StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Substance Use Disorder and Dual Diagnosis - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
The "Substance Use Disorder and Dual Diagnosis" paper focuses on ‘dual diagnosis’ which is quite misleading as it implies only two disorders. Moreover, the lack of relevant health care services for ‘dual diagnosis’ patients has created many serious risks for the patients. …
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER91.9% of users find it useful
Substance Use Disorder and Dual Diagnosis
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Substance Use Disorder and Dual Diagnosis"

?Dual diagnosis ‘Dual diagnosis’ is a term used to describe the “patients who meet the DSM-IV criteria for both, substance abuse and psychiatric disorder” (Dale 2001, p. 190). ‘Substance use disorder’ is the psychological disorder which occurs when people become addicted to the substance by abusing it and depending on it (Drake et al. 2003, p.53). The term used for substance use disorder is ‘substance abuse’ (Drake et al. 2003, p.53). ‘Severe mental illness’ is a term used to describe the long term psychiatric disorders which make a person incapable of leading a normal life and handling his mundane responsibilities (Drake et al. 2003, p.53). When substance abuse and severe mental illness co-occurs in a person, then he comes under the medical condition well known as ‘dual diagnosis’ (Drake et al. 2003, p.53). However, it has been found that people falling under the condition of ‘dual diagnosis’ suffer from multiple mental and substance disorders, and not just from two disorders as implied by the term ‘dual’ (Drake et al. 2003, p.54). Hence, the term ‘dual diagnosis’ is quite misleading as it implies only two disorders (Drake et al. 2003, p.54). Moreover, lack of relevant health care services for ‘dual diagnosis’ patients has created many serious risks for the patients. Risk of poor diagnosis It is difficult to effectively manage the plan and the outcomes of the treatment if the mental disorders in the substance users and the substance use disorder in people suffering from mental disorders, are not recognized at the early stage of the treatment (McArdle 2010, p.94). The symptoms related to substance use and symptoms related to mental health problems are quite similar to each other and hence, it becomes difficult to distinguish between them (McArdle 2010, p.94). Moreover, it is very important to recognize the real cause of the patient’s condition, i.e. to know if the real problem is substance abuse or mental disorder. For example, there is a possibility that an underlying mental health disorder which the patient was unaware of, might have led the patient into substance use problem (McArdle 2010, p.94). At the same time, there is a possibility of the mental health disorder developing due to the negative physical, social and psychological consequences occurring due to the substance use problem (McArdle 2010, p.94). The third possibility is that the substance abuse and the mental disorder can occur in same person without any relation to each other (McArdle 2010, p.94). Hence, to avoid the risk of wasting time in giving wrong treatment, it is very important to do a proper assessment of the case when it comes to dual diagnosis. Otherwise, there is a risk of wastage of time and cost due to wrong treatment of the patient. However, proper assessment is not that easy. It is because patients with substance use problem may use combination of multiple substances and this makes the proper assessment more difficult and complicated (McArdle 2010, p.94). According to Nathan (1991), due to the complication related to assessment, previously, the health care professionals used to prescribe a 4-6 weeks of drug free period for patients, so that the symptoms related to mental disorder can be distinguished easily from the symptoms related to substance use (McArdle 2010, p.94). The right assessment is possible only when the symptoms of mental disorder and substance abuse are distinguished and assessed accurately. If the assessment is done accurately, then ‘dual diagnosis’ helps in sorting out the symptoms of co-occurring disorders and makes the recovery easy and fast. Ignorance by professionals There is a shortage of health care systems where the mental disorder and the substance abuse are treated together (Drake et al. 2003, p.54). This separate system for both disorders confuses the clients as they are unable to make sense of the messages regarding treatment and recovery given separately by mental disorder and substance disorder systems (Drake et al. 2003, p.54). The patients also experience rejection and cold treatment from one system as they are directed to other system and are asked to return when the other co-occurring disorder is under control (Drake et al. 2003, p.54). This leads to the risk of patients losing trust in the mental health care services and also generates a risk of increasing the severity of the disorder. If the patient is not given a proper treatment on time, he