Part 1: Discussion post (150-215 words) (No reference)
Read the following case study and answer one of the questions below. Keep up the good work!
Janis: A Mother Whose Teenage Son’s Behavior Suggests a Struggle with Substance Abuse and Major Depression
You work for a private adolescent mental health treatment facility intake office. You get a call from a mother, Janis, who is very concerned about her fifteen-year-old son’s behavior at home. Janis says that Sam has been extremely paranoid, irritable, and irrationally angry. She says that he has recently quit the soccer team, which “used to be his whole world,” and will not give her any explanation.
You ask if he has symptoms or a history of depression. Janis says he does not appear depressed, but when you ask about his eating and sleeping patterns, she notes that he has “no appetite” and that he is intermittently unable to sleep. However, she also comments that he sleeps for “days on end.” You question Janis about substance use or abuse and she says that she knows Sam smokes pot and drinks at parties, but she is not sure if he uses anything else. You inquire about any alcoholism or compulsive illness in the family and she notes that several of her uncles are alcohol dependent, but adds that she has never seen Sam drunk.
Janis is full of fear and bursts into hysterical tears, unable to catch her breath. She is afraid she is making a mistake by involving a therapist. You reassure her that she is doing the right thing in talking with you about this situation and she notes that she feels extremely guilty because she has been “overlooking so many signs.” You ask her what she means and she hesitantly admits that he tends to check under beds and in closets in the house before bed, has taped his windows with masking tape so no one can see in, and he has even been “tattooing himself” with a straight razor. Janis is dismayed and tells you that he used to be “such a normal kid – almost preppy. He was concerned about his school work, neat and clean, pleasant and positive and polite.” Now she describes him as a “rebel” and states that he doesn’t care anymore about what people think of what he says or does. You encourage her to come in to meet and to bring Sam. She notes that she is not sure she can get him to come in and you suggest she do whatever she can to bring him in.
They arrive several hours later and Sam insists on waiting in the car. Janis comes in and appears exhausted, with red, sunken eyes. She looks disheveled. She says that she cannot stay long because Sam is furious at her for bringing him here and you
assure her that the intake will not take very long. When she says Sam refuses to come inside, you ask if he might come out of the car if you got him a soda and sat with him at one of the picnic tables outside. She agrees and you go outside. Sam has fallen asleep in the car and is very groggy when Janis wakes him up. He looks at you blankly and when you greet him, he is affectless and indifferent. Sam has dyed dark black hair, is dressed in camouflage shirt and pants, and has several spike-shaped piercings in his face.
You ask his mom discreetly if he has always presented so boldly and she noted that this “Goth” look is very recent – about the same time he quit the soccer team. You offer to get Sam a coke and he says, “Sure.” You ask Janis if you can meet with Sam alone and she agrees. You ask Sam what he thinks he is doing here and he answers, “My mom is a freak. She always thinks something’s wrong with me, or that I’m a drug addict or suicidal or something. She is so clueless. I wish she’d just get the heck off my case!” You cleverly tell Sam, “Hey, if you’re willing to answer some questions and it appears that you have no mental health issues that alarm me, I bet meeting with me would alleviate her anxiety. Perhaps she’d back off some.” Sam says, “Cool.” You get him a soda and start your psychosocial assessment, peppering in questions from two short substance screening instruments and a depression inventory. While he has a great deal of denial about the role substances play in his present life, he does acknowledge drinking several times a week (which you suspect is a minimization) and even drinking alone because “people piss me off a lot.
He states that he has tried to quit smoking pot once or twice because he knows that his parents “aren’t cool with it” and he doesn’t want to get in trouble with the law. Finally,
he states, “My mom is driving me crazy and I don’t think I can stand it anymore. I’ll work with you if you think you can get her to back off. Otherwise, I may just have to get lost.”
You ask him what he means by getting lost, and he notes that he has some money saved up and he can leave anytime he likes. He is not willing to tell you any details about his plans, but he sounds fairly serious about running away. You contract with him to come for weekly sessions for four weeks. At that point you could reevaluate the situation. He agrees to the plan and states, “Man, if you can help me, that’d be so great. I’d rather buy the Harley I’ve been looking at than spend my money hitching across the country.” He seems a bit enamored by his drama and you affirm that he seems to have a lot of choices.
Choose one of the following questions to answer…
1. What are the warning signs for possible drug abuse? Depression? Which could be indicative of both disorders?
2. What evidence-based screening assessments might be used in this instance?
3. What referral sources should you consider for Sam and his mother?
4. Many addicts and alcoholics have concurrent personality disorder diagnoses. How does the DSM define personality disorder? Which do you think might be reflected in Sam’s presentation and symptoms?
Your responses should be well thought out and comprehensive and will be assessed based on your evidence of content knowledge and critical thought.
*FOR SWEET STUDY*
**Use AMERICAN VERSION OF WORDS**
Assignment 2: Application 12.4 (1 PAGE, NO references)
View 12.4 in the mylab. You will choose one of those and write a 1 page reflection based on the question provided. Please clearly identify which section you will be reviewing as well as the question. It is recommended that you respond to the question in a word document and upload it here to canvas. You will not need to use the mylab component to input this information. These responses are expected to be specific, comprehensive, and evidence of critical thinking, as it relates to course content and clinical objectives, must be demonstrated. (expected length= 1 page)
12.4 Assessing and Addressing Bipolar Disorder in Youth
Using what you know about diagnosis in counseling, explain methods for assessing and addressing bipolar disorder in youth.
Question 1: What is bipolar disorder?
Hint: Consult your text or other trusted resources, especially the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
Question 2: What is the difference between bipolar I and bipolar II?
Hint: Consult your text or other trusted resources, especially the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
Question 3: What theoretical techniques can be used to address bipolar disorder?
Hint: Consult your text or other trusted resources
*FOR SWEET STUDY*
**Use AMERICAN VERSION OF WORDS
**NO NEED TO LIST REFRANCES
**PLEASE ANSWER ALL 3 QUESTIONS (1 PAGE LEGNTH)