Assessment on Jennifer Gambling Addiction Problem - Paper Example

There is a need to establish reasons behind Jennifer gambling addiction problem and what can be done to ensure that the gambling problem is resolved. Based on the information about Jennifer, it will be possible to establish her clinical needs and what can be done to ensure that the clinical needs are met.

Sources of Information

The information that will be used for this case would be a narration of Jenifer, her family, how she began to gamble, how she became addicted to gambling and how her gambling is affecting her life and her relationship with her family members.

Background Information

Jennifer is in an addictive cycle. She is highly addicted to gambling. Addiction is defined as an incessant dependency on substance, activity or a thing.

Current Status

Jenifer is at a stage where her addiction problem is causing a strain in her relationship with her friends, her children, and her husband. She wants a way out of her addiction.

Indicators of Use/Abuse/Dependency

It has reached a point where Jenifer cannot avoid engaging in gambling activities. Her thoughts about gambling are incessant.

Attitude and Behavior

Jennifer is guilty that her gambling addiction problem is causing a strain in her relationships. She is also guilty that she has spent all her savings on gambling. She is also guilty that her husband has started to notice that the money he gives her to cater for basic needs at home is being misappropriated. Jenifer is remorseful, and she feels that it is a high time she puts an end to her addiction problem. Jennifers remorsefulness is further revealed by the fact that she is willing to spend money in pursuit professional help for the gambling problem. She feels depressed and ashamed that every time she has to lie about her whereabouts.

Social Functioning

Jennifers addiction problem has made it impossible for her to fulfill her role as a mother, a friend, and a wife. She does not feel like doing any house work because of her gambling addiction problem. Most of the time, she is moody, and she ends up drinking too much to forget her frustration of losing money in gambling. She feels guilty most of the time when she is around her family and her friends; she thinks that they suspect that she is involved in something illegal. She once told her family members that she has a problem, but she did not disclose the problem that she is suffering from. Her gambling addiction problem has made her become shabbily, she does not take care of her appearance, and neither does she take care of her house.

Occupational Functioning

She is a housewife and relies on her husband for financial support. It has reached a level where Jennifer cannot help but continue to gamble. Her thoughts of gambling have become persistent; she cannot stop to think about gambling. Jennifer began gambling about ten years ago. She started to bet with small amounts, and this has since become an addiction where she spends huge amounts of money.

Financial Aspects

Jennifers gambling problem has seen her spend all her savings on gambling. She has gone to the extent of spending an entire $1,650 personal loan on gambling. She spends an approximate of $22, weekly on slot machines. She spends $54 every time she visits a casino. Her husband has started to ask her to account for her spending. Her gambling addiction has reached a level where she has started going through her daughters drawers, searching for money to use for gambling.

Familial Relationships

Jennifers relationship with her husband is worsening. Her husband has started to ask her to account for all the money that he gives her. She has not had sexual relationships with her husband for two months because she feels she has lost interest and incapable of having sex. She is afraid that if her husband finds out that her gambling problem is the one that is causing a strain in their relationship, she will divorce her.

Legal History

There is no mention of whether Jennifer has had legal problems in her life.

Health History

Jennifer is of good health, but the gambling problem is having a negative toll on her health. She has become very nervous, and she is finding it difficult to sleep.

Spiritual History

Jennifer has never attended church for all the 25 years that she has been married to Michael, a plumber. Jennifers 23-year-old daughter has on several occasions invited her to attend church, but she has so far not attended.

Diagnostic Impression

Jennifers incessant thoughts about gambling and her inability to do without gambling prove that she is addicted to gambling.

Recommendations

I would recommend cognitive behavioral therapy, medications and self- help groups to treat Jennifers gambling addiction problem. Cognitive behavioral therapy works by identifying negative beliefs and replacing them with positive beliefs. Jennifer should engage herself in full-time employment as a way of addressing the addiction problem. Full-time employment would ensure that her thoughts are occupied by work and positive beliefs and not idle as it is the case now, where she easily thinks about gambling (Washton, 1986).

Medications would help Jennifer to deal with her gambling problem. Medications would ensure that her gambling thoughts are suppressed (Khantzian, 2006).

I recommend that Jennifer joins a self-help group that is made up of former gamblers. The self-help group will play a major role in according her emotional support as she deals with her gambling problem (Ladouceur et al., 2001).

References

Khantzian, E. J. (2006). Pathological Gambling: Etiology, Comorbidity, and Treatment. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 163, 5, 945.

Ladouceur, R., Sylvain, C., Boutin, C., Lachance, S., Doucet, C., Leblond, J., & Jacques, C. (2001). Cognitive treatment of pathological gambling. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease Baltimore-, 189, 774-780.

Washton, A. M. (1986). Relapse Prevention: Maintenance Strategies in the Treatment of Addictive Behaviors. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 47, 3, 260-261.