University of Waterloo Psychoactive Substances Case Study Essay

• Summarize a chosen case study, describe the featured drug, explain if the situation in the case study qualifies as a substance abuse disorder, and describe the treatment that could be implemented (5-6 double-spaced pages).IntroductionFirst, you will explore one category of addictive drugs: opiates and analgesia. These both have medical applications, despite their addictive potential. After exploring opiates, you will look at the biological mechanisms behind addiction. Over the years, we’ve learned a great deal about the changes in the brain that coincide with substance abuse. Then, once you know about how the brain acts with addiction, you will explore the most common recreational drugs and legal recreational drugs and their effects on the brain.OverviewFor this assessment, you will either listen to the case studies in the Case Studies: Hector, Rose, and Tyler media piece, or read the case studies below. Then, you will choose one of the case studies to write about in your assessment. Next, you will describe the case study, the drug in the case study, how the case study meets or does not meet criteria for a substance abuse disorder, and treatment that might treat the substance abuse disorder.Case StudiesListen to the media piece Case Studies: Hector, Rose, and Tyler. You can read the same case studies below as reference for your assessment.Hector: Hector is a 42-year-old man who has a long history of sports injuries. His doctor prescribed codeine after he shattered his knee in a climbing accident last year. Even though his knee has healed, Hector continues to crave codeine. When he could no longer find a doctor to prescribe it, he started looking for other ways to get it and found a dealer who would sell it to him. As a result of his codeine use, his work suffered until he lost his job a month ago.Rose: Rose is a 32-year-old woman who does LSD on weekends to party. She’s noticed that even in the middle of the week (when she hasn’t done LSD recently), she’ll have flashbacks to previous drug-induced hallucinations. When this occurs at work, she does her best to hide it but it’s been getting more difficult. She’s sure her co-workers notice but she shrugs it off with jokes about being distracted.Tyler: Tyler is a 26-year-old male. Four years ago, the woman he was dating talked him into trying meth. At first, he’d just use meth with his girlfriend on weekends. Over the past few weeks, he’s found himself using meth as soon as he gets home from his construction job and he craves it while he is at work. His boss has commented on the changes he’s noticed at work, but Tyler is sure the meth use makes him a better employee as he has more energy.InstructionsChoose one of the three case studies, and in your assessment:Describe the case study briefly.Describe the drug featured in the case study, including:The biological actions and effects of the drug.The behavioral and psychological effects of the drug.At least two scholarly sources. In addition, you can use information from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the Psychopharmacology text.Explain how the case study meets or does not meet the criteria for a substance abuse disorder.Describe any medical or pharmacological treatment that might treat the substance abuse disorder.Use at least two scholarly sources. In addition, you can use information from the Psychopharmacology text.You can use the following source to find more information about your chosen medication:National Institute on Drug Abuse. (n.d.). http://www.drugabuse.gov/You can access information and reports on addictive drugs using the search feature. Government websites are a great source for credible information and often a primary source for demographic information and other statistics.Once you’ve gathered information from the above website, find four scholarly sources to use.Additional RequirementsYour assessment should also meet the following requirements:Writing style: Text is well-organized, incorporates evidence, and uses appropriate tone in grammatically sound sentences.APA format: References and citations are formatted according to current APA style and formatting guidelines. Learn more in the Evidence and APA section of the Writing Center.Resources: Four scholarly resources-two sources with evidence on the biological, behavioral, and psychological effects of the medication and two sources with evidence on the strengths and weaknesses of the medication. The Psychopharmacology textbook may be used as one of the resources.Length: 5-6 typed, double-spaced pages of content, in addition to a title page and a reference page.Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.Competencies MeasuredBy successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the course competencies through the following assessment scoring guide criteria:Competency 1: Explain the biological effects of psychoactive substances.Explain the biological actions and effects of the drug.Competency 2: Explain the behavioral and psychological effects of psychoactive substances.Explain the behavioral and psychological effects of the drug.Competency 3: Analyze the use of medication to treat specific mental health disorders.Explain how the case study meets the criteria for a substance abuse disorder.Analyze how a medication treats the specific substance abuse disorder.Competency 4: Apply scholarly research findings to topics in psychopharmacology.Use four scholarly sources to support main points.Competency 5: Address assessment purpose in a well-organized text, incorporating appropriate evidence and tone in grammatically sound sentences.Address assessment purpose in a well-organized text, incorporating appropriate evidence and tone in grammatically sound sentences.Apply APA style guidelines for formatting citations and references with few errors.

Shift from looking at disorders and what medications treat them to looking at medications more often associated with addiction. Begin this exploration by looking at opiates, which have clear medical applications as well as significant addictive potential.

• Ettinger, R. H. (2017). Psychopharmacology (2nd ed.). Routledge. Available in the courseroom via the VitalSource Bookshelf link.Chapter 7, “The Pharmacology of Opiates and Analgesia,” pages 168-184.

Read the following article that examines some of the factors that correlate with addiction among patients undergoing pain management, as well as cultural differences:

• Said, O., Elander, J., & Maratos, F. A. (2019). An international study of analgesic dependence among people with pain in the general population. Substance Use & Misuse, 54(8), 1319-1331.

Next, read about pain treatment and prevention of opioid-related risks:

• Crouch, T. B., Wedin, S., Kilpatrick, R. L., Christon, L., Balliet, W., Borckardt, J., & Barth, K. (2020). Pain rehabilitation’s dual power: Treatment for chronic pain and prevention of opioid-related risks. American Psychologist, 75(6), 825-839.

Read about anxiety and opioids in adults with back pain:

• Rogers, A. H., Garey, L., Raines, A. M., Allan, N. P., Schmidt, N. B., & Zvolensky, M. J. (2020, August 10). Anxiety sensitivity and opioid use motives among adults with chronic low back pain. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology.

