Case Study
Patient Demographic: Client Age: 14 Sex: Male Gender: Male Sexuality: Heterosexual Ethnicity: Asian-American (Karen) Grade: 8th Counseling Setting: Child and Family Services Agency Type of Counseling: Individual and Family Presenting Problem: Substance Misuse and Acculturation Difficulties Diagnosis: Substance Use Disorder, Moderate (F2.911 ); Acculturation difficulty (V62.4 Z60.3)
Mental Status Exam: Mental Status Exam: The client is polite and cooperative. He is neatly dressed and is the only member of his family who is not wearing traditional Karen clothing. His affect is restricted, and his eye contact is poor. The client denies suicidal and homicidal ideation. He reports feeling anxious and sad frequently. He expresses that he is particularly worried at school and has had a difficult time adjusting. The client states that he lived in outdoor homes and buildings before coming to the United States. He explains, “Here, I feel like I’m trapped in a c
Presenting Problem: You are working as a counselor in a child and family mental health agency. A 14-year-old Asian-American male presents with family members who are concerned about the client’s drug use. The family is part of an ethnic population from Southeast Asia who resettled in the United States just under two years ago. The client is fluent in English and interprets for the family. The client goes to a public school specifically designed to improve English proficiency and has, until recently, done well academically. The parents have limited English proficiency (LEP). The parents provide a letter from his school stating the client was suspended after administrators found marijuana and amphetamines in the client’s locker. The client expresses remorse and says he became highly anxious and fearful when the school resource officer became involved. He explains, “Where I come from, the police are not there to protect or help.” The client willingly completes a substance use screening assessment, and the results indicate he is at risk for meeting the diagnostic criteria for substance use disorder.
Other Contexts:    age.” Family History: As part of the Karen community in Southeast Asia, the client and his family lived in a refugee camp near the Thai-Burma border before coming to the United States. His family fled to an internal displacement camp (IDC) to escape ethnic violence and torture. The family arrived in the refugee camp when the client was two years old and stayed for nearly a decade before coming to the United States. He reports that his parents do not drink or use drugs; however, he states that drugs and alcohol were prevalent in the IDC. His family is Christian and is involved with a local church that sponsors individuals from the Karen community and helps with resettlement

Question: What other information would you need to substantiate the diagnosis of substance use disorder (SUD)?
(A): Strong desire or urge to use the substance
(B): Additional consequences involving law enforcement
(C): Levels of dependence and use for both substances
(D): The effects of acculturation on substance use

Correct Answer: Strong desire or urge to use the substance
Explanation: Craving is described in the DSM-5-TR as a strong desire or urge to use of the substance. Criminal behavior and dependency are no longer criteria for SUD. The effects of acculturation on substance use are important to assess but would not help substantiate the diagnosis of SUD. Therefore, the correct answer is (C)
Competency: intake, assessment, and diagnosis