SAMI TEAM
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
The New Hampshire-Dartmouth DDIT model stresses that mental illness and substance abuse have biological, psychological, and social factors that contributes to their causes. As a result, the model promotes interventions that emphasize an integrated biopsychosocial approach. As members of a SAMI treatment team, medical professionals contribute an expertise in biological sciences to help caregivers, consumers, and treatment team members understand the biology of mental illness and addictions and how medical interventions and medications may help or hinder a consumer’s ability to achieve his or her goals. Medical professionals who work on SAMI teams also assess the general health and well-being of consumers and make referrals for other medical interventions.
This section of the Web site is designed as a general overview of the roles that medical service providers play on a SAMI treatment team.
PSYCHIATRIST
A psychiatrist works with members of the SAMI treatment team to help
consumers and caregivers develop treatment goals and understand the important yet delicate
role that psychotropic medications play in achieving desired outcomes. A SAMI team
psychiatrist is equipped with a specialized knowledge of medications, side effects of
medications, and how the use of alcohol and other drugs with medication may create
life-threatening scenarios.
Because psychotropic medications affect each person differently, the psychiatrist works
closely with consumers, caregivers, and members of the treatment team to find the right
kind of medication and the right dosage. This process takes time, patience, commitment,
and understanding. As a result, the psychiatrist must not only have acute clinical skills
but also acute interpersonal skills. He or she is sensitive to the ways in which
medications may help or hinder the advancement of social skills and life-management
skills.
In addition to working with members of the treatment team, a psychiatrist also communicates with primary care physicians and other medical specialists to ensure they do not inadvertently prescribe opiate-based pain medications or recommend over-the-counter cold remedies that contain alcohol and/or stimulants. It is the role of the psychiatrist to educate other professionals that addictive substances in medicines for persons with dual disorders can put them at great risk of relapse and the worsening of symptoms.
NURSE
The primary responsibility of the SAMI team nurse is to administer
medications to consumers. The nurse conducts medical assessments that pertain to
medication usage and general health and well-being. These assessments allow the treatment
team to respond to medical issues by planning interventions and service referrals. The
SAMI team nurse also frequently serves in a case management capacity and provides such
services to a small caseload.
Like the SAMI team psychiatrist, the team nurse must not only have acute clinical skills but also acute interpersonal skills. The nurse is sensitive to the ways in which medications may help or hinder the consumer’s ability to achieve the goals of enhanced life-management skills and social skills. In addition, the SAMI team nurse must be able to
- assess consumers for the presence and severity of mental
illness and substance abuse
- recognize the signs and symptoms of a relapse to
substance abuse and/or psychiatric episode
- teach consumers and caregivers about the intended
effects as well as the possible side effects of medications
- teach consumers and caregivers about the interactions
between alcohol, drugs, and medications
|
