Rosa Lee Cunningham Case Study

genus genus genus genus Rosa lee(prenominal) Cunningham Case StudyRosa lee side Cunningham is a B privation American woman who has lived a pathetic life be a victim of extreme beggary, child ab recitation and deprivation of love and nurturance from her let. The traumatic experiences in her life has guide to her addiction to a lifestyle that further degrades her as a person instead of rising from her unfortunate situation.From childhood, she has learned the acrimonious reality that black girls fillight-emitting diode to be trained to c ar for the family and rest home while black boys atomic number 18 pampered. Rosa lee underwent hard grind for the family under the watchful eye of her severely harsh mother, Rosetta.Education was non given a priority in Rosa lee(prenominal)s growing years. Her mother would prefer that work and chores were done well and schooling was not as important, as she inculcated to Rosa leeward that she would never amount to aroundthing more than sweet in domestic work. Rosa leeward entangle deprived of work on in her childhood, as she motifed to chop wood, stick out heavy things, rinse a room spotless and cater to her familys every need. As an swelled, being overly clear(p) with the house became her way of coping with stress.Rosa downwind crave for her mothers approval. Her attempts to be close to her mother were often met with hostility. When she learned to steal nice things to finisher her mother, she would be reprimanded, only when juveniler, as her mother would survey the merchandize, would throw her arms around her with appreciation. such acts of intimacy were short-lived, as Rosetta did not hesitate to inflict physical harm at Rosa leeward whenever she displeased her. On the other hand, her father, Earl Wright, an alcoholic had break away regard for her and indulged her with whatsoever coins he can spare for her whenever he was drunk.In school, Rosa lee(prenominal) felt that her poverty was holding her back from becoming what she was destined to be. In her puberty, she noticed that other children had nice c spreadhes while she wore rags. At this age, the need to belong and be noticed by other children becomes very pie-eyed. Her prototypal shoplifting episode was borne bulge of this desire to be upgraded in footing of fashion. From then on, stealing became a way of life, and she became better and better at it until such m when she managed to subtly slip merchandize in her waiting pocket edition or under her skirt.Rosa lee(prenominal) fared poorly in school, not realizing that she was a slow learner until she had the unfortunate episode of being impel out of a class with a teacher she admired. With Mrs. Whitehead, she felt that she was learning, and enjoyed her tenet strategies. However, when she was caught in her class, she was instructed to join another class which Rosa lee cute to escape from in the premiere place. This prompted her to become truant in school. Si nce she never took school seriously after Mrs. Whitehead, she did not develop her literacy skills to the fullest. This lack of version skills proved to be disadvantageous to her.Her misdemeanors have brought her to troublesome situations, leading to an earliest pregnancy at age thirteen. She had to kick downstairs schooling to have her beginning(a) born which her mother cared for. Soon after, she found herself pregnant again, and again and again, do her a mother of doubled children onwards she reached her twentieth birthday. Her promiscuous appearance is a desperate call for assistanceer to be released from her mothers clutches. Once, she succeeded in having a man marry her only because he was threatened by Rosetta, exactly a few months later, Rosa Lee found herself back in her mothers house as she had no other way to go because her keep up beat her.To feed her children, she had to resort to prostitution and interchange il legitimate doses. She incessantly justified s uch ship canal of generating income as way of life of survival for her octet children. Her steady income came in the way of welfare checks which her mother had full make of.Rosettas idea of child-rearing was to Rosa Lee, contradictory. The noble cause of setting the children on the straightforward path (ex. that stealing is bad) is often implemented by violent acts. Such beatings or harsh cursing became a staple situation in Rosa Lees household. The traumatic sluicets and monstrous feelings that come of it do Rosa Lee vow that she would never do harm to her own children.Because Rosa Lee had no credible economic consumption model for morality, she set her own standards, which unluckily were easy bent. She herself taught her children to steal clothes so they had something nice to wear or other things so they had something to sell to buy food. Later on, she would involve her children and grandchildren in the dose trade because policemen dont usually go after young children. She never expected that they would get hurt in the process, but failed to consider that she was lay them at risque put on the line.When Rosa Lee plaintually became a dose addict herself, it became so natural to her and her children to share the illegal dose use. Their critical point drug sessions impressed upon the children her tolerance of such a habit, making it cheerful for them to justify it and even depend on their mother to supply it or money to get it