Drug Addiction: A Case Study

This case study explores a 16-year-old male's drug addiction and the intervention strategies used to treat it. The study describes the role of healthcare professionals, ICF components targeted, and strategies to advance person-centered practice.

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Drug Addiction: A Case Study
Name
Institution

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Drug Addiction: A Case Study
Section 1: Description of the Case
Joseph is a 16 year old male residing in Wollongong. Joseph was presented to a security
agency in an involuntary way about 13 months ago. The patient’s Juvenile Liaison Officer was
faced with the obligation of arresting him following the community’s accusation of “possessing
with intent to supply” drugs. Joseph was placed on probation for 12 months as he had no
previous charges. Joseph confessed that his was the first treatment he had ever received. Upon
examination, Joseph revealed substance dependency symptoms such as prolonged use of
cannabis and alcohol.
On the other hand, Joseph depicts a family history of alcohol and drug usage; Joseph’s
elder sister is undertaking a rehabilitation program aimed at fostering recovery from the abuse of
opiates. The sister was an intense user of drugs such as heroin in her early 20s; a period that
corresponds to Joseph’s early adolescence. Joseph presents multiple psychological conditions
such as low self-efficacy, reduced impulse control and low self-esteem. Further, the patient stays
for a long time in his room smoking cannabis; an aspect that reveals dysfunctional coping
strategies. Most importantly, Joseph’s mother confessed that she experienced higher levels of
alcohol intake during pregnancy; an aspect that reveals genetic loading towards addiction.
Further, the patient depicts conflicting social networks as he is an active footballer despite the
high levels of cannabis intake.
Section 2: Description and Justification of Intervention
My role as a health professional
As a health professional, I applied Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) in exploring the
negative automatic thoughts depicted by Joseph. According to Easton, Crane and Mandel (2018),

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CBT plays a crucial role in allowing a physician to advance individualized viewpoints
concerning the patient under consideration; an aspect that allows for establishment of predictions
of the difficulties encountered by the patient as treatment progresses. In my position as Joseph’s
caregiver, I will work towards limiting the prevailing cognitive demands by ensuring that he
patient is taken through multiple helpful behaviors aimed at fostering change. To achieve this
goal, I will emphasize on adopting behavioral rehearsals aimed at emphasizing on a wide range
of real-life case examples to enhance generalization.
Intervention
I recommended a collaborative Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) as an intervention
for Joseph’s case. Pachankis, Hatzenbuehler, Rendina, Safren and Parsons (2015) explain that
the main aim of CBT is to act as a remedy to the coping deficits depicted by a client by
managing the antecedents to drug use and abuse. According to Bowen, Chawla and Witkiewitz
(2014), the CBT model considers drug use disorders as traits that are socially learned. Further,
Dong and Potenza (2014) reveal that such behaviors may be modified through incorporation of
factors aimed at fostering the interaction of factors considered to be triggers, sources of
reinforcement and cognitions. Fernandez, Salem, Swift and Ramtahal (2015) explain that CBT
adopts repetition based on the central role it plays in fostering learning, advancing proficiency
and ensuring that the freshly acquired traits are practiced whenever they are required. To apply
CBT on Joseph’s case, I asked the patient to identify the signals he would consider as high risk
and demonstrate proper comprehension of his ability to comprehend the most effective moments
to apply the coping skills gained.

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International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) Components
targeted by the intervention
Gabrieli, Ghosh and Whitfield-Gabrieli, S. (2015) explain that the implication of
applying ICF in fostering clinical interventions among patients depicting substance use disorders
include laying an emphasis on the strengths and abilities of the affected individuals and assisting
patients in their endeavors of becoming active participants in their societies. In Joseph’s case,
ICF is applied in CBT by underscoring the contextual maintaining factors depicted by the
patient. For instance, an assessment of Joseph’s social networks reveals that he is under influence
of negative peer group (evidenced by intake of high doses of cannabis and involvement in
criminal activities leading to arrest); contradicting social networks (revealed by his positive
involvement in sporting activities such as football with negative peer influence); and damaging
participation in the school system (evidenced by his inability to respond positively to the sources
of authority).
Risks involved with the intervention
CBT does not present serious risks both on the sides of the patient and the caregiver.
However, the fact that the intervention presents the desired results within a longer period hinders
its efficiency when dealing with individuals that are adversely affected by substance use
disorders. On the other hand, Trockel, Karlin, Taylor, Brown and Manber (2015) reveal that
anxieties and other psychological conditions need to be confronted in order to realize the desired
results. Such confrontations make the patient develop a sense of nervousness for a short period.
However, Easton et al. (2018) explain that patients get optimal benefits from this remedy if they
are capable of tolerating such anxieties.

