Assessments
Comprehensive assessments lead to customized treatments
Addiction does not live in isolation. There are many factors that affect whether someone will become addicted to drugs or alcohol. Because different substances damage different parts of the brain and the effects vary from person to person, treatment should never be one-size-fits-all.
Even though other providers follow our lead in embracing addiction as a chronic brain disease, Enterhealth remains light years ahead of other addiction treatment providers in offering unique combinations of effective treatments that bring world-class substance abuse specialists and industry-leading assessment tools together under one coordinated, full-time evaluation team. This collaborative and integrated care is a powerful differentiator for achieving Enterhealth’s superior treatment outcomes. It means our patients have greater access to the right professionals, who have the right tools to more thoroughly assess your specific addiction scenario and create the optimal path forward for your healing.
Enterhealth’s multipoint and proprietary assessment protocol provides a 360-degree deep dive into your substance addiction issues with benchmarks established pre- and post-treatment to set goals for achievable success.
Substance abuse type and severity
Science shows us that different substances damage different areas of the brain, and each person feels addiction’s effects differently. Our one-on-one in-depth consultations and comprehensive evaluation protocols look at the type and severity of your substance issues so we can customize treatment based on your substance choice, frequency, use duration, and any other factors associated with your drug, alcohol, psychiatric, or medical history.
Enterhealth performs in-depth, research-validated standardized testing to reveal which specific parts of your brain and thinking processes are affected by addiction. This critical knowledge of your condition informs how we approach your treatment, both short- and long-term, to accelerate your brain’s healing. This evaluation is beneficial for individuals who have difficulties with cognitive abilities resulting from substance abuse or medical conditions like head injury, stroke, cirrhosis of the liver, attention deficit disorder/hyperactivity disorder (ADD/HD) and depression. The assessment tracks the following functional markers:
- Memory
- Learning ability
- Intellectual ability
- Academic skills
- Psychomotor speed
- Information processing speed
- Attention and concentration
- Language and verbal skills
- Executive functioning
- Decision making
- Emotional regulation
- Visuospatial skills
- Sensory ability
Enterhealth’s full-time onsite team of physicians (MD) and nurses perform thorough labs and other testing to analyze medical or physical factors that contribute to addiction. When needed, we partner with leading healthcare systems and renowned medical/brain specialists in some cases, including neurologists, cardiologists, gastroenterologists, hepatologists, endocrinologists and other experts. Labs and tests include:
- Blood work
- Electrocardiogram (EKG)
- Urinalysis
- Electroencephalogram (EEG)
The majority of substance addiction cases co-occur with other psychiatric illnesses. Enterhealth’s dual diagnosis capabilities provide us greater insight into these cause-and-effect relationships. Our team of MDs, psychiatrists, psychologists, and Master’s Level Therapists work in tandem to diagnose and treat disorders such as:
- Major depression
- Anxiety
- Bipolar (manic depression/ mood swings)
- Personality disorders
- Psychosis
- Sleep disorders
- Suicidal thoughts
- PTSD/Traumatic experiences
- Eating disorders, including weight-loss surgery patients
Substance abusers are often trapped on an emotional rollercoaster that can deepen as the addiction’s strength and chaos grows. Our Master’s Level and PhD Level Therapists work to determine if patients are susceptible to the following emotions that often accompany addiction and can block healing:
- Shame
- Guilt
- Worthlessness/Low self-esteem
- Anger/Aggression/Irritability
Enterhealth’s assessment protocol works to pinpoint behavioral issues associated with addiction. Testing and evaluations help paint a holistic picture that addresses common behavioral problems, including:
- Irregular or lack of sleep patterns
- Unhealthy eating habits
- Lack of healthy exercise patterns
- Loss of motivation/Failure to launch
- Employment issues
- Legal issues
We perform addiction-related quality of life assessments that focus on the family and social dynamics of the individual and how those areas contribute to and are affected by addiction. Our clinical team seeks to identify and understand:
- Family Dysfunction
- Unhealthy family dynamics/rules for living
- Dysfunctional family communication styles
- Historical family patterns
Because humans are all social beings, Enterhealth’s assessment protocol analyzes each patient’s social connections to determine how certain factors contribute to their addiction.
- Evaluate a patient’s total support system
- Feelings of isolation
- Friend group who may be users
- Friend group who are not users
- Healthy relationships vs. unhealthy relationships
Spirituality is not always about religion but reflects the meaning and value we place on life. Helping patients understand this important life dimension and how it relates to recovery is another important part of our assessment program.
- Exploring the spiritual connection in the past and present
- Identifying if there is a role for spirituality in recovery
How patients self-assess their quality of life plays a huge role in addiction and also in their ability to recover. Part of our treatment outcomes look at the QOL levels surrounding how a patient perceives his/her mental and physical health, role in family, work and community and an overall lifestyle outlook.
- Markers for behavior, emotions, health in regards to QOL
- Pre- and post-treatment QOL evaluations
- Using QOL benchmarks to help define treatment goals