Read about the differences between alcohol and opiate addiction in females:

• Raketic, D., Barisic, J. V., Svetozarevic, S. M., Gazibara, T., Tepavcevic, D. K., & Milovanovic, S. D. (2017). Five-factor model personality profiles: The differences between alcohol and opiate addiction among females [PDF]. Psychiatria Danubina, 29(1), 74-80.

Read about current and future treatments for opioid addiction:

• Beneitez, M. C., & Gil-Alegre, M. E. (2017, May 18). Opioid addiction: Social problems associated and implications of both current and possible future treatments, including polymeric therapeutics for giving up the habit of opioid consumption. BioMed Research International, 2017. https://www.hindawi.com/journals/bmri/2017/7120815/

Lastly, watch a very informative video about opioid crisis from Emory Brain Health Center:

• Emory Brain Health Center. (2020, September 28). The opioid crisis [Video] | Transcript. https://www.emoryhealthcare.org/your-fantastic-mind/season-two/Episode%204.html

Shift your full focus to addiction. Examine how addiction works in the brain as well as possible directions for medical interventions in the following chapter:

• Ettinger, R. H. (2017). Psychopharmacology (2nd ed.). Routledge. Available in the courseroom via the VitalSource Bookshelf link.Chapter 8, “Substance Abuse and the Neurobiology of Addiction,” pages 185-204.

Next, please read the following article that explores the brain disease model with the biopsychosocial model.

• Becoña, E. (2018). Brain disease or biopsychosocial model in addiction? Remembering the Vietnam veteran study [PDF]. Psicothema, 30(3), 270-275.

Now that you know more about how addiction works in the brain, examine illegal drugs and how they work in the following chapter:

• Ettinger, R. H. (2017). Psychopharmacology (2nd ed.). Routledge. Available in the courseroom via the VitalSource Bookshelf link.Chapter 9, “The Pharmacology of Scheduled Psychoactive Drugs: Psychostimulants, Psychedelics, and Marijuana,” pages 205-244.

Take a look at legal recreational drugs and how they work in the following chapter:

• Ettinger, R. H. (2017). Psychopharmacology (2nd ed.). Routledge. Available in the courseroom via the VitalSource Bookshelf link.Chapter 10, “The Pharmacology of Non-Scheduled Psychoactive Drugs: Alcohol, Nicotine, and Caffeine,” pages 245-275.

Then, look at a specific example of how alcohol consumption can affect the brain:

• Boness, C. L., Korucuoglu, O., Ellingson, J. M., Merrill, A. M., McDowell, Y. E., Trela, C. J., Sher, K. J., Piasecki, T. M., & Kerns, J. G. (2020). Twenty-first birthday drinking: Extreme-drinking episodes and white matter microstructural changes in the fornix and corpus callosum. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 28(5), 553-566. https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fpha0000336 (Retraction published 2021, Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 29[2], 216)

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Case Studies 2 Scoring Guide
Case Studies 2 Scoring Guide
CRITERIA
NON-PERFORMANCE
BASIC
PROFICIENT
DISTINGUISHED
Explain the
biological actions
and effects of the
drug.
Does not describe the
biological actions and
effects of the drug.
Describes but
does not
explain the
biological
actions and
effects of the
drug.
Explains the
biological actions
and effects of the
drug.
Explains the biological
actions and effects of the
drug and uses examples to
support the points.
Explain the
behavioral and
psychological
effects of the drug.
Does not describe the
behavioral and
psychological effects of
the drug.
Describes but
does not
explain the
behavioral and
psychological
effects of the
drug.
Explains the
behavioral and
psychological effects
of the drug.
Explains the behavioral
and psychological effects
of the drug and uses
examples to support the
points.
Explain how the
case study meets
the criteria for a
substance abuse
disorder.
Does not describe how
the case study meets the
criteria for a substance
abuse disorder.
Describes but
does not
explain how the
case study
meets the
criteria for a
substance
abuse disorder.
Explains how the
case study meets
the criteria for a
substance abuse
disorder.
Explains how the case
study meets the criteria for
a substance abuse
disorder, including
examples of the primary
symptoms.
Analyze how a
medication treats
the specific
substance abuse
disorder.
Does not describe how a
medication treats the
specific substance abuse
disorder.
Describes but
does not
analyze how a
medication
treats the
specific
substance
abuse disorder.
Analyzes how a
medication treats the
specific substance
abuse disorder.
Analyzes how a medication
treats the specific
substance abuse disorder
using examples to support
the points.
Use four scholarly
sources to support
main points.
Does not use scholarly
sources to support main
points.
Uses scholarly
sources but
some of the
sources are not
credible.
Uses four scholarly
sources to support
main points.
Uses more than four
scholarly sources that
support all main points.
Address
assessment
purpose in a wellorganized text,
incorporating
appropriate
evidence and tone in
grammatically
sound sentences.
Does not respond to the
assessment prompt
and/or does not organize
text appropriately, uses
inappropriate tone, or
does not include
structurally sound
sentences.
Addresses the
assessment
purpose with
minimal issues
related to
evidence, tone,
and sentence
structure.
Addresses
assessment purpose
in a well-organized
text, incorporating
appropriate evidence
and tone in
grammatically sound
sentences.
Presents a focused
purpose through strong
organizational skills.
Presents evidence through
strong paraphrasing or
summarizing and
appropriate tone and
sentence structure.
Apply APA style
guidelines for
formatting citations
and references with
few errors.
Does not apply APA style Uses citations
guidelines for formatting and references
citations and references. but does not
apply APA style
guidelines.
Applies APA style
guidelines for
formatting citations
and references with
few errors.
Applies APA style
guidelines for formatting
citations and references
with no errors.
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