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(Notice: This case examine relies on many precise instances. All of the names used are made up, and
any relation to precise folks or occasions is solely unintended and coincidental.)
PSYCHOSOCIAL CASE STUDY
Marci has smoked cigarettes since age 16 and at present smokes one pack day by day. Marci
stopped smoking cigarettes for six months one yr in the past, however she presently doesn’t plan to chop
down or give up.
She has 5 prescription capsules (Xanax) for despair and nervousness that got to
her by a school classmate (for whom they have been prescribed). Marci shared that she had been
combating emotions of disappointment and worrying an excessive amount of about two months in the past. She hasn’t
taken them but however has thought-about attempting them.
Marci first experimented with marijuana throughout her senior yr of highschool (age 17),
together with her use turning into extra common after she entered school. Marci was first launched to
marijuana by her highschool boyfriend, who used it each day together with alcohol on the
weekends. Marci has by no means been in an in-patient nor an out-patient program. When her dad and mom
first found her marijuana use, they insisted that she search skilled Help for what they
perceived to be a drug downside. Though they even threatened to name her school educational
dean due to her dropping grades, Marci refused Help and started to debate quitting college.
Whereas she began ingesting wine together with her household when she was 13, she began to
“severely” drink beginning round 18-years-old. She at present drinks 4 or extra alcoholic
drinks (often wine or wine coolers; typically beer) three to 4 occasions every week and had
been smoking marijuana two to 3 occasions every week for one yr. Her ordinary sample was to go
on weekend binges, beginning to drink and smoke on Friday evenings till 2:00 a.m. She
would then have a glass or two of wine round lunchtime on Saturday, smoking a joint or two
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with a few buddies throughout Saturday afternoons previous to attending school sporting or
social occasions. She would then go to events with buddies on Saturday evenings, sometimes
consuming six to seven cans/bottles/cups of beer and sharing a number of joints of marijuana with
others. She had additionally began to devour vitality drinks (Crimson Bull, Monster, and so on.) when she
drank beer at these events to get an added “enhance” to her excessive.
In the course of the previous two months, she has typically had one to 2 glasses of wine (she
additionally used to smoke half a joint of marijuana with it) when alone on college nights. On the
mornings after she used alcohol, Marci tended to sleep in and reduce class, however not each week.
Her leisure and social pursuits had more and more concerned using alcohol and
marijuana, now since her arrest, it’s primarily alcohol (though she nonetheless needs to smoke
hashish). Not too long ago, Marci has begun to specific concern to her buddies about “feeling
depressed and anxious,” however she studies no suicidal ideation or panic assaults. She can be
involved since she has missed her interval.
Marci doesn’t admit to any bodily issues. She says she was not damage in her
accidents apart from a couple of bumps and bruises. She says she didn’t hit her head or lose
consciousness from the accidents. She says she has been sexually lively for the previous two
years together with her “semi-permanent” boyfriend of two years. She thought she was pregnant about
one yr in the past, however it turned out to be a “false alarm.” She says from time to time, particularly
throughout allergy season, she tends to get a “dry, hacky cough.”
Marci is the oldest of three youngsters (one brother, Jacob, 17-years-old; and one sister,
Sarah, 14-years-old) and continues to stay at residence whereas attending school. Her mom, Joan,
is a profitable lawyer, and her father, John, is a college administrator. Her household has at all times
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attended weekly providers at their church and have, on a few events, gone as a household on
church-sponsored humanitarian missions to Latin America. Marci and her siblings have been at all times
very lively within the youth teams, and serving to with varied church ministries, such because the nursery
and pre-school child-care Sunday colleges. From taking these journeys, the household began
incorporating ingesting wine with their night dinners, much like among the native customs
noticed in these international locations. This began when Marci was round 13-years-old. Marci’s dad and mom
came upon about her use of marijuana six months previous to her arrest. Marci’s dad and mom came upon
about her use of marijuana six months previous to her arrest. After her DUI, her dad and mom sat her down
and expressed their concern in regards to the quantity she was ingesting and need her to cease.
Since their confrontation and her arrest, she did reduce down considerably on her use of each alcohol
and marijuana, and (when pressed by her dad and mom) she would abstain for a number of weeks at a time.
As one consequence, her dad and mom stopped giving her permission to drive a household automotive and have been
involved about her affect on her youthful siblings.
