Post by annar on Jul 6, 2015 4:03:28 GMT
I left the dual diagnosis workshop thinking about many new pieces of information. In the unit where I currently work, the vast majority of clients have a dual diagnosis and many of these are co-occurring substance and mental health disorders. My greatest learning was understanding why illicit drug use and mental health disorders are so often seen together and how appropriate help can be provided to the client to address both of these issues.
I find the dual diagnosis of substance abuse and mental health disorder interesting, as the two things appear to be very closely connected and each appears to have a large impact upon the other. It also appears that one aspect of the dual diagnosis cannot effectively be treated without treating the other.
At work, I have seen that drug use has caused mental health issues such as psychosis. However, its use can also be used by clients to ease the symptoms of their mental illness. Some of the clients that I work with have been willing to talk about this and have indicated that illicit drug use helps them to cope with the symptoms of their mental illness. This could refer to the stress and fear associated with anxiety, the desperation and sadness associated with depression or the hallucinations that accompany psychosis. Some clients in the unit have used drugs for years, preferring them to their usual psychotrophic medication.
However, self-medication with illicit drugs has caused our clients financial problems, relationship problems, police involvement due to violence/crime and possible DHS involvement if they have children. I have also noticed that the physical and dental health of some clients has also been adversely affected by their drug use. Some clients are unable to take care of their ADL’s, they have altered sleep patterns and poor nutritional intake. After their hospital admission, some clients return to their drug use and are repeatedly readmitted to the unit due to medication non-compliance and the resulting decrease in their mental health.
The workshop provided me with a broader understanding of why our clients use illicit drugs and the perceived benefits that these provide to them. It also reinforced that remaining non-judgmental about continuing drug use was important, as lapse and relapse are a normal part of recovery and can be expected during this time.
I found the ‘RULE’ principle good to follow when talking to clients, as it is about gaining understanding about the client by viewing life from their perspective and empowering them to work towards change rather than telling them that they’re wrong. During one activity during the workshop, we were asked to take on a ‘helper’ role and a ‘listener’ role. By asking the five stated questions in the listener role the ‘client’ was able to identify why they wanted to make a change, how important it was for them to do this and how this could be achieved. I remember that the ‘listener’ role felt good as I was not telling the client what to do, or offering advice that may not suit them.
I enjoyed this workshop as it gave me information about what I had been seeing whilst at work. I also increased my understanding about the particular problems that those with a dual diagnosis of substance abuse and mental health issues face. I also learnt that lapse and relapse are a normal part of recovery. I have used some of the techniques mentioned during this workshop at work and believe that my nursing practice has improved as a result.
I find the dual diagnosis of substance abuse and mental health disorder interesting, as the two things appear to be very closely connected and each appears to have a large impact upon the other. It also appears that one aspect of the dual diagnosis cannot effectively be treated without treating the other.
At work, I have seen that drug use has caused mental health issues such as psychosis. However, its use can also be used by clients to ease the symptoms of their mental illness. Some of the clients that I work with have been willing to talk about this and have indicated that illicit drug use helps them to cope with the symptoms of their mental illness. This could refer to the stress and fear associated with anxiety, the desperation and sadness associated with depression or the hallucinations that accompany psychosis. Some clients in the unit have used drugs for years, preferring them to their usual psychotrophic medication.
However, self-medication with illicit drugs has caused our clients financial problems, relationship problems, police involvement due to violence/crime and possible DHS involvement if they have children. I have also noticed that the physical and dental health of some clients has also been adversely affected by their drug use. Some clients are unable to take care of their ADL’s, they have altered sleep patterns and poor nutritional intake. After their hospital admission, some clients return to their drug use and are repeatedly readmitted to the unit due to medication non-compliance and the resulting decrease in their mental health.
The workshop provided me with a broader understanding of why our clients use illicit drugs and the perceived benefits that these provide to them. It also reinforced that remaining non-judgmental about continuing drug use was important, as lapse and relapse are a normal part of recovery and can be expected during this time.
I found the ‘RULE’ principle good to follow when talking to clients, as it is about gaining understanding about the client by viewing life from their perspective and empowering them to work towards change rather than telling them that they’re wrong. During one activity during the workshop, we were asked to take on a ‘helper’ role and a ‘listener’ role. By asking the five stated questions in the listener role the ‘client’ was able to identify why they wanted to make a change, how important it was for them to do this and how this could be achieved. I remember that the ‘listener’ role felt good as I was not telling the client what to do, or offering advice that may not suit them.
I enjoyed this workshop as it gave me information about what I had been seeing whilst at work. I also increased my understanding about the particular problems that those with a dual diagnosis of substance abuse and mental health issues face. I also learnt that lapse and relapse are a normal part of recovery. I have used some of the techniques mentioned during this workshop at work and believe that my nursing practice has improved as a result.