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Article Critique In the quantitative study by Turid Moller and Olav Linaker (2010), they examined and compared records of information given by psychotic patients concerning their alcohol and drug problems. In their study, the research question is "Do psychotic patients under-assess themselves during early clinical interventions and what are the effects of under-assessment on their treatment outcomes?" The null hypothesis is that failing to diagnose and account for substance abuse will not lead to high rates of relapse and hospital readmissions. Therefore, the alternate hypothesis is that failing to diagnose substance abuse will lead to high rates of relapse and hospital readmission. First, the study focused on evaluating the ‘psychometric adequacy' of self-reports and staff-reports concerning alcohol and drug problems in patients with severe mental conditions (Moller and Linaker, 2010). Second, the study aimed at finding an answer to whether psychotic patients provide inadequate assessments on their alcohol and drug abuse problems. Methods The collection of data was done through random sampling of patients from Trondheim city. The data was collected from September to October 2001 from a total of 48 participants, 22 and 26 outpatients and inpatients respectively (Moller and Linaker, 2010). The sample population provided primary data by filling questionnaires: the Short Michigan Alcohol Screening Test (SMAST-13) and Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST-20). Similarly, nurses collected secondary data on the staff-report tools namely Alcohol Use Scale (AUS) and Drug Use Scale (DUS). In the study, SMAST-13 and DAST-20 tools were used because of simplicity and accuracy in predicting substance use disorders. Simplicity ensures that participan... ... middle of paper ... ...ength to the use of tested and reliable clinical tools that show a high degree of consistency and accuracy. However, the number of participants is small and may not be a true representation of the sample population for psychotic patients. For example, when 48 people are compared to the millions of people suffering from psychotic conditions, it does not have a practical significance. With respect to weaknesses, the generalizability of the results is limited because the sample population is not an accurate representation of the whole population of psychotic patients (Francis, 2008). For example, people from other cities should have been selected. Therefore, future research should conduct similar studies in different cities across the world so that results can be compared. Complete comparison with results from other cities will facilitate generalization of results.
Tsuang, M. T., Faraone, S. V., & Glatt, S. J. (2011). Schizophrenia. New York: Oxford University Press.
Fortinash, K. M., & Holoday Worret, P. A. (Eds.). (2012). Substance-related disorders and addictive behaviors. Psychiatric mental health nursing (5th ed., pp. 319-362). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Mosby.
Webb, C. P. M. (2005). Epidemiology of heavy alcohol use in Ukraine: Findings from the world mental health survey. Alcohol and Alcoholism, 40(4), 327–335. doi:10.1093/alcalc/agh152
A psychological assessment is defined as “the gathering and integration of psychology-related data for the purpose of making a psychological evaluation that is accomplished through the use of tools such as tests, interviews, case studies, behavioral observation, and specially designed apparatuses and measurement procedures” (Cohen, Swerdlik, &Sturman, 2013). Although examiners strive toward the assessment being good enough to be useful, they sometimes have to make decisions about what type of error is acceptable. There are many psychological assessments that have been used in the study of addictions, but we will take a look at the Addiction Severity Index.
The term ‘dual diagnosis’ refers to people who suffer from grave mental illness and have problems with drugs or alcohol to the extent that their mental and physical health is affected. The condition of substance misuse disorder does not entail that there is dependence or an addition rather it defines a spot where the person’s use of drugs or alcohol has become problematic and it impairs the person’s tone of spirit and their ability to work as part of a community. Some reasons that people who are mentally ill drink and get hold of drugs include they are self-medicating, to normalize entry into social groups, to run away or to disengage because their spirit is difficult so they why would rather be “numb” than deal with their troubles. In this paper I will cover the following topics substance abuse’s role in offending behaviors, challenges for both client and clinician’s perspective, interventions and techniques that can be used with this population and some research findings.
middle of paper ... ... Retrieved June 16, 2002, from http://nimh.nih.gov/publicat/numbers.cfm. National Mental Health Association. 2000 May 15.
According to Gamble and Brennan (2000), the effectiveness of medication for schizophrenia to relieve patients from psychotic symptoms is limited. Although patients have adequate medication, some received little or no benefit from it and almost half of them still experience psychotic symptoms. They are also more likely to suffer relapse (Gamble and Brennan, 2000). Furthermore, Valmaggia, et al. (2005) found that 50% of patients who fully adhere to anti-psychotic medication regimes still have ongoing positi...
