Substance Use Disorders Case Study

Diagnosis The client, Gwen Cummings, comes to the inpatient substance use treatment facility presenting with apparent symptoms of severe substance use disorder and potentially childhood trauma. According to the criteria from the DSM-5 on Substance Use Disorder, the “substance is often taken in larger amounts or over a longer period than was intended” (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Gwen shared that she and her boyfriend recently woke up late prior to their attendance at their friend’s wedding, unable to remember the details leading up to the end of the night. This, and other shared accounts from the client indicate that she met the first criteria for substance use disorder.
Gwen has shared that while she struggles with acknowledging …show more content…
Gwen shared that her level of previous use had been high enough that she has begun to experience “withdrawal” symptoms while sober at the inpatient facility, putting her matched symptoms at a seven, indicating a severe level of substance use disorder according to the DSM-5 (American Psychiatric Association, …show more content…
To treat the client, we need to identify what the priorities of treatment are. To do this, we need to identify the main points to address, which one should be addressed first, and provide a rationale for why this was the case.
First, while the client exhibits indicators for both substance use disorder and childhood trauma, I chose to prioritize treating the client’s substance use disorder first. The biggest priority is to help the client maintain a sense of control and safety with their use of Vicodin and alcohol. As of now, the client has met the criteria for severe substance use disorder, with behaviors that have put the client at risk of serious physical harm and has presented with signs of withdrawal. The breaking of addiction is seriously taxing work, and the client will need all of their strength and resources dedicated to this task