Neither her brother nor her sister at present drink or use substances. Her brother Jacob
admits to “ingesting a beer together with his buddies” when he was 16-years-old, however didn’t prefer it. He
additionally admitted to attempting his mom’s (Joan) cigarettes a number of occasions (about 10 of them) when he
15-years-old, however since he needed to play sports activities, he stopped. Her sister Sarah says she has by no means
used and doesn’t wish to strive any of it as a result of she “hates the scent of all of it, and sees from
Marci’s instance how a lot bother it causes.”
Her father (45-years-old) drank alcohol to the purpose of inebriation many occasions when he
was youthful (being arrested as soon as for Public Intoxication when he was 19), however stopped when he
met and married Joan 25 years in the past after they have been each 20-years-old. He has not drank alcohol
commonly since then (apart from the glass of wine at dinner). He has not had any specific
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downside with temper issues, though he says he “worries from time-to-time about issues at
work and offering for his household.” He says each his dad and mom struggled with despair and
nervousness, however by no means (to his information) used any prescription or unlawful medication. He says his dad
drank often, and John acquired his first style of liquor from the stash his dad stored within the
workshop when he was round 12-years-old. John’s mom by no means drank, however she advised John her
father (John’s grandfather) was an alcoholic most of John’s life till his loss of life 42 years in the past.
John is an solely baby.
Marci’s mom (45-years-old) says she used marijuana rising up (“like everybody my
age on the time”) and has struggled off-and-on with despair and nervousness since she was fairly
younger. She by no means drank when she was youthful however has loved the observe of ingesting a glass
of wine with dinner. She says she often may have one other glass or two “to Help her
sleep.” Joan says she was hooked on tobacco, and smoked cigarettes for over 30 years earlier than
starting to give up about three years in the past utilizing nicotine gum and patches. She has now reduce the
gum and patch use down significantly and has not had a cigarette for 2 weeks. Joan says her
father drank excessively all her life and was fairly violent when he was drunk. She says that her
father would beat up her mom often, and put her within the hospital at the very least as soon as that she
remembers for 2 days. Her father is also verbally abusive to her two brothers and two
sisters (Joan is the youngest). Joan’s father died from a automotive accident 10 years in the past, and alcohol is
thought to have been an element. Joan’s mom additionally drank, however to not the surplus of her father, and
may get “acid-tongued” to the daddy and all the youngsters. Joan studies that she and the 2
sisters do not need a superb relationship with their mom, however the two brothers appear to have an
okay relationship. Right now, Joan’s oldest brother drinks excessively, and appears to be
following in her father’s footsteps. The opposite brother has by no means touched alcohol so far as Joan
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is aware of. (Apparently, each brothers blame the use and non-use of alcohol on the instance of
their father.) Joan says she could be very near the youthful brother, however she has a “love-hate”
relationship with the older brother, since he reminds her a lot of her dad and his abuse. Each
of Joan’s sisters drank and smoked slightly after they have been youthful however stopped as soon as they
married and had youngsters (although the oldest sister’s first-born son shows some signs of
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome). She doesn’t know something about her grandparents since they died
(on either side) earlier than she was born, though there have been “household rumors” that there was quite a lot of
ingesting that happened on each maternal and paternal sides.
Marci is at present unemployed. Previously she has labored as a waitress, and when she
turned 21, as a part-time bartender for the additional cash. Her longest place of employment was
waitressing for six months. Over the previous 4 years, she has been fired or left three different locations
of employment resulting from extreme absenteeism and as soon as for destruction of property.
Marci was arrested 5 months in the past for Driving Whereas Impaired (DWI) with a blood
alcohol degree of zero.13. She was additionally charged with possession of 1 gram of marijuana. Her license
was suspended, however she has driving privileges to get to highschool/work and again. Over the previous
three years she has had two accidents that occurred whereas she was intoxicated with alcohol and
marijuana, however no different folks or automobiles have been concerned, and no prices have been filed in opposition to her.
Within the first one (30 months in the past), she backed into a lightweight pole within the mall car parking zone. Within the different
(13 months in the past), she slid right into a ditch when making a average curve on a street underneath regular
street situations, struggling some cuts to her face and bruises to her chest, sides, and knees, and
needing to name a good friend to tug her automotive out of the ditch. She additionally had one “destruction of
property” depend two years in the past, the place she was positioned on six months of probation and ordered to
pay reparations to the proprietor, which she did.
