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| Activity Number | Web Version |
|---|---|
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Activity 1 |
No |
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Activity 2 |
Yes |
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Activity 3 |
No |
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Activity 4 |
No |
| For the class | For each group of 3 students | For each student |
|---|---|---|
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1 transparency of Master 5.1, Ranking Disease Treatment Outcomes |
1 copy of Master 5.2, Ruth's Story a 1 copy of Master 5.3, Mike's Story a 1 copy of Master 5.4, Carol's Story a 1 copy of Master 5.5, Disease Reference Information a |
1 copy of Master 5.6, Evaluating the Cases |
aThe Web version of Activity 2 is the preferred approach. Copies of Masters 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, and 5.5 are needed only if the Web site is unavailable for classroom use.
| Materials | |
|---|---|
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Activity 1 |
overhead projector |
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Activity 2 |
computers (optional) |
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Activity 3 |
overhead projector |
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Activity 4 |
none |
Arrange for students to have access to computers for viewing the case studies in Activity 2.
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1. Begin the activity by holding a classroom discussion about illness and disease. Ask students to name some diseases. Write their responses on the board. What is a disease? What do you do when you have a disease? Why?
Students are likely to say a disease is some problem with the body that makes a person feel bad. They may also respond that a disease is something for which you see a doctor or for which you take medicine.
2. Do all diseases or illnesses affect people in the same way? Are different diseases treated the same way?
No, some are longer lasting and require more intervention from a doctor. Some require medicines and some require psychological treatment. The students may give a cold as an example of a short-term illness that doesn't require a great deal of treatment. Some students may bring up diabetes or heart disease as a longer-lasting illness that does require a great deal of treatment. Through these questions, students realize that there are similarities as well as differences in disease treatment.
3. Introduce the terms chronic and acute and give examples of chronic and acute conditions. Categorize the diseases that were listed in Step 1 as either chronic or acute.
Chronic diseases are those that persist over a long period of time whereas acute diseases are of short duration but may have marked intensity and a rapid onset. Diabetes, heart disease, asthma, and cancer are examples of chronic diseases. Colds, flu, or a broken bone are acute conditions.
4. Ask students to consider whether addiction is chronic or acute. Have them explain their answer based upon what they have learned in the unit so far.
Addiction is a chronic disease. The explanations should include something about the changes that occur in the brain as a result of drug use (Lessons 2, 3, and 4) and something about the compulsive, nonvoluntary nature of addiction.
5. Display a transparency of Master 5.1, Ranking Disease Treatment Outcomes (or write a similar chart on the board). Ask several students to rank the diseases according to success of treatment. The most successfully treated disease is assigned the number 1 and the least successfully treated disease is assigned the number 3. Write the responses given by many students. At this time, students can give reasons for their guesses. Summarize the rankings, acknowledging the different opinions. Tell them you will return to this activity later.
Students will have misconceptions about how successful the treatment for addiction is. Students are likely to guess that treatment for addiction is less successful than treatment for other diseases. They may base their explanations on societal perceptions of addiction and not on knowledge of the biology of addiction. Some students may say that they do not have any information on which to base a ranking because each individual is different. Acknowledge that this is true, but point out that you are asking them to make a judgment about a group of people who are affected with each disease, not on how a specific individual will do in treatment. At this point, accept the students' rankings of treatment success.
The
following procedures describe how to conduct the Web version of this
activity, which is the preferred method of instruction. Instructions for conducting
the alternative print version follow.
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| Content Standard F: Personal choice concerning fitness and health involves multiple factors. Content Standard F: Families serve basic health needs, especially for young children. |
1. Divide the class into groups of three students. Give each student a copy of Master 5.6, Evaluating the Cases. Have the students complete the Web site activity Dealing with a Chronic Disease. Each member of the group should answer questions 1–6 for a different case study. After they watch the three cases, the group should answer questions 7–11.
