Maniac Observation Essay

Don was born in Syracuse, New York. He has lived in Canton, Ohio since 1969. Canton has a diverse population when it comes to race, religion, and economic status. The client graduated from high school in 1977. The client has never been married and has no children. He was employed by Freshmark for over 20 years. He retired from Freshmark in 2011, after being diagnosed with esophageal cancer. The client received Social Security Disability until his death in April 2015. After he started receiving Social Security Benefits, the client was unable to pay his rent because he spent most of his money at the bars, or on crack.
The client had been involved with the courts from 2012 through 2015, because of DUI’s, driving with a suspended license,
assault, theft, and breaking the terms of a restraining order that was filed against him. He was ordered by the court to attend anger management classes, and attend drug and alcohol counseling. The court ordered random drug testing as part of the client’s probation. After testing positive for cocaine, the client was sentenced to 120 days in jail.
This client was diagnoses as bipolar by a psychiatrist back in 1984.
He refused to take the medication that was prescribed for him. The client would have maniac episodes about once a year. During these episodes, the client would wander around Canton. He would have very little sleep during the 2-weeks he was having a maniac episode. The client would also write checks for food and gas. After the maniac episode was over, the client would accuse people of stealing money from him because he did not remember writing the checks. While having a maniac episode in 1999, he was sent to Heartland Behavioral Healthcare Hospital. After a three-day hold, he was released from Heartland and referred to a psychiatrist for treatment. The client did not keep the appointment because he had missed several days of work when he was at
Heartland.
The client had a history of using alcohol since he was a teen.
He would steal beer from his grandfather. When he was old enough to drink legally, the client would go to the bar everyday after work. Instead of drinking beer, the client switched to drinking hard liquor, such as whiskey. The client started using cocaine when he was 21 years old. He switched to crack cocaine when he was 41 years old.
The client did not feel he had a problem with alcohol or drugs because he could hold down a job. He would tell his family and friends that he could stop drinking and using crack any time he wanted to. Even after his doctor told him to stop, he would hide the drinking and use of crack from
family.