Psychological Treatment of Addiction - Case Study Example

? Addiction Addiction Introduction This paper presents a case study of Michele, a 36 year old lady who was recommended by the court for a psychological treatment following her involvement in the use, addiction and intent to distribute heroin and marijuana. Michele is within the early adulthood period of development and thus the stages of her development are used to provide psychosocial, cognitive, social and biological perspectives which would have led to her current drug problem and associated behavior. The fact that Michele is involved in the abuse and addiction of heroin and marijuana illustrates that she is having psychological issues which have contributed to her drug use. Michele’s drug problem is at a critical level as demonstrated by her intention to distribute the drugs in addition to the fact that she has had problems with the authorities. The cognitive behavior that Michele demonstrates is revealed by her unwillingness for treatment and the lack of treatment history which makes her case quite challenging to manage. It is necessary to view Michele’s psychological situation from the perspective of her biological, psychological, social, environmental and cognitive frameworks so that appropriate management of her addiction problem can be achieved. A theoretical point of view is used to determine the causes of Michele’s problem in relation to early adulthood developmental stages so that clear stipulation of the solution to her problem can be determined and implemented. Michele at Early Adulthood Being 36 years of age, Michele is within the early adulthood stage of development and thus the theoretical framework of Erick Erickson and his stages of development will be used to evaluate Michele’s cognition and psychosocial behavior as influenced by her development. Early adulthood is comprised of two consecutive developmental stages. As stipulated by Erick Erickson, Intimacy and Solidarity vs. Isolation is the sixth stage of development which defines a young adult. This stage is followed by Generativity vs. Self absorption stage and both of these stages are due to the outcome of ego development in the early adulthood stage of development (White, 2006, p. 185). These stages are characterized by social, environmental, psychological and biological forces which determine perceptions, attitudes and behavior of young adults (Cook-Greuter and Soulen, 2007, p. 180). The behavior that Michele demonstrates is, therefore, attributed to the happening during her early adulthood development. Moreover, her negative attitude towards development can be associated with the psychological forces which have shaped her mindset and social behavior. Michele at Intimacy and Solidarity vs. Isolation Developmental Stage The Intimacy and Solidarity vs. Isolation developmental stage is usually a period between 18 and 35 years when the young adult is inclined into the pursuit of love and companionship (Templeton, Velleman and Russell, 2010, p. 617). Michele is no exception in the forces that surround love and companionship. Her cognition can thus be linked to the attitudes that she developed during this stage of development. Through her cognition, she perceives treatment s a bad thing and thus her unwillingness to undergo treatment for the drug problem. It is possible that Michele’s drug use and addiction to heroin and marijuana would be a result of issues related to love and the need for companionship. The antisocial behavior that Michele shows should be linked to her current cognitive behavior which would determine the extent to which she would cooperate with the treatment process. In the psychological evaluation of Michele’s cognitive and social behavior, it is necessary for her to be posed with questions or a conducive environment which would help her open up about her past and present romantic relationships which would have led to her current psychological condition of drug use and addiction. During the Intimacy and Solidarity vs. Isolation developmental stage, an individual tries to find relationships that would satisfy human craving for love from family and friends. It is during this stage that individuals seek to find a marriage partner (Zucker, 2006, p. 616). This stage therefore defines Michele’s social behavior because her needs at this stage of development seem to have not been fulfilled and thus contributing to her drug behavior. The addiction and drug cravings that Michele is experiencing are explained by the possible conflicts during this stage of development in which her need for companionship was not met. The psychological evaluation of Michele, therefore, would involve determination of the possible social conflicts that she would have gone through during her young adulthood. Early adulthood is characterized by many biological needs and Michele’s current behavior would be attributed to lack of fulfillment of the biological needs during her development. An individual in the early adulthood is able to negotiate through the Intimacy and Solidarity vs. Isolation developmental stage successfully and, thus, experience intimacy and companionship on a deep level (Cook-Greuter and Soulen, 2007, p. 189). Given the situation that Michele is in, it is possible that she did not experience companionship on a deep level. It is also possible that she experienced this companionship with family and friends, but things went wrong at some time which caused her psychological and social challenges as demonstrated by her drug use. The psychological examination, evaluation and analysis of Michele will, thus, focus on investigating her condition in relation to the possibility of conflict within her intimate life or companionship with her family and friends. Drug use and addiction is often explained by the need of the users to escape the reality of failed companionship (Matheson, 2008). It is the role of the psychological examination to determine the causes of Michele’s drug use, addiction and intent to distribute so that informed recommendations would be reached for the establishment of a permanent solution to her drug problem. During the Intimacy and Solidarity vs. Isolation developmental stage, a young adult may be unsuccessful in the pursuit for companionship and intimacy. As a result, isolation from others begins and leads to antisocial behavior such as drug use and addiction (Zucker, 2006, p. 618). Michele would have found it difficult to discover a satisfying relationship during her young adulthood which would have triggered her abuse of cocaine and marijuana. Drug users and addicts often engage in such antisocial behavior because they feel that it is the only way