PROBLEMATIC SUBSTANCE USE/ DUAL DIAGNOSIS//What assessments would need to be carried out to enable effective care planning for - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages They have an effect on the physical and psychological health of the individual and also tend to affect their social behavior. Medicine has found remarkably few lines between the two illnesses. The symptoms that are exhibited in each instance are also difficult to tell apart. Most of the time, use of drugs has the same effects that would otherwise be characteristic of psychiatric illness and the vice versa is also true (Smith, 2007). It is challenging for health care providers to decipher the exact problem because the illnesses often occur in overlap. Another challenge is that the two correlate and one is often the cause of the other with no particular illness been traced as the original source of the problem. A drug abuser will most likely develop mental illness after prolonged intake of the addictive chemical component (Smith, 2007,). The effects of mental illness such as hallucination will often lead the patient back to resort to drugs in an attempted auto correct. When an individual makes an effort to treat one of the illnesses if they overlook the possibility of suffering from the other, then it might be the reason frequent relapses are observed. Self confidence is eroded, and this is where the complication becomes worse having acquired a social-psychological dimension. Sebastian presents a typical case of dual diagnosis (Butcher, Mineka, Hooley 2008). He is already showing lack of self esteem and social withdrawal from his low moods and avoiding friends. A keen evaluation of his case shows that he has schizophrenic disorders. He, in turn, tries to suppress the audio hallucinations by taking alcohol and cannabis to make him feel better. A closer probing reveals that he had an earlier history of substance abuse from a remarkably tender age and perhaps the same reason he has developed mental illness (Pereira, 2011). Medical Assessment The greatest challenge faced by health care providers is in the assessment of these individuals who are proven to have both a history of mental disorder and substance abuse and addiction (Smith, 2007). The critical question is whether to deal with the case from the perspective of mental health or from that of substance addiction. A bi-angular approach, therefore, has to be employed when dealing with such cases. That is the essence of dual diagnosis, which is to examine the complication in both perspectives at a go (Daley, 2009). An integrated health care system will ensure that patients do not move in circles of treating one illness and relapsing to the other due to focus on only one side of the problem. An integrated approach looks at the holistic way of providing the patient with care and treatment. Medical practitioners and nurse in particular need to the medical assessment of the patient that will provide information on the effect of the drugs on physiology and overall health and the underlying factors of the mental illness. In the case of Sebastian, it has been revealed that he has a history with alcohol and drugs. The long term effects of these drugs can only be revealed through performance of medical assessment (substance abuse and mental health administration, 2012). it is important to do an analysis on the effects of the drugs on the nerves, brain and other vital parts that may contribute to mental health problems such as psychosis, schizophrenia and other abnormal psychological manifestations (Frodl, 2010). The ...Download file to see next pagesRead More