What Happens When a Loved One Undergoes Substance Abuse Assessment?

If you have considered using the Marchman Act to help a loved one receive possibly life-saving court ordered addiction treatment, it's important to understand what happens to him or her during this process. For example, involuntary alcohol abuse assessment is the step where clinicians evaluate the extent of the person's alcohol dependence and attempt to match the person with appropriate treatment. Assessment defines the nature of the person's addiction and develops treatment recommendations for addressing the addiction.

At Addiction Recovery Legal Services LLC, we help people navigate the Marchman process so their loved ones can be assessed and appropriate treatment recommendations can be made. Here are some of the components of addiction assessment programs.

Assessment of Immediate Safety Risk

The first step in assessing addiction involves determining any immediate risks related to severe intoxication or withdrawal as well as immediate risk for violence, self-harm, or suicide. Addiction treatment professionals will ask the person being assessed if he or she has any immediate attention of engaging in self-injury or violence. If so, the clinician will take appropriate safety precautions, try to obtain more information on the nature of the intentions and arrange for more thorough assessment by a trained mental health professional.

Screening for Co-Occurring Mental Illnesses Like Depression

Depression, eating disorders, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder are common among substance abusers, and those entering into court ordered addiction assessment are screened for co-occurring disorders like these. If screening indicates a possible mental health disorder, more thorough evaluation will be done by a mental health professional. Some drugs and withdrawal symptoms mimic mental illness symptoms, so reassessment of mental illness is generally performed again later to ensure accurate diagnosis and recommendations for treatment.

The Assessment Interview

The assessment interview is really the first step in assessment and treatment of addiction, and can set the tone for the entire process from the point of view of the addict. The interviewer usually explains up front the reason for the interview and will take into account mental health screening results so that ultimately a comprehensive treatment recommendation can be made. A skilled interviewer understands that addiction isn't isolated, but occurs in response to other areas of life and conveys this understanding to the patient. This understanding can help disarm a patient's natural defensiveness concerning his or her addiction.

Medical Assessment

Medical screening is important in addiction assessment, because many people with addictions lack health care, and because many addictions result in health consequences such as sexually transmitted diseases and infectious diseases like HIV. If the person undergoing assessment has other health conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, or heart disease, or if a female patient is pregnant, this information should be considered when the assessment team makes addiction treatment recommendations. 

Considerations of Barriers to Treatment

When making recommendations about addiction treatment, clinicians should take into account possible barriers to treatment, including dysfunctional family relationships, treatment program restrictions, presence or absence of health insurance, and financial obstacles. When potential barriers to treatment are identified, substance abuse professionals can try to address these barriers in their treatment recommendations to increase chances for successful rehabilitation.

Court ordered addiction treatment can work when voluntary treatment does not. The Marchman Act makes provisions for involuntary alcohol abuse assessment or addiction assessment, and the assessment process sets the stage for addicted individuals to be matched with a treatment program that can best meet their needs. (Learn more about us here)

Here Are 5 of the Most Common Substances Treated in Rehab Centers

The Marchman Act has given families and loved ones of addicts a powerful tool for helping addicts receive life saving treatment. It is a legal process that should not be taken lightly, but that can compel a person to get treatment for an addiction when everything else has failed. The Marchman Act includes the consequence of incarceration for those who drop out of rehab or refuse to go, and it usually gets results. Here are five of the most common types of addictions that can be deadly if they go untreated.                                          

1. Alcohol

Court ordered alcohol addiction intervention works when regular interventions fail. Alcohol abuse carries with it risk of physical injuries and violence, and it can cause serious fetal damage in pregnant women. Alcohol is often a major complicating factor with clinical depression, and long term alcohol use can cause neurologic problems and liver failure. Fatal overdoses are also possible. If your loved one refuses treatment, court ordered alcohol addiction intervention may be the only option for saving their life.

2. Opioids

The most commonly abused opioid is heroin, which also goes by the nicknames brown sugar, dope, H, junk, and smack. It may injected, snorted, or smoked, and causes drowsiness, euphoria, confusion, dizziness, sedation, and slowed breathing. Consequences of opiod abuse range from constipation to inflammation of the heart, hepatitis, HIV from shared needles, and fatal overdose. Court ordered addiction treatment can work when other types of opioid addiction intervention fail.

3. Stimulants

Stimulant addictions that can be deadly include addictions to cocaine, amphetamine, and methamphetamine. These drugs may be snorted, smoked, or injected. Short term effects include increased heart rate and blood pressure, alertness, reduced appetite, and sometimes violent or psychotic behavior. Over time, nasal damage can result from snorting cocaine, and severe dental problems result from methamphetamine abuse. These drugs can also cause cardiovascular events, seizures, and death. Methamphetamine addiction is particularly severe, and legal processes like the Marchman process are sometimes necessary to ensure these addicts get help before it's too late.

4. Club Drugs and Dissociative Drugs

Club drugs include MDMA (Ecstasy), rohypnol, and GHB, while dissociative drugs include ketamine, PCP, and dextromethorphan (DXM). While abuse of these drugs may not act like the "typical" addiction, they can cause serious short term effects that can result in death, and they may be abused by people with other addictions.

5. Prescription Drugs

Prescription drug abuse can be particularly difficult because many people believe that prescription drugs are inherently safe. The most commonly abused prescription drugs include barbiturates like Seconal, benzodiazepines like Ativan and Xanax, and sleep medications like Ambien. Prescription pain relievers can be highly addictive, and people do die from prescription drug addiction. It may be hard for the prescription drug addict to accept that he or she has a problem, but court ordered treatment may be necessary for addicts who refuse to recognize the serious dangers that can result from abusing these drugs.

At Addiction Recovery Legal Services LLC, we help relatives and loved ones of addicts evaluate their options and help them through the Marchman process when that is their best option for helping the addict they love.