from their drug dealers. This series of effect abuse overlap by Rosa Lee and her six children merited them jail sentences and even acquiring the HIV virus for Rosa Lee and her two children she shared needles with.It is pathetic that Rosa Lee and her children do not learn from the consequences of engaging in their drug habit, since upon release from jail, they are soon at it again. yet the threat of the AIDS disease did not deter them from continued by-line of the next high.Waking up to a painful reality of povert y and hopelessness after the high has worn off-key, her children merely exist. They do not have the drive to go out and make something of themselves to live shape lives. Instead of being employed in a decent job, they would alternatively depend on Rosa Lee who pushes herself to do what she does best selling drugs and shoplifting just so her children are fed, housed and even given money to get their drugs. For Rosa Lee, this is her way of showing love for them.Prolonged use of dangerous drugs, and her high level of stress have resulted in some physical illnesses in Rosa Lee as manifested by seizures, memory lapses and stomach pain. To manage it, she has been receiving her daily dose of Methadone at the confederacy clinic. However, at times, such symptoms become too much to bear and she ends up confined in the hospital.This paper attempts to analyze Rosa Lees mental indite and diagnose her psychological situation victimization a multiaxial evaluation from the data gathered fr om her life story by Leon Dash and the Diagnostic and statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV).Axis I Substance Abuse/ dependencyRosa Lees manifested symptoms whitethorn be diagnosed as Substance Abuse/Dependence. on a lower floor DSM-IV-TR (text revision of 2002). Following are the usual behaviors exhibited by substance abusers/ symbiotics centre ABUSEManifests one or more of the following behavior un successful person to fulfill major obligations Rosa Lee has been habitually tardy in settling her bills, resulting in cut-off of services. She is unable to manage her finances, as she misappropriates her budget to her and her childrens drug supply instead of food for every eubstance or payment of utilities.Use when physically hazardous In spite of the threat of her HIV virus routine into a full-blast AIDS disease, or simply when she knows that her physical condition makes drug use lethal for her, Rosa Lee continues to indulge in drugs. perennial legal problems Rosa Lee has b een arrested several times for shoplifting or busted for selling or using drugs.Recurrent social or interpersonal problems Rosa Lee is unable to take for her childrens addictive behavior. She continually supports their drug habit by handing them the money to buy drugs and then tries to part with them whenever they get in trouble associated with their drug use. Personally, she is frustrated with how they treat her but she seems religious serviceless as she keeps her feelings usually bottled up inside and occasionally pushed to the limit. Since she has vowed never to be like her abusive mother to her children, she instead indulges their whims even if it brings unfortunate results for them.With substance ABUSE the user has a choice he/she uses in spite of illegal, unsafe consequences, or inappropriateness of the drinking/drugging experience. (DSM-IV-TR, 2002). With Rosa Lees history of drug use, she continues to use drugs despite her awareness of its consequences to herself or her family.SUBSTANCE DEPENDENCE (ADDICTION/ALCOHOLISM)Manifests three or more of the following behavior allowance Rosa Lee tolerates the consequences that follow her drug use pain, inability to bring normally, even her childrens seemingly abusive behavior towards her.Withdrawal Rosa Lees body responses to drug use withdrawal are usually associated to how she takes medication to control the accumulated and related symptoms that the use of dangerous drugs have caused. Since her reading skills are inadequate, she is not accurate in following the dosage of the prescribed medication, create her body to react with seizures, memory lapses, etc.Large amounts over a long period Rosa Lees intake of drugs/ illegal substances depends on its availability. The more drugs available for the taking, the more she can consume. This has gone on for near of her adult life.Unsuccessful efforts to cut down Despite her numerous attempts/ announcements to stop and reclaim her life by avoiding drugs, she w ould usually fall back into the drug habit. metre spent in obtaining the substance replaces social, occupational or recreational activities Rosa Lees numerous commitments have usually been missed due to her drug problem. go on use despite adverse consequences Rosa Lee has gotten herself in dread(a) circumstances because of her substance abuse/ dependency. Her repetitive confinements in the hospital, the threat of AIDS, the risk of being hurt by drug dealers may force her to stop using drugs, but when a stressful event comes to her life, or when her defenses are down, she would weakly give in to the temptation of taking drugs when it presents itself.Axis II Developmental Disorders/ Personality DisordersFrom the data gathered, Rosa Lee seems to present a number of developmental disorders. From childhood, it was shown that she was a slow learner and her inadequate literacy skills has led her to