Treatment Options for Addiction

An Invitation to Addiction Treatment

Addiction is a complex condition that affects your all around health. It is a voluntary choice to take drugs or drink alcohol gradually but it can soon be an uncontrollable desire. In addition, many people think that they cannot survive without drugs or alcohol. There are several treatment options out there for addiction, and I think it is necessary to treat them. Addiction is a disease that affects both the brain and behavior (Drug fact, 2018).

Important to treat addiction

There are a number of treatments to go about when it comes to addiction.  Many careers have begun to focus specifically on addiction as a main part of their job. It has to be understood that it is very hard to stop addiction, and it is not a process that occurs right away. It is a very long-term process, but it does not mean that it is impossible. Those who specialize in this must be very committed and passionate for helping people who are going through a very hard time in their life and are suffering greatly. Their issues not only affect them but also their friends and family so it is important to be sympathetic. In order to treat overall, they need integrated services or different specialist. Especially mental and physical affection needs more attention; close observation, continuous care, as well as coordinate care within the large spectrum of health, social and counseling service (Miller, Forcehimes, & Zweben, 2011). An addiction is a progressive and deadly disease.

It is obviously requiring treatment that saves peoples life and death. I think who see these problems they should without ignoring refer to appropriate places before gets severe stages. Many times they will show symptoms of addiction that a health care official and check up on, Especially an addicted people they complain many physical problems and come to a medical doctor, Dr. should take pay attention, and refer to appropriate places before they get worse, it will save time, resource, and cost as well. In my workplaces there are many drug addiction patient comes, Dr. offers them resources and referral, they usually decline, they Dr. let them go without any action, after couple weeks they come back to the hospital again with same problems. In order to make them a frequent flyer, Dr. should take serious and provide the proper referral, and follow up with them. As a health care worker, I believe it is important to treat them because they using drugs via many routes one route is injected drugs by sharing contaminated needs and having unprotected sex, It can lead to HIV, Hepatitis C and other types of infectious diseases, these diseases can be spread to each other.

Ultimately an addiction treatment is needed to minimize sexual transmission disease, infectious disease, and health care cost. Another hand an addiction treatment programs offer a safe environment for infectious disease screening, counseling, and referral to maintenance programs. Drug addiction can affect anyone and everyone and it is important that they receive the right resources so that they can get a healthier and better life.  Addiction treatment programs should be focusing on the patient’s addictive behavior, as well as to ancillary problems. Such as homeless, jobless

DSM5 definition and Diagnosis for addiction

Although addiction generally means drugs and alcohol, the word can be linked to any activity that a person has an excess obsession of doing including: eating, sleeping, shopping, reading, etc. This terminology has been revised due to science and health cares need precise meaning in order to perform proper diagnosis and treatment. Diagnosis criteria are defined by a professional organization such as world health organization, American psychiatric association. American psychiatric association’s diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorder (DSM) is standard for classifying behavioral health (Miller, Forcehimes, & Zweben, 2011). In fact, ICD (international classification of disease) and DSM (diagnostic and statistical manual) is a formal classification of diagnosis that assists to the health professional to do diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. The formal diagnosis is different than the common concept.

The DSM is revised every decade. The DSM 5 recent release in May 2013, which is fifth and latest version of the American Psychiatric Association. The DSM diagnosis upon names, symptoms, and features of every recognized mental illness including different addictions. The DSM 5 diagnosis for an addiction is substance use related disorders. There are ten separate classes of drugs uses including alcohol, caffeine, cannabis, hallucinogens, inhalants, opioids, sedatives, hypnotics, (stimulants) amphetamine, cocaine, tobacco, and other substances. According to DSM5 that people are not all automatically developing substance-related disorders, some people have lower levels of self-control and some have a higher level when they exposed to drugs. Moreover, there are two groups of substance-related disorders: substance use and substance-induced disorders. Both have different symptoms and problems. In order to diagnosis of DSM5, there are some criteria, that need to be met such as large substance amounts, willing to stop but unable to do it, spending a lot of time recovering, cravings and urges to use, unable to manage at work, home, or due to substance use, causing  problems in relationships, giving up important social, occupational, or recreational Using substances again and again, even when it puts you in danger, continuing to use, with knowledge of physical and  psychological harm, tolerance, and producing withdrawal symptoms, that relieved by taking more drugs. (Hartney, 2018).

An Integrative approach

In general an integrative approach is a kind of therapy that is a combination of psychotherapy and different therapeutic tools, resources, and approaches to suitable needs of the individual. This approach provides values and encourages people to achieve the full potential of their aims. An integrative approach modifies the standard treatments effect of each individual in different ways. It can also help the person that was addicted feel less helpless in their situation and also work to getting a healthier life. In addition, integrative therapy is becoming a more flexible, inclusive and effective treatment for the diagnosis of DSM5 (substances abuse). This approach includes substance abuse etiology, treatment plan and way of adaptation and incorporates concepts from integrative medicine, psychology, and psychiatry.

There are four ways to apply this approach such as: Comprehensive and evidence-based. The comprehensive approach will need a vast scientific background in order to motivate the patient, but it will be a mutual process in which both parties must be actively involved. This approach applies to full treatment, long-term maintenances, complex and chronic condition management of addictions individual ((Miller, Forcehimes, & Zweben, 2011). Multidisciplinary is the second integrative approach, in this approach multidisciplinary teams  are involved such as counseling, family therapy, medicine, nursing, pastoral care, pathology, and social worker. The treatment plan will create by the professional collaborative team but treatment relies on primary therapist with a range of services. Holistic, it is the third approach, addiction affects the whole individual; and the many parts of them that are involved on who they are,  This approach will fully treat of addicted individual and around them as well. In this approach, treatment cannot be effective if chosen one of them only.

Lastly collaborative care: Addiction treatment and management are not possible without collaborative care. This approach is a combination of approaches and uses a vast number of skills in order to treat the individual. A wide range of professionals are involved in direct care of the addictive client. Sometimes only social and health service is not enough, and they might be missing something or unaware of some cases, the addicted client required more attention, involving more professional can cover all areas. Therefore providing an integrative approach to the addicted patient is challenging but collaborative care is considered one of an effective approach to treating a diagnosis of DSM5.

Conclusion

Addiction can be a very serious illness and potentially ruin someone’s life, which is why it is important that a person with the issue is dealt with accordingly and with care. An addiction is important to treat, and bring them back their normal life and minimize or prevent from sexual transmitted and infectious disease, such as HIV, hepatitis C, etc. An addiction is a chronic condition but it is high prevalence and treatable. The clinician should be more consideration to recognize, diagnose and refer them to appropriate places. Addiction Diagnosis criteria are defined by a professional organization such as the American psychiatric association. American psychiatric association’s diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorder (DSM). The DSM 5 is considering substance use related disorders. There are four integrative approaches to provide treatment, management, and prevention of addicted individual.  Although an understanding of counseling skill is the best way to overcome an addiction.

References

• (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.ulifeline.org/articles/392-treating-addiction#
• Drug Addiction. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.drugaddictiontreatment.com/drug-addiction/
• Hartney, E., & Gans, S. (n.d.). What Are Some Criteria for Substance Use Disorders? Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/dsm-5-criteria-for-substance-use-disorders-21926
• Integrative Therapy. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapy-types/integrative-therapy
• Melemis, S. (n.d.). What is Addiction? Definition, Signs, Test, Causes, Consequences. Retrieved from https://www.addictionsandrecovery.org/what-is-addiction.htm
• Miller, W. R., Forcehimes, A. A., & Zweben, A. (2011). Treating addiction: A guide for professionals. New York: Guilford Press.