Do you mind if i smoke?”

CASE STUDY ANALYSIS for LAURA (SEE LAURA’s CASE BELOW) – submit a document detailing their conceptualization of a clinically-based case, using information from the course text and the scholarly literature, and following the guidelines below.
Students will report on relevant aspects of the case history and will apply key concepts from course material, the course textbook, and the scholarly literature to the case in order to formulate a diagnosis, a working theory of causal factors, treatment recommendations, and a likely prognosis. Students will choose from among case studies provided.
Students will work on this assignment in three stages: In Week 1, the case will be selected and a topic area from the scholarly literature will be identified. In Week 3, an Annotated Bibliography of the scholarly articles will be submitted. In Week 7, the final paper is due.
In addition, as different aspects of the addiction process are covered in class readings and discussions each week, students should be thinking about how those aspects relate to the case they are analyzing. By using this step-wise approach, students will experience two benefits: course content will be more relevant as there will be a specific case against which to apply it and the writing of the analysis will be easier overall.
Students will write a thoughtful 10-12 page narrative report, following APA formatting guidelines, integrating the scholarly literature and addressing the main content areas described below.
RELEVANT HISTORY and PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS: Are there any relevant aspects of the client’s history or the client’s characteristics, as reported in the Case Study, which might be relevant to understanding his or her current circumstances? How might you address those? If none are directly mentioned, what aspects would you want to inquire about or assess?
ASSESSMENT & DIAGNOSIS: Referring to DSM-5 criteria for the disorder(s) in question, discuss specific symptoms that would lead to a substance use diagnosis in this case. What type(s) of assessment would be most relevant? Are there symptoms that are NOT evident that would need to be confirmed? Do you suspect the presence of other mental health diagnoses?
CAUSAL FACTORS: What theory or theories might best explain the development of this disorder in this individual? What factors – Biological, Psychological, Sociocultural – likely played the most significant role in the development of the symptoms as they are presented in the case? Be as specific as possible
TREATMENT: Which treatment modalities offer the most likely help for this client? What specific techniques would be recommended?
PROGNOSIS: Based on your understanding of the case, what do you believe is the likely prognosis for this client? How would you define treatment “success” in this case? What factors might influence that success or failure?
The paper will end with a minimum of two substantive paragraphs summarizing points made and articulating a personal reflection (written in the first-person) of the case study analysis process.
On submission your work will auto-run through Turnitin.com’s plagiarism checker software.
LAURA’s CASE:
Laura, a 40 year old African American woman, is very successful in the high-stress high-powered world of corporate finance. She has been referred to you by the company’s employment assistance program. Laura presents herself as a no nonsense business professional. She is frank and honest about the events that has brought her to your office. Laura tells you that although she tells herself that she will only have one or two glasses with dinner, she usually finishes the whole bottle. According to Laura, “About five years ago I started having trouble sleeping and started to take a tranquilizer (5 mg Valium™ ) I normally take one or two pills every two to four times a week to help me sleep through the entire night.”
In the morning she drinks at least 3 to 4 cups of coffee daily, even on the weekends. She noticed that her sleeping problems developed around the same time her Dad died. He was only in his early 50’s and they were very close. His death hit her hard and she says she wanted to give in to a big depression. However, she fought it and lost herself in her work. She makes it a point to work out at least three times a week in the morning before going to work. In addition to the above medications, Laura is also prescribed Xanax™ as needed for panic attacks and diet pills to control her weight, a problem she had since she was a child. Over the last year she has become more reclusive. She can barely make it to business dinners and after-work functions. Lately however, she has noticed that she has been steadily increasing her use of wine. Before, she would only have a few glasses with dinner but now…
“….more often than not I finish off the bottle before going to bed. I just can’t seem to stop. A lot of times I will come home and tell myself that I’ll only have one glass and no more but by the time I go to bed, the bottle is empty and I’m deciding whether I should open another or not. I never used to drink to excess or take anti-anxiety medication before. Now I can’t seem to stop drinking or taking these ‘downers’ at social events. I can’t seem to control when I take them and things are happening that I’m not too happy about. Of course the alcohol adds to my weight problem which then causes me to take more of my Redux™. Then I have to increase my Xanax to calm my nerves and also take my Valium to make sure I get a full night’s sleep. It has become a very vicious circle. All this has been going on for about a years but last week put the “cherry on the pie.”
Laura tells you that last week she was to meet the firm’s top client at a business luncheon. She could not get out of bed that morning. It took all her willpower to get up and get dressed. As it was, she was still 20 minutes late, “which is inexcusable.” She was so nervous and sick she had to excuse herself in the middle of her presentation. In the bathroom she took another Xanax ?to calm her nerves. Then at the luncheon she could not stop herself from ordering several glasses of wine and had to be assisted to her car after the meeting was over.
“My client spoke to my boss and staff and then canceled his account with me. The next day I met with my boss and he recommended (ordered) I make an appointment with our EAP program (or be terminated.) I’m really scared. Work is all I have. I can’t afford to blow it. Do you mind if I smoke?”

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