that they would feel superior to others. Social rebelliousness also explains drug use and addiction because the isolation which individuals experience within a social environment is associated with the rebellion that they stage on their friends and family (White, 2006, p. 194). The evaluation of Michele should, therefore, consider the social factors which would have contributed to her drug use, such as a rebellious behavior that would stem from her feeling of being isolated from others. The strengths of the Intimacy and Solidarity vs. Isolation developmental stage is love and affiliation. The possibility that Michele failed to achieve love and affiliation, therefore, should not be ruled out. This would provide a basis of the psychological study of Michele so that her drug problem is accurately understood. Michele at Generativity vs. Self Absorption Developmental Stage Generativity vs. Self absorption is the seventh developmental stage through which a young adult goes through as middle adulthood is being approached (Matheson, 2008). This stage of development has production and care as its main strengths. Erick Erickson stipulates that at this stage of development, an individual considers work and productivity as the most critical element of life (Zucker, 2006, p. 617). This stage of development is thus associated with Michele’s intent to distribute marijuana and heroin. In her cognition, she would be considering the distribution of these drugs and the financial gain that she may attain to be the definition of her productivity. The biological development of Michele illustrates that she is at an age where she should be productive and thus provide for her family. Moreover, the psychological study of Michele will focus on the reasons why she considers it necessary to distribute drugs. This would help in the determination of the root cause of her behavior in relation to the intention of distributing drugs. The Generativity vs. Self absorption stage is characterized by the need to develop families and building our own lives. The fact that Michele is involved in self destructing drugs depicts a situation where normal development is in conflict with the expectations of the usual development. The psychological analysis and study of Michele will, thus, aim at finding out what went wrong in her development that makes her engage in self destructing behavior. Possible Challenges during Michele’s Treatment Through the developmental stages of Michele’s early adulthood, it is possible that her attitudes and cognition of treatment are very negative to an extent that the psychological analysis and treatment would be prevented from working. It is already observed that Michele had not gone through any treatment before and is unwilling to go through the current treatment. Because the treatment was ordered by the court, it would be difficult to make it work without the willingness of the client herself. The treatment of drug related problems and psychological conditions which contribute to drug use and addiction, the willingness of the client to undergo the treatment serves the paramount role in the success of the treatment (Cook-Greuter and Soulen, 2007, p. 191). It is possible that the drug problem that Michele is experiencing is associated with a preexisting medical disorder. In this case, the treatment of her drug addiction may be challenging because interventions of managing the underlying condition have to be established first. Additionally, a genetic predisposition would be the root cause of Michel’s drug problem which pose a challenge to the treatment and possibly cause it to fail. It is argued that genetic predisposition to drug use and the associated addiction makes it difficult for a psychological intervention to work effectively. This is because the measures that psychologists recommend are usually temporal solutions to the underlying problems and as a result, recurrence of the drug use is common even after the treatment. Appropriate Interventions for Michele’s Drug Problem The intervention for the drug cravings which Michele is experiencing, her addiction and intent to distribute should be designed in relation to the conflicts which are identified during her developmental stages. The goal of psychological intervention in people who are involved in drug use should aim at facilitating behavior change (White, 2006, p. 186). Bio-psychosocial approaches are considered effective in facilitating behavior change among drug addicts (Templeton, Velleman, and Russell, 2010, p. 616). Therefore, it is recommended that Michele is treated through harm minimization rather than focusing on stopping her drug use which would take time. Screening tools such as questionnaires can also be used to accurately diagnose the psychosocial problems within Michele so that appropriate measures are applied in helping her to overcome the drug problem. The professional approach to Michele’s drug problem would also involve counseling and providing education on the issues of drug use including the harm that drug use and abuse is likely to cause to an individual and relationship with the society. Conclusion Michele is undergoing serious social, cognitive, psychosocial and biological issues which have led to her involvement in the use, addiction and intention of distributing heroin and marijuana. The case study reveals that Michele’s development during her young adulthood and the stages of Intimacy and Solidarity vs. Isolation and Generativity vs. Self Absorption can be attributed to her current state of cognition, psychosocial and social behavior. The developmental issues which have caused Michele’s resistance to treatment could be the possible challenges of the treatment. Psychological evaluation, counseling and bio-psychosocial approaches are recommended as effective interventions for the drug problem that Michele is experiencing. References Cook-Greuter, S. R., and Soulen, J. (2007). The developmental perspective in integral counseling. Counseling and Values, 51(3), 180-192. Matheson, J. L. (2008). Women's issues with substance use, misuse, and addictions: One perspective. Substance Use and Misuse, 43(8/9), 1274-1276. Templeton, L., Velleman, R and Russell, C. (2010). Psychological interventions with families of alcohol misusers: A systematic review. Addiction Research and Theory, 18(6), 616-648. White, W. L. (2006). Recovery across the life cycle from alcohol/other drug problems: Pathways, styles, and developmental stages. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 24(1/2), 185-201. Zucker, R. A. (2006). The developmental behavior genetics of drug involvement: Overview and comments. Behavior Genetics, 36(4), 616-625. Read More