Case Study Analysis (Page 4 of 4) in pdf

Case #4:

Denzil is a 12 year old African American boy raised in a middle-class home where both parents

work. His parents are currently divorced, with Denzil living with his mother and seeing his

father regularly. The relationship between his mother and father is contentious however, because

his father believes in doctors and medical treatment, whereas his mother relies on her family and

pastor for guidance. His grandmother has strong opinions about traditional healing practices,

and raised her own children using family remedies. The fact her children all lived into adulthood

is evidence to her the “old ways” work. Denzil’s mother does not believe in medical

intervention except for physical injuries.

A juvenile court judge has ordered Denzil into a day treatment program seeking compliance by

both Denzil and his mother with prescribed treatment protocols. In particular, Denzil has a

history of what appears to be ADHD. He has been suspended from school numerous times since

kindergarten for being disruptive in class. These suspensions have been exacerbated by his

mother, who has begun to keep him at home to treat him with “natural” remedies. Denzil is

small for his age, and his mother has read that Ritalin and other drugs for ADHD inhibit grown

in pubescent boys. She has him on a special diet, which includes drinking a cup of her special

herbal tea every hour.

She has accepted that Denzil has to go to day treatment because of the court order, but wants to

continue her herbal treatments in lieu of medications prescribed by the center psychiatrist. She

states the behavioral interventions provided by the therapists in conjunction with her regimen

will help him. She stated that if she is forced to give her son medications, she will flee the state

with him and live in a place where the government cannot control them.

You are the director of a day treatment program in a community mental health center, serving

youth ages 12-18 with seriously persistent mental health, behavioral and developmental

disorders. Denzil has been placed in your program for therapy, medication management, and

specialized schooling. As the director of the program, you have to follow the court order and

follow agency policies, while ensuring appropriate and meaningful treatment is being provided

to Denzil and his family. Thinking as a social worker, what are the factors to be considered and

how will you balance these often competing mandates?

Case Study Analysis Page 4