Dual Diagnosis Treatment - Essay Example

The police initiated most of these. Each time Leon was admitted, he was intoxicated and vocalised thoughts of persecution. Once, he tried to hang himself whilst in the hospital. At the age of fourteen, he began to use amphetamines and ecstasy. This has ceased only because he lost contact with friends he used to socialize with and used these drugs with after Leon became engaged in the mental health system. He stopped using cannabis daily and, as a result, his alcohol consumption increased to six litres from four litres of hard cider every day.

He usually drinks this when he is on the street with friends. He experiences a feeling of needles and pins in his feet and hands. He believes this is caused by the medications that have been prescribed for him; however, this symptom can be caused by thiamine deficiency which is one of the possible side effects of abuse of alcohol because of dependency on this substance. His past treatment was receiving alcohol detoxification when he was in the hospital. Leon has repeatedly relapsed after his discharge.

Several times, during his hospital stay, Leon drank alcohol whilst there and was discharged early because of this. Leon is somewhat concerned about his alcohol consumption but he perceives this in a positive manner because it provides a social outlet. He believes it also helps to diminish the residual hallucinations he writes that he experiences even when he is taking his medication properly. He has professed the belief that the stopping the use of cannabis was all of the change in his lifestyle that he could handle.

He wants what he considers a "normal life." Leon would like to have a one on one personal relationship with a partner. (Starkey, Leon, date unknown) Leon has four