Contemporary Healthcare: Mental Health Issues and Solutions

This report delves into the multifaceted challenges of mental health within contemporary healthcare, focusing on substance use disorders and trauma-informed care. It begins by identifying signs of problematic substance use, discussing their social, physical, and psychological impacts, and the underlying environmental and genetic causes of addiction. The report then examines effective treatment approaches, including detox and various therapies, emphasizing the importance of addressing the root causes of addiction. The core of the report further explores the application of Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) principles by nurses, highlighting the need for patient education, trauma screening, and fostering a sense of hope and safety. Finally, the report identifies key members of the mental health multidisciplinary team with whom the nurse should collaborate for care planning, emphasizing the importance of organizational support and creating a safe environment for patients. The report references several studies and sources to support its arguments.

Running head: CONTEMPORARY HEALTH CARE
Mental Health Issues
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Issues Demonstrated In the Video Which May Have Contributed To Problematic
Substance Use and Their Discussion Using TICP
Problematic substance use is a condition with many harmful consequences and behaviors.
Identifying these signs may assist an individual with problematic substance use get the treatment
they need. Physicians presently diagnose addictions under a class referred to as “substance
addictive disorders” (Lang and Rosenburg, 2017). The major sign of addiction is a problematic
pattern of use which results in considerable impairment or agony. Substance use disorders have a
variety of social, physical and psychological impacts that may considerably lower individuals’
quality of living. Symptoms of addiction that lead to mental illness include an incapacity to stop
using; in many situations dependence on alcohol or other substances, an individual would have
unsuccessfully attempted to stop at least once. This may similarly be physiological as certain
substances such as heroin are chemically addictive and result in withdrawal signs if an individual
stops taking them.
According to Skewes and Blume (2019), substance use may likewise affect the way a
person socializes with and relates to other individuals. Too much consumption or abuse of
substances is a social impact of addiction. Certain kinds of substance use disorders like opiate or
alcohol use disorders may lead a person to take unsafe quantities of a substance. The physical
impacts of abusing a substance may be acute and consist of overdosing. However, for an
individual with substance use disorder, the impacts would not be sufficient to stop future
overuse. Additionally, the constant use of a substance may affect a variety of bodily systems and
functions. An individual may experience withdrawal signs when levels of the substance to which
an individual has dependence drop beyond a specific level. The individual may experience
physical signs based on the substance. These signs include seizures, trembling, cravings,

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diarrhea, constipation, sweats, and unusual behavior such as violence. Although the symptoms of
problematic substance use are generally categorized into three as discussed above, a number of
these symptoms overlap and may result in one another. For instance, relationship issues and a
developing abhorrence to social interactions may result in and aggravate psychological problems
such as anxiety and depression.
The basic causes of addiction are majorly environmental and genetic. Life occurrences
such as stress, early exposure to substances of abuse, and trauma might likewise affect an
individual’s vulnerability. An individual’s genetic composition may make them more susceptible
to sensation-seeking behavior, more exposed and more obsessive to problematic substance use.
Effective therapy centers on the environmental and genetic causes of addiction (Bowen and
Murshid, 2016). It similarly treats the psychological and physical side effects. Detox keeps
patients physically secure and as relaxed as possible during withdrawal. Therapy manages the
psychological aspects. Based on the seriousness of the addiction, detox may get rid of cravings
and withdrawal signs in about one to three weeks.
However, a majority of individuals need months or even years of constant counseling to
recover from psychological side effects. The major role of therapy and counseling for
problematic substance use is to address the root causes of the addiction to stop them from
causing a relapse. While detox is an important aspect of treatment since it assists patients to
manage withdrawal and lessen cravings, it does not address the aspects resulting in drug abuse in
the first place. Studies during the past twenty-five years have resulted in progress in evidence-
based behavioral therapy for drug and alcohol addiction. Clasen and Clark (2017) assert that the
therapies have shown to be operational in treating substance use disorders besides co-occurring
psychological health problems like obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety, and depression.

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Nowadays, therapy for problematic substance use is available in many environments, consisting
of sober living societies, outpatient rehab platforms, private practices, inpatient residential rehab,
and a range of support groups.
The goal of therapy in the course of a 90-, 60-, 30-day rehab platform is to prepare people
in salvage for life after thorough treatment, but most patients need constant therapy for several
months or years after rehab (Educational Considerations, 2019). Therapy usually lessens in
duration and frequency as an individual learns to manage causes of their addiction and to deal
with life’s stressors. However, many specialists believe an individual never completely
recuperates from addiction. Individuals who face a traumatic incident or intensifies stress ought
to turn to therapy to reduce the possibilities of relapse. Therapy is not a one-size-fits-all
procedure. Varying methods are more suitable and operational for different individuals, based on
their type of addiction, aspects that added to their addiction, and age.
How the Nurse Would Apply Trauma Informed Care Principles When Engaging
With the Consumer
The Trauma TIP (Trauma Informed Practice) upholds a trauma-informed care (TIC)
approach. According to Boles (2017), this model highlights the necessity for behavioral health
specialists and organizations to identify the occurrence of trauma and its prevalent effect on the
lives of the individuals they attend to and to cultivate trauma-subtle or trauma-responsive
services. It offers basic information to assist behavioral health specialists and program managers
become trauma-informed and trauma aware, enhance testing and evaluation procedures, and use
science-informed intervention methods across environments. TIC projects the role that trauma
could play across the range of care; dynamically instituting incorporated and cooperative
procedures to address the needs of traumatized persons and communities.