troublesome consequences (e.g. misreading prescribed dosages of medication has caused her ag gravated physical illnesses her lack of understanding of simple systems such as billing or legal consequences has pushed her further in deeper problems).Her poverty and feelings of deprivation has pushed Rosa Lee to impetuously steal from stores. Gaining approval from her family members due to the merchandise she has stolen has become the reward for this inappropriate behavior. Her usual excuse for it is just trying to survive, a rationalization she has passed on to her children and grandchildren.Rosa Lee shows some obsessive-compulsive behaviors when she is stressed. She cleans her house in solemn to the point that it is spotless.Axis III Physical ConditionsRosa Lees prolonged substance abuse/ dependency has caused her a lot of physical illnesses such as memory loss, body pains, seizures, general malaise and most of all, HIV from overlap needles when injecting dangerous substances to the body. Such illnesses has made Rosa Lee progressively weaker physically confining her to her b ed whenever these attack.Axis IV Severity of Psychosocial StressorsThe prominence of her mothers role in her life has greatly affected the formation of her character and personality. Rosa Lee was terribly afraid of her exploitative and cruel mother who force her to do things against her allow for. She was physically and ver wrapy abused. In spite of this, Rosa craved for her love and affection. When she already felt suffocated of her mothers hold on her and her life, she found ways to get away from her such as getting pregnant and marrying early, which backfired and led her back to her mother.Being a breadwinner of the family (both her own children and her mother and siblings) pushed Rosa Lee to work harder at acquiring income to support them all. In spite of this, she felt unappreciated and taken advantage of, but she passively accepted her fate.unceasingly supporting her children even in their adulthood was as well as a strong psychosocial stressor for Rosa Lee, as they were ve ry much dependent on her that they even expect her to save them from the detrimental consequences such as bailing them out of jail, screen for their transgressions and taking their place to suffer the consequences of their own misdemeanors. Rosa Lees idea of enate love is just to give and to give, as her selfish and inconsiderate children continually take and take, giving their mother nothing in return.The environment where she lives in is another source of stress for Rosa Lee, as it eggs on her continuous engagement in the drug trade. If she or whatsoever of her children is sinful of crossing anyone, the threat of harm becomes prevalent.Axis V Highest Level of processUpon the thorough and keen reporting of Leon Dash, Rosa Lee has been portrayed as a street-smart woman who is truly a survivor in the background of her personal situation. She knows how to manipulate the sentiments of judges or other people who easily fall for her deceptive demeanor. She manages to acquire the ne cessary income for her family to survive in direful circumstances. When things are carefully explained to her and made sure that she understood the consequences of her behavior, Rosa Lee does the necessary action to normalize her life and become drug-free for a certain period of time. Her weak will may be made stronger with careful scaffolding of reminders and even threats to her safety. She also call for to be prodded to depose herself when it comes to her children who control her emotionally by pushing the right buttons.Proposed Treatment programIn coming up with an appropriate discourse platform for Rosa Lee, many factors are to be considered. Like in most cases, treatment needs to combine psychological therapy with the treatment of the physical addiction.Before any treatment visualise is attempted, Rosa Lees intrinsic desire to be ameliorate mustiness be expressed. The decision to be healed of her addiction should help her commit to being cooperative with the concrete v ision that she will indeed be free from the bondage of the addiction.To cleanse her body of the chemicals she has ingested, Rosa Lee needs to go through medical detoxification. While detoxification alone is rarely sufficient to help addicts achieve long-term abstinence, for some individuals it is a powerfully indicated precursor to effective drug addiction treatment. (National represent on medicate Abuse, n.d.). As it is, Rosa Lee has been taking her doses of Methadone, a drug that helps her in stabilizing her life and reducing her illicit drug use. Her treatment plan must besides complicate treatment and management of her HIV positive evince to prevent it from becoming a full-blast AIDS disease. Priority should be helping Rosa Lee regain her physical vigor and game spirit.Since her immediate environment is one factor that encourages her addiction, she must be move to a less threatening environment that promotes well-being. Being in a stress-free environment greatly helps i n achieving peace. A conducive environment also facilitates deep introspection and coming up with an action plan to travel along a drug-free and positive lifestyle after the treatment process.The most important element in the treatment plan is Rosa Lees psychological therapy. Managing the effects of her trauma from childhood entails getting to the root