Substance Abuse

Essay by EssaySwap ContributorUniversity, Bachelor's February 2008

download word file, 6 pages 3.0

Case Study of the Treatment of a Client With Chemical Abuse Problems It has been my observation that many times a person may become dependant on a substance as a result of a traumatic event in their life or due to overwhelming life circumstances. When life becomes overwhelming, a person may seek comfort in a substance. For example, a drug user may be attempting to alleviate a preexisting condition of depression through the use of cocaine (Rotgers et al., 1996). It has also been my observation that numerous times the use of substances to comfort is a remedy taught by parents in an adverse form of role modeling to lead to a ¡§circle of addiction¡¨. Therefore, substance abuse is frequently termed ¡§self-medication¡¨. I believe that the case history is key in chemical dependency cases because it is the link into the source of the disease and the substance use is just a resulting symptom.

In this paper, we will explore the treatment of chemical dependency through a case study from which we will examine the presenting problem, client history, diagnosis, synopsis of sessions and a discussion of how treatment would proceed. For this case study, I will utilize an actual client¡¦s history from my experiences as a case manager. I will approach client¡¦s case as if I were the therapist for the client. I have changed certain information in the case to protect the identity of the client.

Case Presentation Presenting Problem Tim Harris is a seventeen-year-old Caucasian with a history of alcohol and cannabis use. His probation officer is referring him to treatment because he was carrying a razor blade at his high school and he was suspected of homicidal ideation. This referral is a result of the zero tolerance rule for the carrying of ¡§weapons¡¨ after the Columbine...