Open the Web site in your browser (see instructions for using the Web site). From the main page, click on Student Activities, then select Drug Addiction Is a Disease, So What Do We Do about It? Click on the watch video buttons to view the interviews.
2. As a class, discuss the case studies and the answers to Master 5.6.
Case Study: Ruth
Question 1. What disease does the individual have? Is it chronic or acute?
Ruth is a heroin addict. Addiction is a chronic disease.
Question 2. How did the disease change the individual's life?
Ruth, like other addicts, was spending most of her energy focusing on how and where she was going to get her next drugs. She became isolated from her friends, lost her job, and got into trouble with the law.
Question 3. What is the recommended treatment?
The prescribed treatment for Ruth is a combination of medication (methadone) and behavioral treatments.
Question 4. What did the individual do to improve his or her recovery?
Ruth followed her doctor's advice and got medicine to treat the physical side of addiction and psychological treatment to help her deal with the nonphysical problems of addiction. She also worked to change her life by enrolling in college, making new friends, and getting involved in running. After a recurrence of her drug problem, she again started her medical and psychological treatment.
Question 5. What did the individual do that impaired his or her recovery?
Ruth thought she had conquered her disease and didn't need to continue her treatment. She went back to the friends who started her on drugs in the first place.
Question 6. Are there other things the individual could do to help with the disease?
As long as Ruth continues her treatment plan, she should be able to manage her disease. If she ignores her treatment, her chance of having a recurrence increases.
Case Study: Mike
Question 1. What disease does the individual have? Is it chronic or acute?
Mike has diabetes, a chronic disease.
Question 2. How did the disease change the individual's life?
After being diagnosed with diabetes, Mike had to check his blood glucose levels regularly, give himself insulin injections, and watch his diet.
Question 3. What is the recommended treatment?
Mike's doctors placed him on insulin therapy. The doctors also prescribed behavioral treatments.
Question 4. What did the individual do to improve his or her recovery?
To help learn about diabetes, Mike attended a camp where he received information about coping with the disease. After some problems, Mike learned to control his blood sugar levels.
Question 5. What did the individual do that impaired his or her recovery?
Mike had trouble in social situations because he couldn't do the same things his friends did. When he ignored his treatment, Mike had trouble in school and ended up in the hospital.
Question 6. Are there other things the individual could do to help with the disease?
Mike needs to continue to follow his treatment plan and monitor his blood glucose level.
Case Study: Carol
Question 1. What disease does the individual have? Is it chronic or acute?
Carol has hypertension. Hypertension is a chronic disease.
Question 2. How did the disease change the individual's life?
Because of the disease, Carol had problems at work as well as with her family interactions. Her health problems became more severe and she had a mild stroke.
Question 3. What is the recommended treatment?
Initially, the doctor prescribed medication as well as a change in Carol's diet to reduce her salt intake. The doctor also told Carol that exercise would be beneficial.
After Carol had problems following the plan, the doctor recommended that Carol get additional help from other health professionals.
Question 4. What did the individual do to improve his or her recovery?
Carol followed the treatment plan for a while.
Question 5. What did the individual do that impaired his or her recovery?
Carol didn't follow her doctor's advice after the initial period and then ignored her doctor's suggestion that she get additional help from other specialists.
Question 6. Are there other things the individual could do to help with the disease?
Carol needs to fit her treatment into her life.
Comparing the Cases
Question 7. Which individuals were successful in their treatment? Which individuals were not?
Ruth and Mike were both successful in their treatment. Although they had problems, both of them decided to again comply with their treatment. Carol was not successful; she did not follow the recommended treatment.
Question 8. Who was cured of their disease? What is the difference between treatment and cure?
None of the individuals was cured of his or her disease. Treatment eliminates or reduces the effects of the disease, but does not eliminate the disease. If a disease is cured, the problem is fixed and requires no additional treatment.
Question 9. How are the treatments for the different diseases similar?