might lose the chances of getting a treatment at the right time and this can aggravate his condition. Hence, the integrated medical health systems were created specially for the patients with ‘dual diagnosis’ (Drake et al. 2003, p.54). Risk of different illnesses and self destructive behavior The risk of developing different types of diseases and illnesses is very prominent in people suffering from ‘dual diagnosis’ (Bennett & Gjonbalalaj-Morovic 2007, p.49). It is especially prominent in cases where a person is suffering from mental disorders which are developed due to substance use disorder. Risk of developing health problems like HIV and AIDS is the most significant amongst the population coming under ‘dual diagnosis’ (Bennett & Gjonbalalaj-Morovic 2007, p.49). According to study by Carey, Carey and Kalichan (1997), the practice of unsafe sex increases substantially in people who become addicted to substance use (Bennett & Gjonbalalaj-Morovic 2007, p.49). Moreover, if a person suffering from substance use is also suffering from mental disorder associated with it, then it doubles the chances of high risk behavior in the patient (Bennett & Gjonbalalaj-Morovic 2007, p.49). Studies conducted to find the risks of ‘dual diagnosis’ have revealed many severe risks related to ‘dual diagnosis’. A study by McKinnon and colleagues (1996) has revealed that injection drug use is prevalent in 17.5% of sample psychiatric patients, using drugs during sex is reported by 35% of patients and 30% of people bought drugs by trading sex in return (Bennett & Gjonbalalaj-Morovic 2007, p.49). All these self-destructive and unsafe behaviors which are related to mental problems associated with substance use increase the risk of transmitting HIV and AIDS (Bennett & Gjonbalalaj-Morovic 2007, p.49). Thompson and colleagues (1997) studied the samples of 145 psychiatric inpatients ad outpatients in Australia and found that 15.9% of patients suffering from ‘dual diagnosis’ were using injection drug and this figure is ten times higher than the use of injection drug in general population (Bennett & Gjonbalalaj-Morovic 2007, p.50). Moreover, The study of data from the 1992 ‘National Survey of Veterans’ by Hoff, Beam-Goulet, and Rosenheck (1997) revealed that “the combination of PTSD and substance abuse increased the risk of HIV infection by almost 12 times over individuals with either disorder alone” (Bennett & Gjonbalalaj-Morovic 2007, p.50). These figures show how severe is the risk of developing life threatening diseases and illnesses among people falling under the ‘dual diagnosis’ condition. Hence, it is not surprising to know that people suffering from mental disorder associated with substance abuse go in severe depression and become self destructive. Drake(1995) has found that an increased rates of violence, suicide and suicidal behavior is prevalent among people suffering with ‘dual diagnosis’ (Dale 2001, p. 191). McKeown and Leibling (1995) found that inability to manage problems at home and lack of knowledge and skills at work makes it difficult for people with ‘dual diagnosis’ to handle the responsibilities of personal and professional life successfully (Dale 2001, p. 191). Hence, homeless has also been found to be prevalent in people with ‘dual diagnosis’ (Dale 2001, p. 191). Moreover, as Drake (1995) has revealed, the lack of compliance with medication worsens the psychological and psychiatric symptoms in patients (Dale 2001, p. 191). Co-existence of disorders of different nature makes recovery difficult to achieve. In such conditions, only the ‘dual diagnosis’ treatments given through integrated systems can help people suffering from co-existing disorders in achieving fast and smooth recovery. References Bennett, M.E. and Gjonbalalaj-Morovic. The Problem of Dual Diagnosis. In: M. Hersen, S.M.Turner and D.C. Beidel, eds. 2007. Adult Psychopathology and Diagnosis.5th Ed. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, pp 34-77. Dale, C. Dual Diagnosis. In: C.Dale, T.Thompson and P.Woods, eds. 2001. Forensic Mental Health: Issues in Practice. London: Harcourt Publishers Ltd. Ch.18. Drake, R.E., et al., Implementing Dual-Diagnosis Services for Clients with Severe Mental Illnesses. In: R.N. Rosenthal, ed. 2003. Dual Diagnosis.New York: Brunnet-Routledge, pp 53-68. McArdle, S. Polysubstance Use and Personality Disorder. In: P.Philips, O.McKeown and T.Sandford, ed. 2010. Dual Diagnosis: Practice in Context. West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons, pp 89-101. Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Dual diagnosis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/health-sciences-medicine/1406161-dual-diagnosis
(Dual Diagnosis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 Words)
https://studentshare.org/health-sciences-medicine/1406161-dual-diagnosis.
“Dual Diagnosis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/health-sciences-medicine/1406161-dual-diagnosis.
  • Cited: 1 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Substance Use Disorder and Dual Diagnosis

