Tag: Low DEF

Adult SASSI-4 Review: Does the SASSI evaluate for Video Gaming?

This is an interesting profile on a 23-year-old male as it brought up the question, we get on the helpline regarding video gaming. “Does the SASSI evaluate for video gaming addiction?”, especially if the administrator believes the client was possibly including video gaming as well as substance use in his answers. The simple answer is no, it does not, so please clarify with your client not to include video gaming.  A drug that is often associated with video gaming is Adderall so the follow-up question to a client who admits to excessive video gaming is to question what drugs are they using to maintain that level of energy and concentration.

This individual was instructed to complete the FVA/FVOD side of the questionnaire for the last 12 months.

RAP was 0.

High Probability of a Substance Use Disorder.

Prescription Drug Scale result was 3 so meets the cutoff for High Probability of Prescription Drug Abuse.

He met Rule 1 with a FVOD score of 21.

             Rule 2 with a SYM score of 7.

             Rule 4 with a SYM score of 5 (7) or more and a SAT score of 4 (7) or more.

Looking at the graph on the Profile sheet, you will see a significant elevation on the FVOD scale score – above the 98th% so he is openly acknowledging use of drugs. By analyzing his responses, you will gain insight into what circumstances he is using, including dealing with emotional or stressful issues. And remember, he is answering the FVOD questions based on the last 12 months.

The SYM elevation is above the 85th percentile – enough to meet Rule 2. Because SYM is a face valid scale, you can do content analysis on those questions to look at the symptoms and consequences of his substance use.

The OAT score is within the norm. It would probably be the case that he does not identify with other substance abusers. This may be related to his very low-DEF score.

The SAT score is within the norm but high. The administrator may pick up some denial or lack of insight on the part of the client. And again, it may be related to the DEF score.

The DEF score is very significant because it is so low, below the 15th percentile. This individual may be in emotional distress and may be suffering from depressive symptoms. He should be evaluated for depression as he may be using substances to self-medicate. He may also believe that if he wasn’t depressed, he would not be abusing substances thus the OAT and SAT scores may reflect this perception.

The Rx score is also very significant and warrants further investigation as to what prescription drugs he may be abusing and if, in fact, are related to video gaming.

The rest of the scores are within the norm, so not clinically significant.

In summary, these clinical results are hypotheses to explore with the client to determine the depth and scope of the client’s use in order to recommend a treatment plan which fits his particular needs.

We hope this is helpful to you.

The clinical helpline line is open for your inquiries, M-F, 12- 5 (EST) at 888-297-2774 and you will be directed to a clinical consultant. If we are not available, please leave a message and we will return your call.

And as always, Thank you for your interest in the SASSI.

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Adolescent A3 – Emphasis on COR Scale

This profile is a good example of needing to be careful with assumptions.

Overview of CORRECTIONAL (COR) SCALE

The COR scale provides information pertaining to the possibility that the client may have a relatively high risk of experiencing legal problems. It is composed of items that differentiated between people who had a history of involvement in the juvenile justice system and those who did not.

It is very important not to over-interpret elevated COR scores. Teens who have elevated COR scores are responding similarly to individuals who have violated the law. This does not mean that all clients with elevated COR scores have broken laws. Also, there is no empirical evidence that these clients are at risk for future offenses.

If a client has an elevated COR score, it is worth exploring those behaviors which may be leading the client to make poor choices, especially after using substances and magnifying the tendency to exhibit those behaviors. These include anger management issues, impulsivity, risk taking behaviors, low frustration tolerance or poor social skills. The task of the clinician is to help the client see the relationship of their behavior to the consequences they have experienced and introduce alternatives to regulate their emotions and behavior.

The SASSI A3 was administered on a 15-year-old male and the time frame for the FVA/FVOD was for the past 6 months. The caller explained this time frame was used as the client identified that his substance use became problematic during this time. He indicated he had initially started smoking marijuana but in the last 6 months started abusing Percocet.

There is a lot to look at in this profile below.

He meets Rules 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8 so met the criteria of a High Probability of having a Substance Use Disorder. A reminder that more “yeses” does not necessarily mean a more severe problem or meets the DSM-5 criteria for severity.

His Rx scale score was 1.

The FVA (2) is below average and within the norm.

The FVOD (18) is highly elevated and close to the 98th percentile so he is very open about his use and under what circumstances he is using.

As seen on the profile graph, both the FRISK (2) and ATT (3) are within the norm though above average.  These scores indicate he is not necessarily using due to peer pressure nor does he have a strong belief or value system that endorses substance use.

The SYM (9) is off the chart. He is endorsing negative consequences and symptoms of his use as well as loss of control.

It is worth taking the time to look at how he has answered his face valid scales and do content analysis of his answers because these will generate a lot of information for clinical insight and discussion on how and why he is using substances. As a reminder, the face valid scales are the FVA, FVOD, FRISK, ATT, SYM and Rx scales. You cannot do content analysis on the subtle scales.

