Case Study: John

John

Kristin Engh

Kaplan University

PS 370

John is a client that has been referred to this clinic by his physician because he was diagnosed with alcoholic hepatitis. He went to see his doctor because he was having problems with his stomach. He has had a long history of health issues that his doctor has been unable to figure out. His doctor ran several tests from blood work to an MRI. John is having other difficulties in his life such as, problems at work and home, he is not sleeping well and he has debts that are piling up causing him to be moody. His doctor asks him how he is coping with all of the stress he is under because he is also losing weight. John states that he comes home from work and has a few drinks to try and relax and doesn’t have the energy to do much else. After running all of the tests the doctor gave him the diagnoses of alcoholic hepatitis and stated that he needed to get help with his drinking problem or he could die. John has come in to be evaluated so he can change his life and be healthier.

In trying to help John we need to look at the basic model which is the biopsychosocial model. This model looks at a person’s health in terms of biological, psychological, and social influences in a person’s life (Brannon & Feist, 2009, Pg. 10). In John’s life we would have to try and find out what things are causing stress in his life that causes him to use alcohol as a means of coping. The connection between the mind and the body in John’s case is that we need to find out what his emotional and mental states are when he decides to drink and if he is socializing with others or isolating himself to see which of these are contributing to the behaviors that he is displaying (Brannon & Feist, 2009). By looking at all of these things we can develop a plan that will not only help John stop drinking but be able to improve the relationships in his life and reduce his stress to help him become healthier and deal with his disease.

When dealing...