| CODE | NUR4328 | ||||||||
| TITLE | Substance Misuse | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 04 - Years 4, 5 in Modular UG or PG Cert Course | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 6 | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Mental Health | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | The objective of this study-unit is to enable students identify the potential harm that substance misuse (drugs and alcohol) can cause, not only to the individual involved, but also to their family, colleagues and society. Throughout the study-unit, students will familiar themselves with different types of drugs and develop an awareness of their effects, their mode of misuse, their appearance and common paraphernalia used and why they tend to be misused by individuals with a mental health problem. The following topics will be discussed: 鈥� Introduction and definitions; 鈥� Historical overview of drugs; 鈥� Theories and Nature of Addiction; 鈥� Alcohol Misuse; 鈥� Opiates - Heroin; 鈥� Stimulants - Amphetamine, Methamphetamine, Cocaine and Khat; 鈥� Hallucinogens - Ecstasy, GHB, Ketamine, LSD, PCP and Psilocybin; 鈥� Cannabinoids - Cannabis and synthetic cannabinoids. Study-Unit Aims: To equip students with theoretical and practical knowledge on how to identify and safety manage substance misuse/addictions within the mental health setting. The study-unit also aims to introduce students to various drugs of abuse and the psychometric tools used to assess intoxication and withdrawal. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Explore the Theories and Nature of Addiction; - Identify the different classes of drugs of abuse; - Identify the need of psychometric tools to identify the type and severity of the presenting substance related condition; - Explore the difference between Opiates, Stimulants, Hallucinogens and Cannabinoids; - Identify the different entities that provide care and support for individuals with a substance misuse/addiction problem. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Carry out a psychometric evaluation of an intoxicated individual; - Carry out frontline testing for substance misuse; - Carry out a psychometric evaluation of an individual currently in withdrawal; - Develop a relapse prevention plan; - Show proficient skills in the management of substance misuse/addictions. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - Potik, D. (2020). Psychodynamic Approaches for Treatment of Drug Abuse and Addiction: Theory and Treatment. Taylor and Francis. - Pycroft, A. (Ed.). (2015). Key Concepts in Substance Misuse. SAGE Publications. - Rassool, G. H. (2011). Addiction for Nurses. Wiley. - Sandberg, K. M., Richards, T. E., & Erford, B. T. (2013). Assessing Common Mental Health and Addiction Issues With Free-Access Instruments. Taylor and Francis. Supplementary Readings: - Munson, C., & Knauer, S. L. (2014). Recovering from Sexual Abuse, Addictions, and Compulsive Behaviors: "Numb" Survivors. Taylor and Francis. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Godwin Sammut |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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