According to the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), substance use disorders are conditions that occur when an individual uses substances like alcohol or marijuana, causing clinically and functionally impairment like disability, distress and failure to accomplish responsibilities at home or at the workplace. The most prevalent substance use disorders in America include Alcohol use Disorder (AUD), tobacco use disorder, hallucinogen use disorder, cannabis use disorder, Opioid use disorder and stimulant use disorder. Addiction to any drug or substance begins with the experimental use of the drug in different social situations. As time passes, an individual may feel the urge to continue taking the drug and may finally become addicted to an extent that he or she may not go without taking it. It is important to note that the symptoms of substance use disorder vary depending in the type of substance or drug used by an individual. An individual with substance use disorder may present behavioral changes like sudden mood swings, changes in sleep patterns, irritability, agitation, suspicious behaviors and poor performance in academics and work. Patients may also present physical changes like slurred speech weight loss, impaired coordination and unusual body smells among others. Patients may also present social changes like changing friends, hangout places and hobbies. Substance use disorders frequently alongside mental health complications like personality disorders, depression and schizophrenia among others. The purpose of this paper is to set up an effective treatment plan or program, for helping patients with substance use disorders. As a health care provider, I will develop a residential treatment program for helping patients to recover from their addictions, incorporating three main elements: medication, counseling and therapy.
Proposed Residential Drug Treatment program
While it is possible to help patients with short-term addictions using intensive outpatient treatment plans, patient with long-term addictions required residential care to maintain their recovery. Focused on behavioral health, the proposed treatment program will include medical treatments and supportive services like psychotherapy to help patients to change the behaviors that resulted from their addiction to various drugs or substances. Professionals involved in the program will include counselors, psychiatrists, psychologists as well as social workers. This treatment program will be long-term and subjects will undergo treatment for at least six months. The proposed treatment program will be applicable in specialized units within hospitals and other treatment facilities purposely designed for helping patients with substance use disorders.
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Medication
Treating substance use disorders using medications is known as Medication-Assisted Treatment. In the proposed residential treatment program, doctors will provide medications to patients upon their arrival at the treatment facility or hospital to detoxify them. Using medications will help not only in detoxification and reducing cravings but also help the patients to cope with the withdrawal symptoms associated with the type of drug or substance they are addicted to. Medications used in this treatment program will vary depending on the type of substance use disorder. For instance, doctors will provide Acamprosate and Naltrexone to reduce cravings and helps patients cope with withdrawal symptoms like irritability, anxiety and anger. To reduce cravings and the negative effects of withdrawal symptoms among patients with Opioid use disorders, health care professionals will provide such medications as buprenorphine and methadone. The program will also involve the use of Bupropion and nicotine replacement medications to help tobacco addicts recover from their addictions. Given that some of the medications used in substance use disorder treatment have serious side effects, the proposed treatment program will ensure that patients are regularly monitored as they use or discontinue the use of the medications given by the medical professionals. To enhance the effectiveness of medications, the proposed residential treatment program will combine the use of medication with therapy and counseling.
Therapy
The psychologists, psychiatrists and social workers involved in the proposed residential treatment program will use not only psychological therapies but also social therapies to help the patients understand the factors that may have contributed to their addiction. While most treatment program use group therapy to help patients recover from their addictions, this residential program will focus more on individual therapy. The rationale for using this type of therapy is that patients have different medical complications associated with their addictions to various drugs or substances. For instance, some patients addicted to alcohol may have depression while other may have other complications like anxiety. In this case, the individual therapy will be effective in providing a dual diagnosis for alcohol addiction as well as depression. The proposed treatment program will incorporate Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help the patients identify the risk factors for their addictive behaviors and develop strategies to avoid those risk factors.
Counseling
The proposed residential treatment program will focus on addressing the symptoms of addiction to various drugs or substances and related impaired functioning. Counselors involved in this program will use addiction counseling and other specialized therapeutic approaches like relapse prevention counseling to change not only the behaviors but also change the thoughts and perception of the patients understand different situations. Counseling will be provided at the individual level where by professionals will interact with the patients one-on-one to understand their behaviors and experiences throughout the recovery program. In this case, the counselors will educate the patients on the risk factors specific to their addictions and help them develop coping strategies towards their recovery. Counseling will also be provided at the family level whereby the professionals will involve the family members of each patient undergoing the treatment. Counselors will inform the family members, for example, on how the treatment works and what to expect when their loved one leave the treatment facility. This will encourage the family members to support the behaviors acquired by their loved ones after they leave the hospital or treatment facility. Apart from counselors, other professionals that will be involved in the counseling provided under this proposed treatment program include social workers and psychologists.