Alcohol Dependence Correlated with Mental Health Diagnosis According to DSM IV-TR Criteria

Abuse on the other hand refers to pattern of substance use resulting in repeated and substantial harms as a consequence of substance use causing an adverse impact on interpersonal relationships, illegal activities, and inability to fulfill one's responsibilities.... American Psychiatric Association, Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV) provides the list of criteria for the diagnosis of alcohol-related disorders (APA, 2000)....
7 Pages (1750 words) Research Paper

Treating a Dual Diagnosis Client

Dual-diagnosis is used in psychology to refer to the state of a patient which is characterized by the coexistence of a psychological disorder and a substance abuse and addiction problem (Phillips, Olive and Tom 32).... This paper is based on a case study of David who at 21 years of age is presenting with abnormal behavior which indicates a dual-diagnosis of a psychological disorder and a drug abuse and addiction problem.... The history involves an attempt to understand David both in the context of the psychological disorder and the drug addiction problem....
6 Pages (1500 words) Research Paper

Problematic Substance Use/ Dual Diagnosis

This essay "Problematic Substance Use/ dual diagnosis" discusses the physical and psychological health of the individual that tends to affect their social behavior.... The manifestation of mental illness, which is accompanied by a serious addiction to drugs and or alcohol is referred to as dual diagnosis.... Sebastian presents a typical case of dual diagnosis (Butcher, Mineka, Hooley 2008).... That is the essence of dual diagnosis, which is to examine the complication in both perspectives at a go (Daley, 2009)....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Are Mental Health Services Meeting Needs of Users with Dual Diagnosis Illicit Substance Misuse

The paper "dual diagnosis " states that generally speaking, dual diagnosis is on the rise.... Focus QuestionAre mental health services fully meeting the needs of service users with dual diagnosis, illicit substance misuse and serious mental illness RationaleThe problems of dual diagnosis are further compounded by the fact that clients with a dual diagnosis are difficult to assess because they are not homogenous group....
40 Pages (10000 words) Essay

Meeting Challenges in Dual Diagnosis of Substance Abuse and Mental Disorders

The object of analysis for the purpose of this paper is dual diagnosis as coexisting serious mental illnesses and substance misuse problems in an individual.... Therefore, it would be pertinent to investigate or to find evidence whether these available mental health services are adequate enough to meet the growing needs of these individuals with dual diagnosis.... Research has again demonstrated that co-occurring mental and substance use disorders are associated with problems among users, dependence among problem users, severity and persistence of both mental and alcohol-drug disorders, poor health, failed treatment attempts, violence, incarceration, and poverty (Essock et al, 2001, 469-476)....
12 Pages (3000 words) Thesis

Compartmentalization in the Treatment of Patients Diagnosed with Substance Abuse Problems

The economic restrictions of the patients may prevent them from obtaining the proper diagnosis necessary for appropriate treatment whether it be for substance abuse, mental disorder, or most likely both.... An alcohol disorder, 37% had a comorbid mental disorder, while 53% of those with illicit drug diagnoses had another lifetime mental disorder' (as cited in Primm, et al.... The paper "Compartmentalization in the Treatment of Patients Diagnosed with substance Abuse Problems" states that a need for better comprehension of identifying psychological symptoms for proper management of co-morbid cases is what the study proposes....
8 Pages (2000 words) Research Proposal

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder as an Incurable Disease and Its Symptoms

In April of 1980, a new diagnosis was added to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-III), however, the symptoms have been around since the 19th Century.... There are two other criteria to be considered when evaluating the diagnosis of PTSD, which include duration (Criterion E) of more than one month; and Criterion F: functional significance (APA, 2000).... The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10) has a similar diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder under code number F43....
13 Pages (3250 words) Essay

Dual Diagnosis: Mental Illness and Substance Abuse

This paper ''dual diagnosis'' tells that it is a medical term that is used to describe the presence of clinical signs of mental illness and substance abuse in a patient.... Other terms that have equivalent meaning to dual diagnosis conditions are comorbid disorders, co-morbidity, co-occurring disorders, concurrent disorders.... Some health professionals (Folstein, 1975) consider the medical term dual diagnosis as failing to fully define the multiple illnesses that are linked with mental illness and substance abuse....
18 Pages (4500 words) Report
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us