The Role of the Counselor in the Initial Stages of Psychopharmacological Intervention

Marcus is a 31-year-old Caucasian law student. He feels worn out, burned out,and busted. He has no girlfriend or boyfriend, yet he has dated in the past. AlthoughMarcus studies keep him occupied, he finds himself wondering if all of his efforts areworth the coming payoff. He will be taking the Bar exam soonhe is fairly sure he willpass it. But, lately, Marcus has been slipping back into some old patterns of thinking andacting. In the past, he has battled major depressive disorder and believes that he maybe becoming depressed again. Marcus quickly counts off his symptoms: sleep loss,weight loss, a sense that everything is devoid of joy or excitement, and so forth. Hischoice to come to counseling was precipitated by an increase in the frequency of usingclub drugs like ecstasy and cocaine to have at least a little fun. Marcus uses thesenow about once every 2 weeks. He notes that his last bout of depression happenedaround a time when he was using these substances frequently.My Questions on my caseExplain the symptoms that indicate depression and the medications that might be prescribed to treat these symptomsExplain a counselors role in raising your clients awareness of medication-related effectsExplain a counselors role in supporting the psychiatrists recommendationsExplain two potential challenges that may occur in the initial stages of psychopharmacological interventionExplain one strategy a counselor might use to address challenges that arise in the initial stages of treatment