Both the OAT (8) and SAT (7) are above the 85th percentile. Although the OAT indicates he can acknowledge personal limitations, the higher SAT score indicates a level of denial or lack of awareness or detachment from feelings and may present himself functioning well.

The DEF (4) score is very significant as it is below the 15th percentile. This indicates severe emotional pain, and he may be exhibiting depressive symptoms so it is suggested a mental status exam should be conducted.

As usual, there is no individual clinical interpretation to SAM (4).

The last scale, COR (10) is highly elevated above the 98th percentile. He is identifying with those issues that are normally seen in juveniles with legal issues.

This is where one must be careful with assumptions because this client has had no legal issues for any reason. It is more productive to explore those issues he is identifying with and affecting his choice making.

It is also curious that one can be very open (based on the FVOD and SYM) yet have an elevated SAT score as well. This may be due to the DEF score and the emotional pain he is in. Hypothetically, he may believe that if he was not “depressed” he would not be abusing drugs.

Another aspect of the profile is to explore his Rx result. According to the client’s report, he is primarily abusing Percocet. His score may reflect he is getting it illicitly and not through a doctor.

Finally, regarding treatment considerations, the caller reported he has tried to quit using the Percocet for a week but relapsed. A treatment plan including inpatient should be considered considering his reported relapse.

We hope this is helpful to you.

The clinical helpline line is open for your inquiries, M-F, 12- 5 (EST) at 888-297-2774 and you will be directed to a clinical consultant. If we are not available, please leave a message and we will return your call.

And as always, Thank you for your interest in the SASSI.

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A SASSI-4 Profile Analysis: Prescription Drug Abuse

A caller requested help interpreting the result of a SASSI-4 questionnaire on a male client who presented himself as having an opioid addiction.

‘Curtis’ is a 36-year-old married man. He and his wife have no children. He works as a landscaper which he describes as physically very demanding. His parents smoked marijuana while he was growing up and Curtis also smokes marijuana. His older brother died ten years ago, and Curtis is still grieving. His brother also had substance use issues. Curtis also may have a history of being molested as a child which he does not remember, but his brother relayed that they were both molested by a babysitter.

Curtis reports a four-year history of opioid addiction which started as a result of a herniated disc in his back. He was initially prescribed hydrocodone for pain. He tried to quit once three years ago. Currently, he is ordering “stuff off the internet” or getting oxycontin from friends. He has been taking 180 mg/day with a maximum of 240 mg per day. It takes 150 mg. for him not to get “sick.” Curtis continues to smoke marijuana on the weekends about one time per week. He has a legal history of possession of marijuana in 2004 and attended an outpatient treatment program doing “what I had to do.”

He has been slowly tapering off the opioids for the past five weeks and currently is down to 80 mg/day.  His goal is to completely get off the opioids but he is not interested in residential treatment at this time because it is his busiest time of year. Although he has attended NA, he does not like it. Curtis is more drawn to Smart Recovery.

The SASSI-4 was administered for lifetime use on the face valid side of the questionnaire.

What were his SASSI-4 results?  Curtis has a ‘High Probability of having a Substance Use Disorder’ and a ‘High Probability of Prescription Drug Abuse.’

This looks like a straightforward profile on the face of it. His score of 42 on the FVOD and 18 on the SYM indicate someone who is very open concerning his drug use, and because these are face valid scales, content analysis could provide useful information to further explore with the client.

The OAT score of 6 is right at the 85th percentile. The client may be able to identify with some of the characteristics of substance users such as impatience, resentment, self-pity and impulsiveness. However, the SAT score of 8 is higher than the OAT and may blunt the ability for Curtis to have insight into his behavior. When the SAT is higher than the OAT, the client may exhibit a lack of awareness or simply denial around the impact drugs are having on his life. In this case and not unusual, opioid users do not see themselves as “typical” addicts. That may account for the OAT score.

The DEF score of 2 can be a ‘red-flag’ as it is below the 15th percentile. A score this low can indicate someone with poor ego strength, feeling helpless and hopeless and may be exhibiting symptoms that look like depression. The clinician may want to do a mental health screening or refer the client for screening.

The FAM score of 5 is also very low, below the 15th percentile. This can indicate the client is focused on himself and not that concerned about others. This does not indicate a personality disorder but given the client’s circumstances, makes sense that he would be more internally focused.

The COR score of 8 is elevated above the 85th percentile. He has answered in a similar way to people who have had legal issues for any reason. We suggest screening for those behaviors or characteristics we often see in that population. These can range from poor social skills, low frustration tolerance, risk-taking behaviors, anger management issues or impulse control issues. These issues could be impacting on Curtis’s choice-making abilities.

Finally, looking at the Prescription Drug Scale. With the score of 14, it is quite clear that he is identifying behaviors associated with prescription drug abuse. Again, as a face valid scale, looking at these individual items will generate a lot of information for the clinician. The clinician will need to look at treatment readiness, discuss medication needs, possible referral and other reported clinical issues.

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