Evaluating Treatment Approaches for Tom-Disease Model and Abstinence vs. Harm Reduction Strategies

Evaluating Treatment Approaches for Tom-Disease Model and Abstinence vs. Harm Reduction Strategies

The best model of treatment would be the harm reduction model therapy. Individual therapy can be used when applying this model. A therapist works with Tom to try to solve some underlying issues, such as shyness, that act as a motivation to use the chat rooms. Tom is encouraged to socialize more. Consequently, this can help improve his productivity at work by reducing the amount of time spent in chat rooms.

The abstinence model is based on the idea that complete avoidance of the addictive behavior is needed for recovery. In this model, the patient cannot control their addictive behavior, and any exposure to the behavior will result in abuse or addiction (Witkiewitz et al., 2019). On the other hand, the harm reduction model targets to reduce the harm associated with certain behaviors. In this model, it is impossible to avoid the addictive behavior completely. Therefore, emphasis is put on reducing the adverse effects of the behavior rather than exposure to the behavior (Heller, 2021).

The abstinence model is advantageous because it focuses on the primary cause of addiction to allow for long-term recovery. One con of abstinence is that addicts may struggle with the thought of giving up their addiction forever. Harm reduction is advantageous as it allows the patient some flexibility during the recovery process. One con of harm reduction is that it depends on self-accountability.

The therapies that might show promise include cognitive behavioral therapy and motivational interviewing. In cognitive-behavioral therapy, the therapist may focus on changing maladaptive thoughts and behaviors into positive ones (Stevens et al., 2019). These thoughts may include associating the computer with the chat rooms. In motivational interviewing, the therapist may try to help Tom differentiate between his desired state and his current state (Dansou & Prodel, 2019). Tom has started noticing that his addictive behavior is a problem. Spotting the difference might motivate Tom to change his behavior.

References

Dansou, A., & Prodel, M. (2019). Entretien motivationnel [Motivational interview]. La Revue du praticien, 69(3), e81–e82.

Heller N. A. (2021). Infant media use: A harm reduction approach. Infant behavior & development, 64, 101610. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infbeh.2021.101610

Stevens, M., King, D. L., Dorstyn, D., & Delfabbro, P. H. (2019). Cognitive-behavioral therapy for Internet gaming disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical psychology & psychotherapy, 26(2), 191–203. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.2341

Witkiewitz, K., Litten, R. Z., & Leggio, L. (2019). Advances in the science and treatment of alcohol use disorder. Science advances, 5(9), eaax4043. https://doi.org/10.1126/

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After reviewing the module notes, the suggested readings, and the scenario, answer the following questions:
• What model of treatment do you think is most appropriate for Tom, given the information you have?
• Discuss the disease or abstinence model versus the harm reduction model using Tom’s situation as an example.

Evaluating Treatment Approaches for Tom-Disease Model and Abstinence vs. Harm Reduction Strategies

• What are the pros and cons of using each type of model?
• What therapies might show promise (Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Contingency Management, Psychotherapy, Medication, etc.) for Tom?