- Read
the following chapter from your Introduction
to Addictive Behaviors text:
- Chapter
2, “The Disease Models,” pages 33–55.
This chapter looks specifically at one category of popular addiction models: the disease models. In this unit’s assignment, you are asked to consider a case study based on the disease models. You will find the information in this chapter useful as you prepare for the assignment. As with the other chapters in this book, you will also find the “Review Questions” at the end of the chapter helpful.
- Chapter
2, “The Disease Models,” pages 33–55.
Read the following articles from the Capella library:
- Roy
and Miller’s 2012 article, “The
Medicalization of Addiction Treatment Professionals,” from
the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, volume 44, issue 2, pages
107–118.
The focus of this article is health care legislation and how it can change the practice activities of addiction therapists, doctors, nurses, and counselors. - Satel
and Lilienfeld’s 2013 article, “Addiction
and The Brain-Disease Fallacy,” from Frontiers in
Psychiatry, volume 4, issue 141, pages 1–11.
This article challenges the popular disease conceptualization of addiction and promotes the need for a perspective broader than the predominant “medicalized” view in the United States today. The information in this article will be helpful in completing this unit’s assignment.
Multimedia
Take a look at the following videos. These videos will help you connect the information in your readings to actual events and situations.
Capella Media
- Click The Progression and Recovery of the Alcoholic in the Disease of Alcoholismto launch the interactive.
- This interactive explores the cycle of alcoholism and recovery from the still popular 1960s’ disease model of E. M. Jellinek.
NBC Learn
- Click How Changes in the Brain Can Cause Addictionto view a video from NBC Learn.
- This video, aired by NBC in 1998, looks at addiction and how it is a national epidemic. Though the report was aired many years ago, the continued emphasis on the disease models of addiction is still popular today.
Optional Resources
The following articles can be found in the Capella library. You may find these articles helpful with the assignment and other activities in this unit.
- Koob
and Volkow’s 2010 article, “Neurocircuitry
of Addiction,” from Neuropsychopharmacology, volume
35, issue 1, pages 217–238.
This article, written from the medical (disease) model perspective, looks at how addiction is a chronically relapsing issue, and examines the cycles of withdrawal. - Leyton’s
2013 article, “Are
Addictions Diseases or Choices?,” from the Journal of
Psychiatry and Neuroscience, volume 38, issue 4, pages 219–221.
In this article, you will explore the question, “Are addictions diseases?” This article may help you prepare for the assignment that is due in this unit. - Toggle Drawer
The Disease Models
For this assignment, imagine you are a counselor working in a disease model treatment program. Select one of the case studies you were introduced to in the last unit. The person in your selected case study will represent the “client” who is seeking help from your program.
Assignment Instructions
Complete the following sections for this assignment:
- Introduction—In this section of the paper:
- Identify the client from the case study and briefly summarize the client’s demographic characteristics and addictive behavior history that are relevant to the disease models of addiction. This section sets the stage for the next sections.
- Applications of Disease Models—In this section:
- Apply your understanding of the disease models of addiction to your client. Do client demographics and history suggest that your client suffers from a disease of addiction? Based on your interpretation, what disease model treatment strategies might you recommend for this client?
- Sociocultural Factors and the Disease Models—Finally, in the last section:
- Describe how sociocultural factors (“medicalization” of addictions through diagnoses, medical treatment, pharmacotherapy, genetic influences, brain scans, and media portrayal of addictions) may affect the client’s perception of the problem and the addictive behavior.
- Describe factors that may contribute to the addictive behavior as well as factors that may be helpful in overcoming the addiction from the perspective of the disease models of addiction.
Assignment Requirements
- Length: The paper should be 2–3 pages, excluding the title page and resources page.
- References: Throughout your paper, apply relevant research findings from scholarly literature using in-text citations to support your reasoning. Include references for each of your citations in a separate reference page at the end of your paper.
- SafeAssign: Use the SafeAssign Draft option to check your writing and ensure that you have paraphrased, quoted, and cited your sources appropriately. Run a SafeAssign report, saving your paper as a draft. Based on your SafeAssign results, make any necessary changes to your paper before submitting your assignment to your instructor.
In addition, look through The Disease Models Scoring Guide to ensure you have met all of the criteria for the assignment.
Note: Your instructor may also use the Writing Feedback Tool to provide feedback on your writing. In the tool, click the linked resources for helpful writing information.
Resources
