Author: CJ Peters
Case Study: Middle Aged Female with Cooccurring Alcohol Abuse and Depression
Client was a 54-year-old heterosexual female who presented for treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder co-occurring with Major Depressive Disorder. Client reported having time sober in the past and had relapsed approximately 2 years ago. The client is a licensed clinician and was out of work on FMLA and Short-Term Disability. The client reported that she had been in treatment before, but it was a long time ago and came to Destination Hope for help.
The client shared that she was functioning at work and no-one questioned her performance. She further reported that she was drinking heavily at home nightly and had recently starting drinking while at work, and she knew she needed help. The client reported that she had a troubled marriage with kids living at home and felt responsible to take care of her husband who is disabled.
Case Study: Mid-20s Male with Mental Health & Alcohol Use Disorder
Our client was a mid-20s male from the West coast. He arrived to treatment seeking treatment for Bipolar I Disorder, PTSD, and both Alcohol and Cannabis Use Disorder. Immediately upon admission, it became clear that this client struggled with trusting medical and clinical professionals due to significant treatment history and instilled feeling of institutionalization. Client’s motivation for treatment was minimal. It seemed his sole motivation for treatment was to appease his parents and create a picture of stability for various judges assigned to each of his separate legal cases. The primary issue was that client’s definition of stability was skewed due to his significant lack of insight into his condition.
How to Stay Sober When Your Coworkers Aren’t
Addiction and The Workplace
By some estimates, up to 40 percent of industrial fatalities and 47 percent of industrial injuries can be attributed to on-the-job alcohol consumption, according to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence. Additionally, 21 percent of American workers reported being injured or endangered, having to re-do work or cover for their co-worker or extending their working hours due to a co-worker’s drinking or drug use. Nearly 70 percent of an estimated 22.4 million adult users of illicit drugs are employed either part or full time. Approximately 76 percent of adult heavy drinkers and over 79 percent of adult binge drinkers are also employed part or full time. These percentages equate to approximately 76 million employed adults.
How to Help a Loved One With an Addiction Who Doesn’t Want Help
Addiction is a disease that affects the whole family. Without some sort of intervention or help, drug or alcohol addiction can disrupt a home’s stability and destroy relationships. You might not know exactly how to help your addicted loved one: Some experts advocate a “tough love” strategy, while others recommend a gentler approach. In many cases, an intervention can help motivate an addicted person to acknowledge their problem and seek help. Meeting with your loved one and explaining the consequences of refusing treatment presents them with the opportunity to turn their life around.
Overcoming the Trauma of Sexual Abuse
Sexual abuse, and the trauma it can cause, may leave a person feeling out of control, angry, frustrated, depressed, or anxious about the future. The psychological impact of abuse can linger for months and even years, preventing them from recovering and achieving success in their life. Unfortunately, sexual abuse is alarmingly common; more than 200,000 cases are reported each year in the United States. However, the majority of incidents go unreported, often out of fear, shame or guilt.
The Double Demons of Depression and Addiction
It is estimated that upwards of six in every 10 individuals with a drug abuse problem also have an associated mental health condition. This is known as dual diagnosis or a co-occurring disorder. There’s always a reason people start using drugs, and oftentimes it’s a pre-existing mental condition. It may be something as simple as curiosity that gets the ball rolling, but for some, there is a deeper reason to use drugs. Interestingly, it is a two-way street, as addiction may heighten the risk of developing a mental illness as well.
Alcohol Abuse: How Do I Know If I’ve Crossed the Line?
Alcohol abuse is not always clearly understood by many clients. Many assume only the most extreme habits of alcohol consumption are to be considered alcohol abuse. As such, heavy drinking and other unhealthy drinking habits like binge drinking are often cloaked as “social drinking”. Find out what alcohol abuse is and learn about how we, at Destination Hope, treat it.
Acute Stress Disorder (ASD) 101 – A Guide
Acute stress disorder (ASD), also called acute stress reaction or shock, is a condition that affects how a person thinks, feels, and responds to traumatic stressors. It arises in response to the experience or witnessing of a painful, terrifying, or emotionally stressful event which could involve the threat of death, actual death, injury or violence. It is estimated that up to 20% of people exposed to traumatic events can develop ASD and up to half of those can develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) later.
What Not To Say To Someone In Recovery
When individuals go into treatment, their friends, co-workers and loved ones have a natural desire to make contact and be supportive. However, some questions and comments are not helpful and can, in fact, have a detrimental effect on the process of recovery. Although you may only be asking out of concern and want the individual to know you care, you should avoid questions that only serve to peel a scab off a wound that is still in the process of healing.
COVID-19 and Depression
While business begins to return to normal within the next few months, we must continue to be cautious. Though restrictions are slowly lifting from the pandemic, its effects are still coming to be understood. A recent survey conducted by Harvard, Rutgers and a variety of other universities across the nation has found that twenty seven percent of people in the United States are exhibiting signs of moderate to severe depression, three times the amount that showed signs before Coronavirus. As healthcare professionals, this is extremely concerning for us. With a higher rate of depression comes greater risk of self-harm or…
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