Coined by Eugen Bleuler in 1950, the term ‘Schizophrenia’ refers to a group of mental disorders with heterogeneous outcomes. The most prevalent subtype of schizophrenia is the paranoid subtype. Typically, this disorder is characterized by psychosis, in which the patient suffers from altered perceptions of reality. According to the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM – V), the typical subtypes – paranoid, catatonic and disorganized, among others have been eliminated, although the general definition of the disorder remains unchanged. These changes were made due to the clinically diverse prognosis, pathophysiology and etiology of the disorder, which add to its heterogeneity1, 2. In addition, sex of the patient and age of onset of the disorder also contribute to schizophrenia’s diverse effects. The age of onset and sex of the patient heavily influence the demographics and course of paranoid schizophrenia, and in turn are also affected by the patients ethnicity and any premorbid conditions the patient may have suffered1, 3...
It has been established substance control is a far more feasible short-term goal than outright eradication. With this ideology, the premise of one’s analysis will be on substance abuse control methodologies, gauging effectiveness and overall success in achieving its purpose. The harm reduction model is the most prevalent ideology within the large spectrum of substance control methods, defined by the Centre for Mental Health and Addiction as any program or policy designed to reduce drug-related harm without requiring the cessation of drug use. In essence, instead of adhering to the conventional eradication style practices aforementioned, this style focuses on helping the offender cope with their mental illness. This not only encourages offenders to take active participation within their treatment, but makes them the directors of their own rehabilitation, using their own will power to gauge treatment.
Lesley Stevens and Ian Rodin justified the need of acquisition to the mental disorders’ aetiology in their book “Psychiatry”. They pointed out the fact that psychiatrists need to be familiar with the contribution of a particular disorder in order to make a more confident in the diagnosis. Knowing the aetiology of psychotic disorder is as important as the diagnosis. For the simple reason that psychotic disorders do not have particular tests that can be made for diagnosis; on the contrary, physical illnesses do. Knowing the probability of patients vulnerability to a particular disorder helps in the diagnosis. They gave an example explaining that the probability of having angina is more likely in a 60-year-old male smoker rather than a 30 year-old female non-smoker. Although the causes of schizophrenia remains incompletely reveled, research has shown strong factors that might contribute to the disorder. The factors that increase the risk of schizophrenia include: genetics, environmental factors, and some encephalon(brain) abnormalities.
Over the years, substance abuse in the United States has become a persistent issue affecting many individuals. In 2008, it was estimated that 17.8 million Americans over the age of 18 where substance dependent (Epstein, Burns, & Conlon, 2010). Many of these individuals being affected are nurses. Ponech (2000) stated that "approximately 10% of the nursing population has alcohol or drug abuse problems, and 6% has problems serious enough to interfere with their ability to practice" (as cited in Talbert, 2009, p.17). Studies show that nurses have a 50% higher rate of substance abuse compared to the rest of the public (Epstein et al., 2010). Among the many factors that contribute to the nurse’s issue of substance abuse, accessibility to drugs in the work environment has played a significant role. Substance abuse among nurses is an arising issue in need of attention, it is alarming to know that patient safety and care is in danger when a chemically impaired nurse is in the workplace.
Mental Illness Fellowship Victoria. (2008) Understanding dual diagnosis: mental illness and substance use. Retrieved from http://www.mifellowship.org/sites/default/files/styles/Fact%20Sheets/Understanding%20Dual%20Diagnosis.pdf
BIBLIOGRAPHY Arasse, Daniel. Complete Guide to Mental Health. Allen Lane Press,New York, 1989. Gingerich, Susan. Coping With Schizophrenia. New Harbinger Publications, Inc. Oakland, 1994. Kass, Stephen. Schizophrenia: The Facts. Oxford University Press. New York, 1997. Muesen, Kim. “Schizophrenia”. Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia. Microsoft Corporation, 1998. Young, Patrick. The Encyclopedia od Health, Psychological Disorders and Their Treatment. Herrington Publications. New York, 1991.
Substance abuse complicates almost every aspect of care for the person with a mental disorder. When drugs enter the brain, they can interrupt the work and actually change how the brain performs its jobs; these changes are what lead to compulsive drug use. Drug abuse plays a major role when concerning mental health. It is very difficult for these individuals to engage in treatment. Diagnosis for a treatment is difficult because it takes time to disengage the interacting effects of substance abuse and the mental illness. It may also be difficult for substance abusers to be accommodated at home and it may not be tolerated in the community of residents of rehabilitation programs. The author states, that they end up losing their support systems and suffer frequent relapses and hospitalizations (Agnes B. Hatfield, 1993).
According to Institute of Alcohol Studies there is more than one kind of relationship involved between alcohol problems and mental health, such as: mental health problems may be a cause of problem drinking and vice versa; there may be a factor in common, in the genes or in the early family environment, which later contributes to both a mental health problems and alcohol probl...