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Assignment Overview
Unit 3 – Individual Project
Deliverable Length: 4-6 pages (not including cover page
and resource page)
OBJECTIVES
Assignment Details
Case Information: Fran S. was arrested for prescription
fraud when she tried to obtain prescription painkillers at a
pharmacy with a fake prescription. You have been asked to
assess her situation and make treatment
recommendations to the court.
Fran S. is a 32-year-old employee at a local bank. She was
briefly hospitalized after a car accident 14 months ago and
sustained injuries to her neck and back. Her doctor
prescribed painkillers for these injuries. He told her that
she should only take the painkillers for a few months, but
Fran found that she liked the feelings of calm and
relaxation that the painkillers produced. Even though the
pain from her neck and back went away, she kept telling
her doctor that she was in pain so that he would continue
prescribing the drugs. When her own doctor told her that
he would no longer prescribe the painkillers for her, she
found it difficult to go for more than a few days without
the painkillers (she reported feeling anxious, irritable, and
“not herself” when she stopped taking them) and found
another doctor who would prescribe her painkillers.
Fran told herself that the painkillers helped her get
through her day, but she started missing deadlines at work
and repeatedly coming in late, putting her job in jeopardy.
Her husband also reported a difference in her behavior,
saying that she was detached, much more irritable, and
likely to start arguments over minor issues, which had not
been a problem in the past. Fran started taking larger
doses of the painkillersdxx9:55
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Assignment Overview
Unit 3 – Individual Project
been a problem in the past. Fran started taking larger
doses of the painkillers because she had stopped feeling
their effects in smaller doses. Her second doctor became
suspicious of how frequently she needed prescriptions and
refused to prescribe her any more drugs. Fran tried again
to stop using the painkillers but found that she was
experiencing problems (e.g., headaches, blurred vision,
and anxiety) when she was not taking the painkillers. She
could not find another doctor to prescribe her the
painkillers, so Fran started submitting fake prescriptions to
the pharmacy.
Assignment The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,
5th Edition (DSM-5) lists the criteria for assessing whether
a person has a substance use disorder, which it divides
into three levels of severity-mild, moderate, or severe.
Use your available resources to research the DSM-5 criteria
for this disorder.
• In a Word document of 4-6 pages, address the
following:
• Provide a summary of the symptoms
necessary to diagnose a substance use
disorder according to DSM-5.
O
What level of substance use disorder (if any)
would you diagnose Fran with and why?
Which diagnostic criteria does she meet?
Support your diagnosis with examples
and research.
O
Based on the case information presented,
what recommendations would you make for
treatment for Fran? Support your choices
with evidence.
• Give at least 2 suggestions for how a doctor
might work to prevent a patient from
becoming addicted to prescription drugs.
• All sources must be referenced using APA style,
which can be found in the CT Writing Center.
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More because she had stopped feeling
their effects in smaller doses. Her second doctor became
suspicious of how frequently she needed prescriptions and
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