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Marci is a 22-year-old feminine school pupil who was arrested 5 months in the past for
driving whereas impaired with a blood alcohol degree of zero.13. She was additionally charged with possession
of a small quantity (about 1 gram) of marijuana. Her license was suspended, however she has driving
privileges to get to highschool/work and again.
Marci admits that, since she started smoking marijuana, her beforehand good and trusting
relationship together with her dad and mom has soured. She had begun to cover and lied to them about utilizing, and
had felt more and more destructive about herself, particularly as her grades have suffered and her basic
pursuits have narrowed. On a number of events she tried cocaine, and on one other, LSD, however she
discovered the experiences disagreeable. It was not till her arrest that she started to really feel some guilt and
regret over the truth that her ingesting and particularly her marijuana use was negatively impacting
her relationship together with her dad and mom, and interfering together with her want to be an lawyer. She had additionally
change into step by step conscious that marijuana had been affecting her motivation, her schoolwork, and her
religious life, however she has not expressed considerations about her use of alcohol.
Marci achieved regular milestones and carried out nicely in highschool, usually
attaining A’s and B’s. She is in her junior yr of school. She needed to stay away from residence
throughout school, however her dad and mom resisted the concept due to monetary pressures and their tendency
to be overprotective. Though she has at all times been a superb pupil, her grades have begun to go
down and she or he shouldn’t be assembly her educational potential.
Marci is neatly dressed, and shows a compliant method. Her grooming was
applicable. She was cooperative within the interview answering all questions politely. Her temper
appeared considerably anxious and depressed.
Her have an effect on was applicable, and she or he was not overly emotional however seems torn between
embarrassment and anger at being compelled to attend counseling. Her price of speech was considerably
fast when addressing her substance utilizing historical past and appeared pressured at occasions, however in any other case
appeared regular. Her tone modulated from excessive when discussing topics that made her anxious
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(comparable to failing college, getting arrested), and low when discussing topics that have been miserable
to her (issues together with her dad and mom trusting her). Her thought processes have been logical, and she or he
Web page eight of 9
demonstrated correct perception to her personal actions, how they contributed to her scenario, and her
continued lack of feeling the necessity to cease marijuana and alcohol consumption. She was oriented
x four (to individual, place, time, motive why she is being assessed). She had no downside answering
the psychological standing questions or doing “serial sevens.”
She states that, though she has not used marijuana since she was arrested, she nonetheless has
doubts about its harmfulness. Her use of alcohol has not modified. She says that she finds
marijuana pleasurable and stress-free and that, if she may discover a technique to not get caught, she would
wish to proceed utilizing it. She believes that each alcohol and marijuana have helped her really feel higher
about not attaining the excessive objectives she had set for herself and never fulfilling the expectations her
dad and mom have for her.
Marci exhibits no proof of a thought dysfunction, and her content material of thought appeared
regular. She didn’t exhibit any psychotic signs, and denied any previous or present
hallucinations or delusions. She admitted to feeling paranoid at occasions when she was utilizing
marijuana. She denied any obsessions or compulsions. She studies that she has been depressed
and anxious at occasions however that these emotions have by no means been lasting (though they’ve been
extra frequent over the previous month). Her reminiscence didn’t appear impaired, and her intelligence
appeared above common. She has only some issues relating to sleeping (bother sleeping
soundly, getting up too late), however no consuming issues, historical past of panic assaults or agoraphobia,
cognitive deficits, or studying incapacity. She denies any suicidal and homicidal ideations.
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1 (Notice: This case examine relies on quite a few real-life examples.) The entire characters’ names are made up, and
Any resemblance to actual folks or occasions is totally coincidental.)
STUDY OF A PSYCHOSOCIAL CASE
Marci has been smoking cigarettes since she was 16 years outdated and at present consumes one pack per day. Marci
She gave up cigarettes for six months a yr in the past, however she has no plans to take action now.
down or hand over.
She was given 5 prescription capsules (Xanax) for despair and nervousness.
a school classmate of hers (for whom they have been prescribed). Marci revealed that she had been by way of a troublesome time.
Two months in the past, I used to be combating disappointment and overthinking issues. She hasn’t achieved so.
He hasn’t tried them but, however he’s contemplating it.
Marci started by experimenting with