of it. Therapy must include her revisiting of the past and steps to achieve closure from the psychological pain inflicted by her overpowering mother and the prejudicial socio-cultural environment that exploited her dignity as a person.Family therapy is essential in the healing of Rosa Lees affliction. Since the dysfunctional members are likewise culprits in encouraging Rosa Lees addiction, they themselves must undergo psychological therapy not only for her but also for their own good. In doing so, an sceptred sense of self and responsibility is hoped to be developed.Psychotherapy will help in treating Rosa Lees emotional wounds. The need to understand why things off out the way they are should be met so the individual is fitted out(p) to resolve the situation and move on. One example is for Rosa Lee to understand the dynamics she shared with her mother and how she should manage the strong feelings her painful relationship still brings about. Being able to manage it will help her in dealing with stressful situations associated with her mother.Rosa Lees strengths should be used in the treatment plan. Among these are her deep love for her family and her creative and critical thought abilities. In helping her understand how her dysfunctional behavior puts her children and grandchildren at risk may help her shift her paradigm on love. Encouraging her to be strong in denying her children the whims which may bring them harm by using tough love may be effective in likewise strengthening her character. She may find it very difficult at first considering giving in to all her childrens whims has been her parenting styl e for a long time and her way of showing love for them, but finally, as she reaps the fruits of her sacrifice, she will eventually be accustomed to it.Her creative and critical thinking skills may be called upon whenever she feels tempted to relapse into her addiction after treatment. She may find ways and means to avoid anything that would trigger her urges to take illicit drugs like old co-drug dependent friends, drug dealers, or even places she associates with her former life in the drug trade.In the book, there were frequent references to the power of worship over her. This may mean that Rosa Lee finds it important. Being exposed to the teachings of her chosen religion may help her acquire proper understanding of moral values. It would be ideal if religion and spirituality would be her substitute for the ultimate high she is perennially in search of.Even at a late age, she may still be given tutorial sessions on develop literacy skills. Not only will she learn to read and wri te, but her trust and self-esteem will be improved, giving her hope for a better future. Vocational rehabilitation such as engaging in arts and crafts, gardening, cooking, etc. will not only keep her mind off her addiction but also equip her with more skills. Such skills will help her find appropriate, decent and gainful employment to start her off in her reformed life.Rosa Lee is also recommended to get into self-assertiveness training to enable her to non-defensively express her emotions. This will help her not to be easily taken advantage of people, especially her family members who are forever and a day out to get a cut of her welfare checks. She will likewise be empowered to think of herself positively, and even contest the societal norms and beliefs she grew up on, which were part responsible in lowering her self-esteem.An effective treatment plan attempts to cope to her medical, psychological, vocational, social, and even legal needs. Rosa Lee had left a lot of pending legal cases, and these need to be resolved or if need be, she should be amenable to face the verdict responsibly.As Rosa Lee gets better in her treatment plan, consistent monitoring of her progress must be assessed continually and modified as necessary to ensure that the plan meets her changing needs.Recovery from drug addiction can be a long-term process and frequently requires multiple episodes of treatment. As with other continuing illnesses, relapses to drug use can occur during or after successful treatment episodes. Addicted individuals may require prolonged treatment and multiple episodes of treatment to achieve long-term abstinence and fully restored functioning. Participation in self-help support programs during and following treatment often is helpful in maintaining abstinence. (National Institute on Drug Abuse).The complications in Rosa Lees life have contributed to the state she is currently in. Like a pack of a wrongly- knitted ball of yarn, her treatment plan should c arefully release the knots to unravel the strands so a more accurate weave may be started and completed before she finally expires.No matter how unfortunate one lives his life, there is always hope for change. In Rosa Lees case, if she is determined to turn her life around, no one can stop her from achieving the happiness and fulfillment a clean life and amend her ways and teachings she has previously imparted to her children and grandchildren. She will continue to carry the burden of being responsible for her family being the matriarch, but change needs to begin with her. Hopefully, positive change will rub off on her children and grandchildren. Only then could a trans-generational woundedness begin to heal, as she may be the first real credible role-model they can ever have.