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Identification of another Health Professional in the Team
Role
A drug psychiatrist was considered as an alternative professional in fostering the
treatments offered for Joseph. According to Carpenter (2018), psychiatrists play a significant role
in the detoxification phase of treatment by ensuring that the affected individuals are adequately
weaned off the drugs and substances that are considered to be life threatening. Further, Bowen et
al. (2014) attribute the importance of a psychiatrist in offering CBT to the fact that most of the
additions impose great negative effects on the neurochemistry of the brain. Similarly, psychiatric
consultations coupled with behavioral therapies such as CBT and medication are used in a
concurrent way with the co-occurrence of a psychiatric disorder and substance abuse.
Fernandez et al. (2015) explain that psychiatrists dealing with drug and alcohol addicts
are offered with sub-specialty expertise in addiction. As a consequence, an addiction psychiatrist
in clinical settings is highly capable of treating conditions such as drug dependency, alcoholism,
sex and gambling addictions. In the inter-professional team adopted to foster Joseph’s treatment,
a psychiatrist was included to underscore the patient’s history in drug use and abuse as well as
ensuring dire detections in instances where early symptoms of trouble were prevalent. On the
other hand, the physician played an influential role in establishing Joseph’s reasons for
developing cannabis and alcohol addictions. Similarly, Trockel et al. (2015) reveal that at the
time of need, psychiatrists play a helpful role in prescribing the most effective medications
aimed at minimizing and controlling withdrawal symptoms and treating co-existing conditions.
Components of ICF targeted by the psychiatrist
The psychiatrist adopted in the inter-professional team employed the WHO ICF checklist
to assess the effects of environmental factors, activities and participation on Joseph’s condition.

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For instance, an assessment of the environmental factors revealed that the patient’s home settings
played a crucial role in contributing to the current state. Joseph was raised in an environment in
which both parents take alcohol and an older sibling who suffered opiate abuse. Further, the
practitioner established that the patient’s move to engage in cannabis use and criminal activities
was heightened by negative peer influence.
Section 4: Specification of Professionalism Characteristics
Professionalism in medical settings is a term adopted to justify a caregiver’s mode of
behavior when attending to his patients and interacting with fellow colleagues Carpenter (2018).
According to Tanaka, M., Taketomi, K., Yonemitsu, Y., & Kawamoto, (2016), professionalism
is recognized through observations. The current section of the study seeks to undertake a critical
analysis of ethics, competence and responsibility as aspects of professionalism when working
with drug addicts.
Ethics
Nurses are faced with the obligation of ensuring that their practices meet certain set
professional values and morals. According to Cho and Kim (2014), values in medical practice
encompass the practitioner’s ability to appreciate what is important on their side when offering
services and what is important on the side of the patient receiving the supposed care. Further,
Tanaka et al. (2016) reveal that ethical professionalism upholds higher levels of moral respect for
all stakeholders by revealing wholeness of character, integrity and dignity.
Competence
Competence in nursing practice underscores a caregiver’s ability to practice higher levels
of professional excellence by focusing on the attitudes and activities put in place when handling
patients (Tanaka et al., 2016). According to Cho and Kim (2014), competence vets the

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objectives, and procedures applied in nursing practice. On the other hand, Carpenter (2018)
explains that nurses are obliged to reveal higher levels of professional competency based on the
positions they occupy in watching their clients in their capacity as caregivers and on behalf of
other physicians in their institutions.
Professional responsibility
Nurses reveal their standards of professional responsibility based on their abilities to
foster collaborations with other stakeholders in the healthcare system, effectuating social changes
and advocating for the interests of their patients (Carpenter, 2018). According to Tanaka et al.
(2016), responsible caregivers consider the best interest of their patients as central compared to
other concerns and points if bias. As a consequence, caregivers must play an advocacy role by
protecting the patient’s legal and ethical rights.
Section 5: Strategies to Advance Person Centered Practice
Person centered practice aims at offering healthcare services by placing the patient at the
center of the treatment strategies adopted (Ahola, Hakanen, Perhoniemi, and Mutanen, 2014).
Therefore, person centered approaches in nursing are based on principles such as knowing the
patient, sharing responsibilities and power, proper coordination and integration of the services
offered and cultivation of a conducive environment. The current section of the study seeks to
analyze sharing responsibilities and proper coordination as the most effective strategies of
advancing person centered practices.
Responsibility
Responsibility is a strategy aimed at fostering person centered practice by respecting
other people’s preferences (Ahola et al., 2014). Therefore, a responsible caregiver depicts
characteristics such as the innate ability to treat his/ her patients as key partners in the treatment

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process and when establishing the goals of treatment, making decisions concerning the
interventions to be delivered and planning care. Further, Mauno, Mäkikangas, and Kinnunen
(2016), explain that responsibility in nursing practice can be cultivated by building an
environment that allows both the clients and their family members to act as key sources of advice
in quality improvement.
Coordination and integration
Coordination and integration vet the ability of a caregiver to initiate teamwork.
According to Mauno et al. (2016), proper coordination and integration allows practitioners and
clients to work together with the central aim of minimizing duplication and availing individual
patients with seamless services. Further, proper coordination does not only present patients with
positive experiences but also maximize the desired outcomes. Such results can be attained by
emphasizing on the importance of working as a team when offering services.

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