Diagnosing Disorders Case Study

Improved Essays
Working with patients with co-occurring disorders requires the counselor to be familiar with both substance abuse disorders and mental disorders. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5 (DSM 5) is a vital tool in the process of diagnosing both. Therefore, knowledge and competency in using it is also vital. To gain these, one must practice. The following are case studies and questions completed in an effort to do so.
Tom
The first scenario of Tom is an example of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) according to the DSM 5 (APA, 2013). Tom witnessed directly the deaths of others during the 911 attacks in New York and has recurrent distressing dreams about the event. He is considering moving to avoid external
…show more content…
Most indicative is the excessive cannabis use, according to his friends, which can produce depression and lows that were reported. Other psychotic disorders are ruled out due to the substance use and its effects. Mark’s diagnosis would be Cannabis-Induced Psychotic Disorder (APA, 2013). The extent of his substance use disorder is not able to be diagnosed with the given information, however, a co-morbid diagnosis would be included with more assessment information.
Angela
Angela presents with daily methamphetamine use that she uses to keep going at work and at home. She also states that she is constantly worried her boss is talking about her or is going to fire her. With these two symptoms, a diagnosis of Stimulant Intoxication with perceptual disturbances would be given (APA, 2013). To determine a co-morbidity severity, further assessments would have to be completed.
…show more content…
Diagnosed with PTSD, these youth have been affected in multiple areas such as cognitive brain development and social functioning and TF-CBT addresses this complex trauma (Black, Woodworth, Tremblay & Carpenter, n.d.; Cohen, Mannarino, Kliethermes & Murray, 2012). Trauma-Focused CBT can be defined using the acronym ‘PRACTICE’: psychoeducation; relaxation skills; affective expression and modulation; cognitive coping skills; in vivo exposure; conjoint parent-child sessions (if possible); enhance safety (Black, Woodworth, Tremblay & Carpenter, n.d; Cohen, Mannarino, Kliethermes & Murray, 2012). This approach has been used with children ages 3-18 with or without conjoint sessions, adapted for Native American Children and is available in many languages (Black, Woodworth, Tremblay & Carpenter,

Related Documents

  • Decent Essays

    D: PO Summary

    • 359 Words
    • 2 Pages

    D: PO is a 40 yrs. old white American, showed up for scheduled assessment appointment on time. PO appeared to be calm and relaxed, and was engaged throughout the session. PO reports no current use of substance(s), Methamphetamine and cannabis as his drug of choice with the last use date of 06-06-2014. No signs or symptoms of intoxication or withdrawal was reported/observed.…

    • 359 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Mr. Spivey Case Summary

    • 1273 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The evaluation is to determine whether Mr. Spivey is suffering from a Substance Related Disorder and to recommend a course of treatment, if appropriate. The interview was conducted directly and entirely in English, Mr. Spivey’s native language. II. EMPLOYMENT/EDUCATION HISTORY Mr. Spivey reported that he currently works at Merritt Hawkins, which is located in Roswell, Georgia. He stated that he has a position in sales.…

    • 1273 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Part 1: The Prevalence of Co-Occurring Disorders Throughout the previous years, researchers and practitioners progressively have become aware of the connection between substance abuse and mental disorders. Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) has realized that treatment areas required an outline of diagnostic criteria, assessment, psychopharmacology and substance abuse treatment for individuals with coexisting Mental Illness and Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse. This stemmed from co-occurring substance use and mental disorders that had commonalities which formed multiple problems, and the effect they have on treatment and its aftermath. The primary commitment of TIP is to offer practitioners and counselors with information regarding the fast progressing field of…

    • 1098 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    Cbt Research Paper

    • 3334 Words
    • 14 Pages

    Deployment related PTSD and CBT This paper will explain, discuss and support Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and the treatment of modality Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to alleviate symptoms of PTSD. The researchers chosen for this paper, demonstrate that the use of CBT has been beneficial to those who are experiencing cognitive deficits due to deployment related PTSD. The scope of this study is to comprise scholarly research articles that demonstrate the successful outcomes for veteran with PTSD when CBT is administered. PTSD is a mental illness which occur when an individual is exposed to combat or any traumatic events.…

    • 3334 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Cbt Vs Play Therapy Essay

    • 580 Words
    • 3 Pages

    eliminate distress on the parent's side. Counselors also work with parents by teach them tactics in handling the child when they display disruptive as well as proper tool to help promote communication between parents and the child. The child is also encouraged to form narratives of their experience and work through their feelings connected to the traumatic experience while using the techniques that were previously learned. The TF-CBT approach has shown notable results; however evidence-bases studies have demonstrated its limitations, especially when dealing with children of a specific age group (Scheeringa, Weems, Cohen, Amaya-Jackson, Guthrie, 2011).…

    • 580 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Imagine you are conducting an intake interview with a 25 year-old male client. When asked about the presenting problem, he states that he probably drinks too much and has trouble keeping a job due to tardiness and lack of attendance. Using your knowledge of the criteria of substance use disorder, discuss in a one-page (minimum 250 words) essay what additional information you need in order to make a proper diagnosis and assess the client's severity. While doing an intake interview with a 25 year-old male client that states that he probably drinks too much and has trouble keeping a job due to tardiness and lack of attendance.…

