It is the hope of every human being to have a healthy life at any given time. However, certain conditions cannot be avoided. Different types of illnesses may reach a point and result into mental illness. A good example of such condition is the bipolar disorder. Other mental illness conditions may be as a result of drug and substance abuse, which is very common in the recent days. Due to the heavy intake of certain drugs such as heroin and cocaine, people’s mental stability may be affected significantly. It is worth to note that the effects of drug abuse in mental health cuts across all social classes, that is, whether one is a celebrity or just a common citizen. A popular pop star known as Demi Lovato is one of the recent celebrities to be affected by the bipolar disorder and drug addiction, which I was able to diagnose as her clinician using the DSM-5 criteria.
REPORT OF PHYSIOLOGICAL EVALUATION
NAME: Demi Lovato
AGE: 26 years old.
DATE: 31 st March 2019.
PRESENTING INFORMATION AND REASON FOR REFERRAL:
Lovato is one of the recent celebrities to be faced with problems dealing with drug addiction, and was brought in by her manager to seek medical care. In contrast with other celebrities, Lovato had made her condition public by writing in her social media platforms like Instagram (Ryan, 2018). Remarkably, the fact that she confessed her struggle with drug addiction also makes her an ideal patient for me to handle because she has accepted what she is undergoing. Her music and other artistic works have penetrated far and wide, and she has a massive fan base, which cuts across the entire globe. However, the star is to undergo a rehabilitation exercise as I diagnosed her with the bipolar disorder, which was worsened by drug addiction. Her celebrity status implies that many people are likely to learn from her strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, examining the impact of drug addiction on her life and career will help many people to shy away from the reckless use of drugs. Similarly, being able to manage her condition will influence her fan base positively since they will not live under stigmatization. Moreover, this will increase my credibility as many people will seek my services.
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HISTORY OF PRESENTING THE PROBLEM AND BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The story about Lovato’s condition has trended for a long period of time in different continents due to her celebrity status. Through the clinical interview with her, she indicated that she collapsed after taking an overdose of drugs in 24 th July, 2018, which is also indicated by Ryan (2018). As such, the condition affected her health and mental conditions adversely to an extent that she was taken to a Los Angeles based medical Centre where she spent close to a week. As such, Lovato informed the public, specifically her followers about the condition just after she was discharged in the same month.
Moreover, Lovato told me that the authorities knew that she suffered from an overdose of heroin. However, the report was in contrast with what the celebrity and her closer friends claimed since they had associated her to cocaine and OxyContin use as posited by Ryan in 2018. Trying to find the exact date that Lovato started to take drugs becomes complex since she also received a medication exercise known as Narcan, which is usually taken to reverse the intake of opioid overdose (Ryan, 2018). It is also observed that in 2011, Demi Lovato underwent treatment and she had complained about eating disorders, bipolar disorder, and abuse of substances (Ryan, 2018). Due to her state, Lovato’s family and close friends were greatly affected.
Additionally, Lovato told me that her condition got worse after a party, but when the paramedics arrived, she already had Narcan just as Kelly (2018) held. She said that her closest friends had an idea of what could happen due to her heavy intake of drugs. Moreover, she said that probably, she might have received first aid before the arrival of the paramedics. Unfortunately, her friends were not at liberty to offer any explanation about the responsible drugs (Kelly, 2018). It is still unclear about the conduct of the artist in relation to drug consumption after the 2011 incidence. Specifically, she painted a positive picture about her struggle with drug addiction, and this could probably make everyone think that her life had been transformed by earlier experiences.
However, the latest activities leading to her collapse raises more questions than answers, which still remain unanswered. As such, based on the information provided and from the conduct of her friends, Lovato still abuses drugs and is in dire need of medical care. Additionally, Lovato confessed that she was very strange to issues to do with bipolar disorder until 2011 when she was admitted to a rehabilitation center (Macmillen, 2015). The diagnosis of the condition affected her lifestyle in a variety of ways and this included avoiding alcohol as much as possible (Macmillen, 2015). Clearly, Lovato experienced tremendous changes after the diagnosis, and this was evidenced by the fact that she accepted the bipolar condition as part and parcel of her life.
