Human Development through the lifespan Outline format
Drug Addicts
PRESENTING INFORMATION
Drug addicts are humans suffering from a chronic disease due to environmental or developmental factors. 20-year-old Female presents addiction to drug Xanax, drug classification Benzodiazepine. She is taking it without a prescription and finds the drug through friends. States she started with one pill then progressed to 3-4 pills for a better effect to make her feel happy and forget about everything.
Female adult has overdosed and had seizures that resulted in hospital admissions. She claims to take different colors because that determines how strong the effect is, her addiction has caused her to lose her job, car, and herself. Her Xanax abuse has also caused her to lose her family because they feel helpless. 20-year-old female also presents depression and attempted suicide.
PROBLEM
20-year-old Female presents active addiction and refuses to get help. She confirms consumption of Xanax’s on a daily basis to help her feel better. She indicated she refuses to admit herself in a rehab center where she will be away from society. She is also scared to be away and lose contact with family and friends. She admits getting easily annoyed when anyone talks to her about addiction and triggers her to consume more.
20-year-old female states she doesn’t need rehab and that she is not addicted. She confirms that she can stop consuming xans whenever she pleases. She has also confirmed the last time she took a Xanax was 2 weeks ago, but then she contradicted herself and blindly confessed the last time she took one was yesterday.
POSSIBLE AREAS OF CONCERN
20-year-old female presents to get triggered behavior and upset when her family offers help or speaks about addiction. She states she doesn’t sleep much or has an appetite. She has also experience auditory hallucinations, slurred speech, and tends to forget many things. She feels emotionally and physically attacked by everyone.
20-year-old female states there are days she feels very nervous & shaky. There are days where she can be happy and there are other days where she will feel angry. 20-year-old female also states when she is on Xanax, she tends to go unconscious for about an hour or so, and hard to be woken up. She confirms not to remember what happened.
THEORY
20-year-old female shows a pattern of negativism when family or others try to help with her addiction, she avoids the subject and get upset. She seems to be going through a stage of denial during a life crisis, as a result she’s refusing treatment. Erikson used the term psychosocial crises to refer to turning points, or crucial moments, in a person’s development, which contain within them the potential for abnormal development and the failure to reach one’s development (Kelland, 2015)
20-year-old female presents with depression and feeling of sadness. Possible cause could have originated from a traumatic event or childhood trauma that was suppress. She tends to be guarded and doesn’t like to discuss the situation that might be too painful for her. According to McLead, Freud found that some events and desires were often too frightening or painful for his patients to acknowledge, and believed such information was locked away in the unconscious mind. (McLeod, 2018)
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
20-year-old female can undergo detox, although she might experience withdrawal that might elevate her symptoms. Different approaches can be done in order to recognize and become familiar with her feelings. For example, as a counselor help can be provided on different ways to express her anger when addiction is mentioned to her, in a safe way. Showing her encouragement and understanding about her feelings.
It is important to be patient and understand they have a drug problem. 20-year- old female shows lack of communication, she might be struggling with effective communication skills, coming up with an action plan to help her express her emotions better and not avoid the problem.
POSSIBLE RESOURCES
20-year-old will be provided services to detox first. Referral for inpatient detox program would be best. Once patient has completed full detox, she will be referred to a Residential treatment program where she can benefit of trained addiction professionals. If 20-year-old refuses residential program Intensive outpatient program will be referred where she can attend at least 3 times a week and she can benefit of other adults who are going through recovery as well.
20-year-old female will also be provided additional resources for herself and family such as Al-Anon because of family feeling helpless. This helps the family better understand behavior, addiction, and recovery from a different point of view. Referral will also be provided for a psychiatric consultation.
Reference
Kelland, Mark. “Personality Theory in a Cultural Context.” OpenStax CNX, 4 Nov. 2015, cnx.org/contents/lISyy6OT@1.1:YjVRK0O6@2/Introduction-to-Personality.
Mcleod, Saul. “Sigmund Freud's Theories.” Sigmund Freud's Theories | Simply Psychology, 2018, www.simplypsychology.org/Sigmund-Freud.html.
Treatment, Center for Substance Abuse. “Chapter 2 Impact of Substance Abuse on Families.” Substance Abuse Treatment and Family Therapy., U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1 Jan. 1970, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK64258/.