ALCOHOL DEPENDENCY Alcohol Dependency

Alcohol Dependency

Diagnostic Criteria

The diagnosis has not been changed because it helped Alice greatly to recover from her Alcohol disorder. The diagnostic criteria that was followed for the treatment is, an initial assessment without testing was conducted whose results of assessment are as follows: Alice presents with primary complaints of drinking in excess despite promises to cut down; intoxication that negatively affects her personal interactions, minimal functioning and reports a probable family history of alcohol abuse and dependence (Chaim, 2009).

The screening instruments that team has chosen to use to begin gathering information about Alice are: The Mental Health Screening Form-III (MHSF-III) and The Addiction Severity Index (ASI). The MHSF-III was chosen because Alice shows signs of depression which could also include bipolar disorder as evidenced by the risk taking and wild mood swings she exhibits. The Addiction Severity Index is used to treat the patients of alcohol and examine different aspects of the client's live that may help in understanding why they take such excessive amount of alcohol. (Caldwell, 2009).

The team has also chosen to administer the Michigan Alcohol Screening Test which is a self-administered assessment based on 22 questions, the Addition Severity Index which provides an overview of substance abuse problems, the Dartmouth Assessment of Lifestyle Instrument, and Leeds Dependency Questionnaire to measure the severity of the dependence. In addition, the use of the Beck's Depression Inventory is recommended to determine the severity of the depression that Alice is experiencing so that the use of medications could be evaluated. This test measures the full range of depressive symptoms. In addition, the Hamilton Depression Scale could be used if the therapist thinks that the self-report was inconclusive or that the self-reporting by the client is unreliable as it is an observer rated instrument. Additional information about her behavior at work and in the community would help to better assign a GAF score. Her working diagnosis, using the American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision, is as follows:

Axis I 296.23 Major Depressive Disorder, Single Episode, Severe without Psychotic Features, rule out 296.62, Bipolar Disorder, most recent episode mixed, rule out 291.89 Substance Induced Major Depression with Mixed Features 303.90 Alcohol Dependence

Axis II V71.09

Axis IV Problems related to social environment, Problems related to primary support group

Axis V GAF = 50

Stages of Change

Pre-Contemplation Stage

Alice is alcohol addict and takes high ...