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First, the nurse should familiarize the patient with Trauma-Informed Services. This goes
beyond clarifying program services or therapy procedures; it entails clarifying the significance
and king of trauma-linked questions that might be asked in the intake course, enlightening
patients on trauma to assist stabilize traumatic stress responses, and talking about trauma-specific
interventions and other access services. Developmentally, suitable psychoeducation on trauma-
informed services enables patients to be informed, clients.
Freimuth (2018) denotes that the nurse may also integrate general routine screenings for
trauma. Screening generally for the patient’s experiences, signs, and histories of trauma may be
an advantage to both the nurse and the patient. Most nurses are aware that patients may be
affected by trauma, but general screening offers a constant reminder to be observant for post-
traumatic experiences and there possible impact on the patient’s engagement and interactions
with services across the range of care. Screening should likewise guide therapy planning; it
informs the staff of likely concerns and serves as an important tool to escalate patient’s
knowledge of the probable effect of trauma and the value of addressing connected problems in
the course of treatment.
The nurse should likewise provide hope that recovery is possible. Patients usually show
uncertainty in coping with trauma even if they are completely familiar with trauma’s impacts on
their lives. The notion of living with more agony as they deal with the pastor as they try out
substitute means of coping with trauma-linked signs or outcomes is not a pleasing prospect, and
it characteristically causes fear. Clients might understand sensations as harmful or unsafe even in
a setting and relationship that is supportive and safe (Seeber, 2015). The nurse should, therefore,
maintain steadiness in providing services, upholding and offering safety for the patient, and
showing consideration and esteem with the patient-nurse relationship. Anticipating hope and

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strengthening the belief that recovery probably goes beyond the practice of establishing safety, it
similarly involves talking about what recovery implies and how it appears to clients, besides
pinpointing how they will know that they have gotten into recovery intensely.
A Member of the Mental Health Multidisciplinary Team with Whom the Mental
Health Nurse Would Engage In The Process Of Collaborative Care Planning
Sundborg (2019) alludes that the nurse should engage the organization’s administration
in the creation of collaborative and participation openings when dealing with the patient. This is
because the healthcare administration oversees everything in the hospital and would, therefore,
facilitate the collaborative care planning. All services taking a trauma-informed outlook start
with cultivating one’s awareness amongst clients and staff of; how prevalent trauma is, how its
effects may be crucial to an individual’s development, the variety of survival mechanisms people
adapt to cope, and the connection of trauma with physical health, substance use, and
psychological wellbeing concerns. This awareness is the basis of an organizational culture of
TICP. Emotional and physical wellbeing for the patient is vital to TIP since trauma victims
frequently feel insecure, are possible to have faced boundary defilements and exploitation of
power, and might be in dangerous relationships (Zontou, 2017). Trustworthiness and safety are
fostered through activities like establishing timely crisis plan, offering clear information on the
program, and guaranteeing informed consent.
According to Boles (2017), trauma-informed services create secure settings and cultivate
a patient's sense of effectiveness, self-confidence, and dignity. Service providers endeavor to
communicate clearly, equate power disparities in relationships, and permit the expressions of
sentiments, minus fear or discernment, offer options as to therapy preferences and work engage
collaboratively. Additionally, having a chance to institute safe relationships with therapy

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providers, peers, and the community at large, is reparative for those with early or continuing
trauma experiences. This experience of preference, cooperation, and relationship is frequently
extended to patient participation in assessing the therapy services and creating consumer
representation committees that give advice on service structure, consumer rights, and complaints.
Lastly, patients in trauma-informed services are helped to recognize their strengths and to further
enhance their persistence and managing skills. Stress is put on teaching and fashioning skills for
identifying triggers, soothing, focusing, and remaining present.

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References
Boles, J. (2017). Trauma-Informed Care: An Intentional Approach. Pediatric Nursing, 43(5),
250–255. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=aph&AN=125833581&site=ehost-live
Bowen, E. A., & Murshid, N. S. (2016). Trauma-Informed Social Policy: A Conceptual
Framework for Policy Analysis and Advocacy. American Journal of Public
Health, 106(2), 223–229. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2015.302970
Classen, C. C., & Clark, C. S. (2017). Trauma-informed care. In APA handbook of trauma
psychology: Trauma practice., Vol. 2. (pp. 515–541). Washington, DC: American
Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000020-025
Freimuth, M. (2018). A new look for addiction training in psychology programs: Comment on
Dimoff, Sayette, and Norcross (2017). American Psychologist, 73(5), 693–694.
https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000284
Lang, B., & Rosenberg, H. (2017). Public perceptions of behavioral and substance
addictions. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 31(1), 79–84.
https://doi.org/10.1037/adb0000228
Seeber, C. M. (2015). Counseling a Client with Addiction: Tough Love Is Not the
Answer. Journal of Financial Planning, 28(4), 20–22. Retrieved from
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=buh&AN=101895466&site=ehost-live

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Skewes, M. C., & Blume, A. W. (2019). Understanding the link between racial trauma and
substance use among American Indians. American Psychologist, 74(1), 88–100.
https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000331
Sundborg, S. A. (2019). Knowledge, principal support, self-efficacy, and beliefs predict
commitment to trauma-informed care. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research,
Practice, and Policy, 11(2), 224–231. https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0000411.supp
(Supplemental)
Zontou, Z. (2017). Under the Influence of ... Affective Performance. Performance
Research, 22(6), 93–102. https://doi.org/10.1080/13528165.2017.1412660