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Addiction and Substance Use in Diverse Populations
College of Humanities & Social Sciences-Grand Canyon University
PCN-370: Psychopath & Adv. Treatment-Spec Pop W/ Addiction & Substance Use
Disorders
In this course, you will write a paper on addiction and substance use in diverse populations. The creation of this paper will span across
multiple weeks throughout the course. The final draft of your paper is due this week:
Topic 1 - Topic selection and Thesis statement due
Topic 3 – Annotated Outline due
Topic 5 – Rough Draft of paper due
Topic 7 – Final Draft due
The assignment instructions are as follows:
Use the feedback you obtained from your instructor to write your final draft paper of 1,500-1,750 words addressing addiction and
substance use within a specific population. Use the population you selected as the focus of your paper:
1. Women
2. Elderly
3. Disabled
4. HIV-positive
5. Veterans
6. Co-Occurring mental health and substance use disorder
For your selected population, address all of the components below and the feedback provided by your instructor to write the final draft of
your paper. Be sure to use the scholarly resources you analyzed in your annotated bibliography outline to support your content.
1. Assessment and screening techniques
2. Proper diagnosis techniques for this population
3. Treatment interventions
4. Associated risk factors
5. Relapse prevention and aftercare treatment
6. Use the feedback received on your rough draft from the instructor to complete the final revisions to your paper.
Cite a minimum of six scholarly resources in your paper.
Prepare this assessment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.
This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for
successful completion.
You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. A link to the LopesWrite technical support articles is located in Class Resources
if you need assistance.
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Addiction and Substance Use in Diverse Populations: Rough Draft
Within the current cultural climate, most people who seek professional assistance for
overcoming a substance use disorder will, unfortunately, also need psychological services for
issues other than merely their addiction. Coined as “dual diagnosis”, this population will present
a constellation of symptoms that, depending on the severity, may require either partial treatment
(or the focusing of only one of the diagnosis) or what is referred to as sequential treatment (when
both disorders are addressed one after another). Additionally, within the field of mental health,
the term “parallel treatments” implies that service providers are, out of necessity, having to
implement multiple treatments simultaneously for a single patient who categorized as “dual
diagnosis”. The relevance of this concept becomes apparent when considering that, within the
specialty of addiction treatment, the majority of those who need help for addiction will also need
help for another illness or mental disorder. In such instances, the amount of maintenance
required for the dual diagnosis client to maintain their sobriety can, understandably, seem
daunting (if not impossible) upon initial consideration. Consequently, it is not uncommon for
dual diagnosis clients to, over time, neglect certain aspects of their mental health which, in turn,
exasperates their cravings, increases their overall stress, and, in the worst-case scenario, ignites a
chain of events that can lead toward a full-blown relapse. Thus, for individuals who formally
meet the criteria of having co-occurring disorders, the likelihood of both achieving and
maintaining their sobriety is, from a treatment vantage point, directly correlated with how much
effort both the client and the treatment staff also put towards addressing any past trauma,
secondary disorders, or other underlying psychological issues.
Assessment and Screening Techniques for Co-occurring Mental Health and Substance Use
Disorders
Addiction and Substance Use in Diverse Populations
College of Humanities & Social Sciences-Grand Canyon University
PCN-370: Psychopath & Adv. Treatment-Spec Pop W/ Addiction & Substance Use
Disorders
In this course, you will write a paper on addiction and substance use in diverse populations. The creation of this paper will span across
multiple weeks throughout the course. The final draft of your paper is due this week:
Topic 1 - Topic selection and Thesis statement due
Topic 3 – Annotated Outline due
Topic 5 – Rough Draft of paper due
Topic 7 – Final Draft due
The assignment instructions are as follows:
Use the feedback you obtained from your instructor to write your final draft paper of 1,500-1,750 words addressing addiction and
substance use within a specific population. Use the population you selected as the focus of your paper:
1. Women
2. Elderly
3. Disabled
4. HIV-positive
5. Veterans
6. Co-Occurring mental health and substance use disorder
For your selected population, address all of the components below and the feedback provided by your instructor to write the final draft of
your paper. Be sure to use the scholarly resources you analyzed in your annotated bibliography outline to support your content.
1. Assessment and screening techniques
2. Proper diagnosis techniques for this population
3. Treatment interventions
4. Associated risk factors
5. Relapse prevention and aftercare treatment
6. Use the feedback received on your rough draft from the instructor to complete the final revisions to your paper.
Cite a minimum of six scholarly resources in your paper.
Prepare this assessment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.
This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for
successful completion.
You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. A link to the LopesWrite technical support articles is located in Class Resources
if you need assistance.
, 2
Addiction and Substance Use in Diverse Populations: Rough Draft
Within the current cultural climate, most people who seek professional assistance for
overcoming a substance use disorder will, unfortunately, also need psychological services for
issues other than merely their addiction. Coined as “dual diagnosis”, this population will present
a constellation of symptoms that, depending on the severity, may require either partial treatment
(or the focusing of only one of the diagnosis) or what is referred to as sequential treatment (when
both disorders are addressed one after another). Additionally, within the field of mental health,
the term “parallel treatments” implies that service providers are, out of necessity, having to
implement multiple treatments simultaneously for a single patient who categorized as “dual
diagnosis”. The relevance of this concept becomes apparent when considering that, within the
specialty of addiction treatment, the majority of those who need help for addiction will also need
help for another illness or mental disorder. In such instances, the amount of maintenance
required for the dual diagnosis client to maintain their sobriety can, understandably, seem
daunting (if not impossible) upon initial consideration. Consequently, it is not uncommon for
dual diagnosis clients to, over time, neglect certain aspects of their mental health which, in turn,
exasperates their cravings, increases their overall stress, and, in the worst-case scenario, ignites a
chain of events that can lead toward a full-blown relapse. Thus, for individuals who formally
meet the criteria of having co-occurring disorders, the likelihood of both achieving and
maintaining their sobriety is, from a treatment vantage point, directly correlated with how much
effort both the client and the treatment staff also put towards addressing any past trauma,
secondary disorders, or other underlying psychological issues.
Assessment and Screening Techniques for Co-occurring Mental Health and Substance Use
Disorders
