Reference no: EM133653223

Assignment:

Case:

V.I. is a 39-year-old married individual who presents to the clinic with a chief complaint of being "tired all the time."

Information obtained from the interview:

• Feeling tired and having problems sleeping.
• Having difficulty staying asleep but able to fall asleep quickly.
• Feeling tired and having difficulty staying asleep since a work-related injury ten months ago.
• Unable to return to work due to the injury.
• Feeling sad for not being able to go back to work.
• Drinking beer and hard liquor to help with the pain associated with the work-related injury and to relax.
• Experiencing blackouts from drinking during the past three months.
• The spouse is threatening to leave due to V.I.'s drinking.
• Unable to stop drinking no matter how hard V.I. tries.
• Currently drinks 1-2 6-packs (6-12 cans) of beer a day plus a "few shots" of whiskey.
• Drinks hard liquor first thing in the morning to stop the shakiness.

Mental Assessment:

• Alert and oriented to person, place, and time.
• Appears exhausted, but hygiene is good.
• Speech is of normal rate and tone.
• Cooperative and responds to all questions appropriately.
• Mood noted to be depressed, and the affect is congruent.
• No other abnormalities were noted.

1. Use the information above and Explain the initiating factor leading to V.I.'s alcohol abuse by addressing the following:

• Identify a significant factor in the initiation of V.I.'s alcohol abuse/addiction. Keep to Unit 2 topics.
• Explain how your response in (1.a.) led to the development of alcohol abuse/addiction. In your response, address neurotransmitters, areas of the brain, and behavior.

2. Explain why V.I. is unable to quit drinking alcohol by addressing the following:

• Using the case study information, identify cues leading to V.I. relapsing.
• Explain how your response in (1.a.) led to the relapses of drinking alcohol. In your response, address neurotransmitters, areas of the brain, and behavior.

3. Hand draw a midsagittal brain and identify the following:

• Prefrontal cortex
• Nucleus accumbens
• Ventral tegmental area (VTA)
• Ventral Pallidum
• Amygdala
• Reward/pleasure circuit

4. Hand draw a neuronal synaptic cleft unit for each medication. Each depiction must include the drawing and labeling of the axon terminal, transporters, vesicles, neurotransmitter (be specific), post-neuronal synaptic dendritic spine bud, and receptors.

• Display the action of Naltrexone.
• Display the action of Lorazepam.