In each case, the prescribed treatment included both medication and behavioral treatments. In each case, treatment is a long-term process.
Question 10. How are the treatments different?
Different medications are used to treat different diseases.
Question 11. Can you identify similarities and differences in the actions or strategies that individuals took to help them deal with their disease?
All three individuals initially complied with the prescribed treatment. All three individuals experienced a time when they ignored the treatment plan and had reoccurring problems with the disease. Ruth and Mike chose to get additional treatment and learned to cope with their disease. Carol, on the other hand, made the choice to continue to ignore the treatment plan and her doctor's advice.
The
following procedure provides instruction for completing Activity 2 without
the use of a computer. Use this version if your students do not have access
to computers equipped with Internet access.
1. Break the class into groups of three students. Give one copy of each of the following masters to each group: Master 5.2, Ruth's Story, Master 5.3, Mike's Story, Master 5.4, Carol's Story, and Master 5.5, Disease Reference Information. Each student in the group should read a different case. Give each student a copy of Master 5.6, Evaluating the Cases. Each student should answer questions 1–6 about the case study that he or she read. The students should answer questions 7–11 as a group. Give students time to discuss and write answers to the questions. They may refer to the case studies for help.
2. After all the groups have finished the questions, discuss the cases with the class.
Sample answers for the questions on Master 5.6 are given in the procedures for the Web site–based version of this activity.
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1. Display the chart (Master 5.1) used in Activity 1 of this lesson showing the students' rankings. Ask them if they want to change their answers after reading the case studies. Change the rankings according to the students' responses.
2. Next, fill in the correct data for the chart (see below). Ask students what the data tell them about the different diseases. Also, ask students why treatment is not 100 percent successful for any of the diseases.
| Disease | Predicted success | Medical compliance*2,4 |
|---|---|---|
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Heroin addiction |
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60% |
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Hypertension |
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<30% |
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Diabetes |
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<50% |
| *Medical compliance is the adherence to a physician's treatment plan. This is one of the best indicators of treatment success. | ||
 Now
that students have evaluated the case studies, they should understand
that addiction is a disease that is treated as effectively as, or more
effectively than, other chronic diseases. |
Treatment for addiction is often more successful than treatment for other diseases. The data show that addiction can be treated effectively. Students should also realize that treatment is not always completely successful and that relapse is common. Use this opportunity to make connections back to the case studies. Some students will suggest that treatment is not always successful because patients do not always comply with their treatment. This is correct. Treatment is more effective if the patient participates actively in the process. This is an important point for students to understand. After all, therapies will not be effective if the patient does not take the medicine or attend the counseling session. The students should also realize after reading the case studies that drug addiction and other chronic diseases affect more than the physical body. A person's social, economic, and emotional well-being also need to be addressed. Reinforce to students that behavioral therapy and counseling help individuals cope with the problems in life that can trigger a relapse. Some students may cite an example about counseling from the case studies.
3. To get students to consider the problems of following a treatment plan, ask them if they have ever made New Year's resolutions. How long did they keep the resolution and why did they break it?
One of the hardest things humans attempt is to change their behaviors. This is true for adhering to a treatment plan for disease just as it is with other types of behavior changes.
1. Read the following scenario to the class:
Robert has been arrested several times for drug possession. After the first arrest, he was given probation. After the second and third arrests, he was sentenced to jail for one year each time. The police arrested him a fourth time, but instead of having Robert serve more time in jail, the judge ordered him to enter a drug treatment program.
| This
activity asks students to integrate the information they have learned
in all of the lessons. Review their papers to evaluate their understanding.
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2. Ask students to write a paper that provides scientific information that would support the judge's decision to have Robert undergo drug treatment instead of going to jail. Instruct the students that they must incorporate information they have learned from Lessons 1–5 to support their positions.
Students may benefit from reviewing their work from all of the lessons.
The crux of the paper should be that drug addiction is a brain disease and
drugs cause long-term changes in the function of the brain.
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