BEHAVIORAL OBSERVATION AND MENTAL STATUS EXAMINATION:
The condition that Lovato faced is not new in the American population. During the interview, Lovato seemed less conscious and was in a very worrying and hopeless condition. It is worth to note that the patient was also looking very weak and had difficulty breathing. Physically, Lovato was dressed in a casual yellow blouse and a faded jeans trouser. Handling the patient was even easier after her identity was revealed by her manager as her psychiatric, social and family history could be easily traced. Despite administering first aid on her, she came back to her senses but could not clearly respond to questions at first. Fortunately, she slowly improved, gained her conscious, which helped in understanding her condition better. She gave out links to her medical reports which I traced and analyzed with the help of her manager. Lovato also indicated that she felt tired, confused and required to rest.
CLINICAL IMPRESSION:
The patient indicates serious conditions that require urgent interventions. Moreover, it is clear that the patient had used drugs for a very long time. Furthermore, Lovato experienced depression, psychosis and insomnia. Besides, dependent personality disorder (DPD) was also been experienced by Lovato. Alternating seasons of high-energy and depression and manic episodes were also evidenced during the examination of the patient. Moreover, the slowing down of thought and being restless during the interview is characteristic of DSM-5 Diagnostic Criteria as indicated by Shelton (2019).
TREATMENT RECOMMENDATIONS:
Lovato’s condition calls for urgent measures to be taken in order to ensure that she recovers completely. The patient should, therefore, be referred to a physiotherapist and a psychiatrist since it has been established that there exists a very strong relationship between the two fields (Shapiro et.al, 2016). The physiotherapist’s intrusions would comprise aerobic and strength exercises, yoga, relaxation training together with body awareness trainings to cope with the effects of bipolar disorder. From the analysis, it is evidenced that the patient’s mental health has been affected negatively, and, thus, any heath measure should focus on it. Ideally, the physiotherapists should ensure that a good relationship between the healthcare service providers and the celebrity exists. Importantly, the exercises should be done both in individual and group settings. Since the process of regaining the initial status is likely to consume a considerably higher duration, the patient should be taken to a rehabilitation facility until any significant change is witnessed. Likewise, the withdrawal therapy can be done on the patient in a residential treatment center by steadily lowering the drug’s dose or briefly replacing other substances like buprenorphine and naloxone.
Several medications can be applied to improve Lovato’s condition. Relapse prevention is one of the approach that should be taken. Specifically, this refers to a situation or practices whereby cravings are reduced in patients. Moreover, the functionalities of normal brains may also be restored by using this mitigation. Behavioral therapy by the psychiatrist should also be considered as one of the solutions. Remarkably, the use of behavior therapy is based on an assumption that both positive and negative behavior of human beings are learned, and, thus, they can be easily changed in accordance with the prevailing condition (Health Line, 2019). This would be achievable by helping the patient find ways of coping with cravings for the drug, deal with relapse, and include family and friends to help the patient cope with not using drugs. To encourage a positive change in the behavior of the patient, constant counseling should be considered. A regular check-up should also be carried out to identify areas that should be given more attention.
Conclusion
Mental disorder and effects of drug addiction have a strong relationship. Excessive abuse of drugs and other substances may expose an individual to mental disorders. Numerous celebrities have been associated with these conditions and Demi Lovato is a good example. The star is on record indicating that prior to her diagnosis, she was not aware of the disorder. However, she accepted her status and made it open to everyone. The patient suffered from drug addiction and was admitted to an institution in Los Angeles. The fact that she required to regain her initial condition implies that she had to be taken to a rehabilitation center. A physiotherapist and a psychiatrist can apply methods like relapse prevention and behavior therapy to improve Lovato’s state.
References
Health line. (2019). Behavioral Therapy. Retrieved from:https://www.healthline.com/health/behavioral-therapy
Kelly, E. (2019). Demi Lovato's friends saved her life by acting quickly after overdose | Metro News. Retrieved from https://metro.co.uk/2018/07/25/demi-lovatos-friends-saved-life- feared-danger-zone-overdose-7757140/.
Macmillen, H. (2015). Demi Lovato Opens Up About The Mental Illness She Didn't Know She Had. Retrieved from: https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2015/05/88236/demi-lovato-opens-up-about-mental-disorder.
Ryan, L. (2018). Demi Lovato Will Reportedly Be in Rehab for Several Months. Retrieved from: https://www.thecut.com/2018/08/demi-lovato-drug-overdose-tmz-report.html.
Shelton, J. (2019). Depression Definition and DSM-5 Diagnostic Criteria. Retrieved from https://www.psycom.net/depression-definition-dsm-5-diagnostic-criteria/
Shapiro, Y., John, N., Scott, R., & Tomy, N. (2016). Psychotherapy and its role in psychiatric practice: A position paper. I. Psychiatry as a psychobiological discipline. Journal of psychiatric practice , 22 (3), 221-231.
