Addiction Treatment Plan Research Assignment Paper

Addiction Treatment Plan
Author First Name MI. Last Name
Capella University
Assessment and Treatment Plan
In this paper the case evaluated is that of Miguel, which represents some major indications of depression and some mild alcohol consumption disorder. The paper is designed and prepared as part of a treatment plan development. This will take place after the development of an assessment tool which is crucial to the screening process of the patient. The assessment tool will further be used in the establishment of the risk factors along with any aspects that may be deemed harmful to the patient. In addition the assessment will also be used in the establishment of any recurring health issues that may affect the patient from time to time. The paper will further establish some of the strengths and challenges that may affect the treatment plan and the recommendations for the same (Stilen, 2007).
The case selected is that of Miguel, a sixty year old Mexican American, who is married and has three children who are now adults. Before his current situation, he worked in a food processing plant for twenty years and had advanced in his career to become a supervisor. However, after the plant closed and relocated, he was left unemployed for more than six months. While working, Miguel did not save for his retirement and has very little money left from his savings. Although he recently found another job working at a recycling plant, he is still frustrated with his situation. He is struggling to support his wife and of late, his mother who moved in after relocating from America. His frustrations are tied to the fact his current job only pays half of what he used to get in his old job. Recently, he has been paying his bills after his wife and the rest of the family has gone to bed, so tha they will not have the knowledge of his current financial turmoil. He has been experiencing fatigue and in some nights is unable to sleep. The frustrations have been rising and he has turned to alcohol to try and calm down. However, this has turned into a habit as he is slowly abusing alcohol which is impacting his family relations and his productivity at work.
Evaluation of Assessment Tools
There are two main assessment tools that can be applied in this case to give the best results in Miguel situation and to help develop a better and fitting treatment plan to match the objectives of the patient; Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST) and Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT). The Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test, is an assessment that was designed by Melvin L. Seltzer, with a focus on helping alcohol reliant patients (Counsellingresource.com, 2016). This is an assessment that uses 25 questions to assess alcohol related problems in a patient. The questions are framed in such a way that, the patient will answer using a yes or no format. There are some advantages that are associated with the test relative to the fact that, it only takes approximately ten minutes to administer. It can also be administered orally, or through self-test and can also be applied in several populations. However, there is a risk that the participant may fake their responses rendering the test invalid (Counsellingresource.com, 2016).
The Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT), is an alternative test that only has ten items to evaluate the patient in question. The counselor can use the test to establish some of the key information required in assessing the extent to which a patient has experienced alcohol related problems (Patient, 2016). The AUDIT test can also be administered orally or as a self-test. In the case of the MAST test, there is a bias when it comes to women as they are likely to score lowly compared to men and it is also the case when it comes to the older patients compared to the younger ones. In the case of AUDIT, there are challenges associated with patient falsifying their data and thus rendering it invalid. However, it offers the assessor the ability to decipher a patient’s level of harmful drinking tendencies (Patient, 2016). As such, relative to the fact that Miguel is much older the AUDIT test is one that would be best placed in the assessment as it would give a more valid assessment and less chances of invalid information (Patient, 2016).
Results of Assessment
Diagnosis Based upon the DSM-5
Relative to the principal diagnosis, Miguel presents with some of the major symptoms along with behaviors that are considered to be consistent with a DSM-5 diagnosis of a major depressive disorder, episodes of alcohol abuse along with anxious distress (Sher, 2004).
Additional DSM -5 diagnosis indicates that Miguel is showing signs of persistent depressive disorder. This would explain why the patient is experiencing erratic sleep disorders and further reliance on alcohol to reduce anxiety and emotional pressure (Thomason, 2016). This further indicates that he meets the DSM-5 criteria for alcohol abuse disorder (Psyweb.com, 2016).
The medical diagnosis in this case is considered to be persistent depression, which is attributed to the various negative coping mechanisms such as alcohol dependency (Sher, 2004). There are quite a number of conditions that may be a focus relative to clinical attention, which are classified under the previously reference DSM V Codes (United Behavioral Health, 2016). Some of these conditions include, the partner relations especially with his wife, for whom his is trying to clear medical insurance bills (United Behavioral Health, 2016). There is also the case of the occupational problem relative to the fact that, Miguel has been struggling in his new place of work given that he is not making as much money as he used to and has a dwindling saving account (Thomason, 2016). The other conditions relates to his antisocial problem, where he is not able to share his problems with his wife, despite the fact that the financial matters are eventually going to affect the relationship (Psychiatry.org, 2016).
As clinical evidence and research have shown in the past, categorical diagnostic schema is highly inaccurate (Clarke & Kuhl, 2014). This is relative to the fact that it does not allow the interviewer to look into other aspects such as the underlying presence of sub threshold anxiety or even psychotic symptoms that could be driving the main depressive disorder or even exacerbating the impairment established (Clarke & Kuhl, 2014). As such, the clinician is commonly forced to diagnose more than one disorder to further facilitate the right treatment for the patient (Thomason, 2016).
In the case of Miguel, the WHODAS 2.0 for adults is a crucial tool to help with the establishment of the main health problem (World Health Organization, 2016). In this case, the main domains to apply include the one on getting along and life activities. The choice is relative to the fact that, Miguel is not in a position to interact with the people around him, specifically his family. It is also apparent that Miguel is struggling with the issues of his responsibility to the family (World Health Organization, 2016). He is also struggling with his responsibilities at his new place of work relative to his persistent depressive stage and the subsequent dependency on alcohol. This is an approach that does not only address the main problem that Miguel is facing relative to his mental health, it also addresses the various underlying issues that are contributing to the main problem (World Health Organization, 2016).
Description of Client Strengths
There are a number of strengths that can be established in the case of Miguel in respect to the treatment plan that will help him to recover from the health condition that he is suffering from. One of the strengths relates to the fact that he is taking the responsibility to seek help through attending counseling sessions that will help him overcome his situation. Relative to the support system that he can rely on, he has a supervisor who has in the past experienced the same disorders he is going through and is willing to support him. This is quite crucial relative...