Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders

The sign of an effective clinician is the ability to identify the criteria that distinguish the diagnosis from any other possibility (otherwise known as a differential diagnosis). An ambiguous clinical diagnosis can lead to a faulty course of treatment and hurt the client more than it helps. In this Assignment, using the DSM-5 and all of the skills you have acquired to date, you assess an actual case client named L who is presenting certain psychosocial problems (which would be diagnosed using Z codes).

This is a culmination of learning from all the weeks covered so far.

Submit the following 2-part Assignment:

Part A: A PowerPoint (PPT) presentation in which you (11-15 slides):

• Provide the full DSM-5 diagnosis. Remember, a full diagnosis should include the name of the disorder, ICD-10-CM code, specifiers, severity, and the Z codes (other conditions that may need clinical attention).
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• Explain the full diagnosis, matching the symptoms of the case to the criteria for any diagnoses used.
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• Identify 2–3 of the close differentials that you considered for the case and have ruled out. Concisely explain why these conditions were considered but eliminated.
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• Identify the assessments you recommend to validate treatment. Explain the rationale behind choosing the assessment instruments to support, clarify, or track treatment progress for the diagnosis.
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• Explain your recommendations for initial resources and treatment. Use scholarly resources to support your evidence-based treatment recommendations.
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• Explain how you took cultural factors and diversity into account when making the assessment and recommending interventions.
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• Identify client strengths, and explain how you would utilize strengths throughout treatment.
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• Identify specific knowledge or skills you would need to obtain to effectively treat this client, and provide a plan on how you will do so.

Part B (paper):

Provide a written diagnostic summary which:

• Includes the essential diagnostic information presented in your Power Point.
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• Is written in the form of case notes to be placed in a client’s file.