    • 407 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    A user that presents with 2-3 symptoms is diagnosed with a mild substance use disorder, 4-6 symptoms a moderate form of the disorder, and 7-11 symptoms signals a severe disorder. Common examples of the symptoms include cravings, the inability to limit intake, the development of tolerance, personal and social life disruptions, use of drug of choice in inappropriate or settings, significant time spent or resources used to support substance intake. Statistics: The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, SAMHSA, reported the following statistics for the state of Georgia.…

    • 1265 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    A chemical dependency assessment is an evaluation that is performed by a trained professional to determine whether an individual is suffering from a drug or alcohol dependency. The evaluation process takes place by using various instruments that include, but are not limited to, the CAGE, the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST), the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT), and the Problem Oriented Screening Instrument for Teenagers (POSIT). Once an assessment instrument is chosen, it is important to evaluate the findings carefully to ensure that an appropriate treatment option is selected for the client. In addition, trained professionals must be prepared to accommodate special populations in order to provide optimal service to clients. The CAGE tool is a frequently used screening instrument that consists of asking clients four brief questions related to their drinking.…

    • 1138 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Case Study in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” Megan L. Stevens California State University Long Beach Empirically Validated Treatments for Adolescents with PTSD Developmentally adapted CPT Developmentally Adapted Cognitive Processing Therapy (D-CPT) is a phase based treatment created by Matulis, Resick, Rosner, & Steil (2013) to help children and adolescents suffering from childhood sexual assault. An intensive D-CPT combined with parental support showed reductions in PTSD and depressive/dissociative symptoms. D-CPT has four phases within a 30-session time frame. The first being the planning and preparing stage, next the emotional regulation training, then the intensive cognitive processing…

    • 636 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Recovery Proposal Essay

    • 659 Words
    • 3 Pages

    • Dual-Diagnosis Treatment (Link it to D-D Page) Addiction to drugs or alcohol can be an intense cause for many, newly onset, mental disorders. However, it is even more common, that a client comes in and has already been battling a minor, or major, psychological disorder. In fact,…

    • 659 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Great Essays

    Introduction Assessments and Diagnosis in counseling are important issues in the professional counseling field. Counselors competence and credentialing plays a major role in making sure counselors are fully prepared for counseling in addictions and preparing the appropriate diagnosis and assessment tools for each client. The objective of this paper is to explore treatment plans, screening and assessment processes. Discuss the need of crisis management, explain the assessment process for identifying disorders and examine the considerations for choosing assessment tools. There will also be an overview of the substance use disorder criteria according to the DSM and a discussion about the potential problems that arise when a counselor relies…

    • 1238 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    There was a study in 2003, using data from the Drug Evaluation Network System and a study conducted through the Center for Studies on Addiction of the University of Pennsylvania/Philadelphia Veterans Administration Medical Center, which sought to determine the potential of the Addiction Severity Index (ASI) to serve as a screening instrument for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) substance dependence. It had a positive correlation between the composite scores of the ASI and the DSM-IV in both the alcohol and drug areas. Using the Drug Evaluation Network System (DENS), the DSM-IV questions, included in the ASI, regarding drug and alcohol had seven yes-or-no answers which was included in a checklist where three yes responses determined a DSM-IV diagnosis. The only problem was that the system couldn?t differentiate between what drug it was talking about. Using the pen-and-pencil interview was able to determine drug of choice, therefore a better…

    • 505 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    This framework is based on what the research on trauma intervention with children and particularly on trauma-informed care (TIC). However, based on personal understanding of trauma intervention in child population, the original TIC approach introduced by SAMHSA is modified. I. Trauma and Children While positive stressful experience contribute to children’s health since these mild stress events provides children opportunities to deal with obstacles by managing stress, control emotions and practice coping skills (Bloom, 2012), certain intensive traumatic events (i.e. physical abuse, school violence, and traumatic grief, etc.) happen in childhood could result in persistently negative impact on children, which might affect brain development and…

    • 1990 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Cpd In Children

    • 1207 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Also, in the Irish Journal of Psychology in the article, “Psychological treatment of PTSD in children: an evidence-based review”, we read that in order for PTSD to be considered in the child; “The nature of the stressor is further defined and limited and the person must experience a significant fear response to the event (Dowd, 2011)”. Symptoms of this PTSD can be described as patients reliving or experiencing the traumatic event followed by the increased arousal and the avoidance of things that may be associated or stimulate the trauma (Dowd, 2011). Not only do children experience these symptoms, in order for it to PTSD they must experience them for longer than a month and show signs of severe distress. For most children that suffer from PTSD the next most important bit of information is the proper treatment for…

    • 1207 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Substance use and substance abuse have become a major theme of discussion and research within the United States of America and the world at large. Increases in deaths, substance abuse disorders, divorce, children being neglected or introduced from an early age to substance use, homelessness, and unemployment are some of the results of the abuse of prescription drugs, narcotics, and, alcohol. Illicit drug use is on the rise, and the gap between men and women using and abusing illicit drugs is narrowing. This is becoming a major phenomenon and it is important that therapist are trained in some way in how to respond and manage this population. Alcohol abuse and substance abuse leads to social, physical and mental problems.…

    • 356 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays