail.

Unfortunately, Michael is not aware that stealing a pack of gum will not put you behind bars for life. -KI



Personal Interview:

Describe yourself to the best of your ability in only five words:
Nervous, shy, relatable, kind, innocent

I asked my mom, my dad, Dr. Ivanova and Teagan (One of the residential counselors at the home- she’s really nice to me.) to describe me and that’s basically the gist of what they said. I also went on the memory of Alan’s words when he talked to me.

Is the glass half empty, or half full? Explain your answer below:
I called my mom and asked her during the hours when she was allowed to talk to me and she said that I shouldn’t bother her with stupid questions. I asked Dr. Ivanova and she said that optimists think it’s half full and pessimists think it’s half empty. I called my dad up and asked him and he said it was half empty. I asked Teagan and she told me it was half full. Morgan said me it was both and told me to shut up. I’m so confused!

Again, the previous question and this one shows the full extent of his Dependent Personality Disorder. It has caused him to not have any opinions unless they come from other people. He would not be able to truly answer a question unless quoting someone or using their ideas. -KI

If you could change only one thing in your life, what would it be, and why?:
I’d change the fact that I’m so selfish. I’ve hurt too many people. I crashed into a girl in the hallway and she was late to her class, I stepped on one of my neighbor’s flowers in her garden while walking home from school and I couldn’t save it and I constantly annoy people who are playing card games by fixing the deck each time they draw; and that’s only naming a fraction of the pain I’ve inflicted upon the world. Oh, that and I’d magically make my mom not be an alcoholic anymore. It must have been so painful for her to suffer in silence; she never really talked about anything to anyone and she was by herself all the time. I’d talk to her about it, but if I tried to, she would have definitely gotten mad at me. I’m so horrible- if I were a better person, maybe she wouldn’t have felt so alone.

This response demonstrates two of Michael’s deeply rooted troubles; he judges miniscule inconveniences as indelible crimes and feels that it is his fault that his mother is an alcoholic. His mother’s alcoholism was present well before he was born. His overvalued sense of responsibility is probably due to OCD, but also in that he thinks that everything is his fault. –KI

How do you feel about your life and the things you have done in it, looking back? If you have committed crimes, how do you feel about those now?:
I feel like all I’ve ever done is hurt people. I feel infinite guilt for every wrongdoing I can remember, which is everything after age 3. And I feel so guilty about the gum thing! I mean, I had money with me so I could have just bought the gum and told my friends that I stole it. Now the man behind the register won't have a paycheck to pay his bills and the employees doing piecework in the Trident factory won't be able to feed their starving children because of jerks like me who steal due to peer pressure! I hate myself. I really do.

Michael only remembers the instances where he “hurt” others (Which are very few in number and MUCH less severe than he thinks) because it is part of his OCD; the memories of his “sins” are both fueled by guilt and resemble an intrusive broken record. My ultimate goal in his therapy sessions was to have him remember the things he does RIGHT and acknowledge all of the people he’s helped with his undying empathy for others. But now, even I am running out of ideas. -KI

What are your goals in life, and how do you feel those would be best accomplished?:
I really want to help people someday. I want to make someone’s life better somehow, not only because I’ve hurt too many people and I have to make up for that but because I really do want to help people. I love listening and connecting with others. I want to make that my career but I don’t know what to do yet. I guess I have a lot of time to think about it.

In the months that I’ve worked with Michael, he constantly says that he is selfish, but this response contradicts that completely. I’ve been trying to open his eyes to the good that he does for other people (listening to his friends when they had nowhere to turn, showing concern even to those who don’t deserve it) and his general attitude towards others. There isn’t a self-absorbed bone in him, and he can’t see that yet, which is very unfortunate. -KI

Lastly, why have you chosen admission at St. Christina Psychiatric Rehabilitation Center, and how do you think this will help you toward your life goals?:
Well, I guess you have to be stable to help people. St. Christina’s is supposed to help me be stable eventually. So I’ll try my hardest to get better, even though I’ll probably have a hard time at first- I’m really scared. I’ve never moved before in my life. The youth home was the closest I’ve ever come to moving, but I stayed in my hometown and kept my friends, at least for a little while. Hopefully the staff there will let me write to Mom.



Patient/Guardian Signature:

By agreeing to admission to our facilities, you hereby agree to abide by all rules and terms of service outlined in patient or resident handbooks, rules and codes of conduct. You hereby agree to waive your right to voluntary dismissal from our facilities until such a time as facility administrators sign paperwork for your release. You hereby agree to comply with facility staff recommendations, demands, or outlines for treatment. You hereby waive your right to informed medical consent before medication changes or medical procedures. You hereby agree to waive your right to hold GR Biotech and its Subsidiaries responsible for any personal harm or distress incurred during treatment. GR Biotech and its Subsidiaries reserve the right to add or amend these terms of service at any time.

Please sign and date below:

Michael Courtenay 31/05/2011

Dr. Katerina Ivanova Psy.D 31/05/2011

Perry Palahniuk, Marquette County Youth Home director 31/05/2011

Welcome to St. Christina's Psychiatric Rehabilitation Center. Your ward and room assignments can be found below, along with the name of your primary therapist. Please familiarise yourself with all patient handbooks and codes of conduct.

Building: Robertson
Wing: N/A
Ward: A
Room: A2
Bed: 2
Primary Therapist: Dr. __________

OOC Information: All information below this line is not known by the patient, but is available on the patient's file, viewable only by staff.

Study Group(s):

Primary: Psychiatric Issues
Antisocial Behaviors

Final Application Approval Steps for Players:


Before you can begin play on STC, you must complete these final steps:

• Sign up your playby on the faceclaim.
  
• Sign up for the who plays who list.
  
• Sign up for your assigned membergroup (shown above) HERE (Pay close attention to pick the correct usergroup listed on this approval stamp! Characters that are not signed up for their correct membergroups after approval will be subject to deletion during the next activity check.)
  
• Familiarise Yourself with you Patient Hanbook, located in St. Christina's Rosters and Information forum, on the main board.

Code:

[center][font=garamond][size=22][color=#555555][b] -File Note- [/b][/color][/size][/font]

_____________________________________________________________[/center]

[b]Patient Name:[/b] Courtenay, Michael
[b]Primary Study Group:[/b] Psychiatric Issues
[b]Primary Therapist:[/b] Dr. ___________
[b]Building:[/b] Robertson
[b]Wing:[/b] N/A
[b]Ward:[/b] A

[center]_____________________________________________________________[/center]

[b]Note Subject:[/b] (Therapy Report, Medication Change, Dormitory Reassignment, Medical Report, Behavioural Report, Progress Report, Procedure Report, Disciplinary Report, etc.)

[b]Note Contents:[/b] (Explain behaviour observations, patient actions, procedures, medication changes, disciplinary actions, medical reports, etc. here)

[b]Note Author:[/b] (Your character name here.)

[b]Other:[/b] (Optional extra notes here.)



Patient Name: Courtenay, Michael
Primary Study Group: Psychiatric Issues
Primary Therapist: Dr. ___________
Building: Robertson
Wing: N/A
Ward: A


Note Subject: Behavioural Report

Note Contents: Patient was found on the facility grounds, crying on his knees and having a small breakdown. After regulating his breathing and ceasing the crying, it was discovered he was worried that he had completely lost his mother, and further revealed that when he was 'alone with his thoughts', it causes problems.

Note Author: Alexandria Garcia

Other: N/A