Self Assessment of Symptoms Related to Mood and Addictive Issues

Hosted By:
Dr. Dawn-Elise “Doc” Snipes

Self-Assessment
Presented by: Dr. Dawn-Elise Snipes Executive Director, AllCEUs
Podcast Host: Counselor Toolbox & Happiness isn’t Brain Surgery
Author: Journey to Recovery (2015) & Happiness Isn’t Brain Surgery
(2017)

Objective
 Identify the main presenting issue
 Explore the development of the issue
 Identify what makes the issue better or worse
 Explore symptoms of the issue
 Start identifying ways to address each symptom
 Increase and maintain motivation

Main Problem
 What is the main problem?
 Anxiety
 Anger
 Depression

Addictive/Compulsive/Escape Behaviors
 Do you also engage in addictive/escape
behaviors?
 Drinking/Drug Use
 Eating
 Exercise
 Gambling
 Pornography
 Sex
 Shopping
 Smoking

Chicken and Egg
 Vulnerabilities and Triggers things can cause
chemical imbalances which lead to feelings of
anger, anxiety or depression
 Self medication means using behaviors or
substances to feel better briefly, but
 It still doesn’t address the actual cause of the problem
 It likely contributes to keeping chemicals out of whack
causing you to continue to feel distress.

Course of the Problem
 First Episode (If you can remember)
 When did it start? And what caused it (if known)
 How long did the first episode last?
 What changed that made it stop?
 Most Recent Episode
 Episode Before the Most Recent
 Are there relapse warning signs?
 Are there things that consistently help?

Summary
 Most people have more than 1 presenting problem
 Addictions can cause depression or anxiety, and
they can be used to self-medicate depression and
anxiety
 By examining the course of the problem you can
identify
 Relapse warning signs
 Useful tools that you already have

Connect With Us
Additional Worksheets, Videos, Resources and Coaching are available at DocSnipes.com
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Additional Resources
https://docsnipes.com

Objectives
 Identify the benefits and drawbacks to the main
problem
 Identify things that make the main problem
 Worse
 Better
 Explore how any addictive or compulsive
behaviors may be impacting your ability to feel
happy

Main Problem continued…
 Benefits (if any)
 Emotional
 Mental
 Physical
 Social
 Drawbacks
 Emotional
 Mental
 Physical
 Social
 Things That Make it Better (+)
 Emotional
 Mental
 Physical
 Social
 Things That Make it Worse (-)
 Emotional
 Mental
 Physical
 Social

Addiction
 If you have an addiction or use behaviors or
substances to eliminate your distress, repeat the
above process for those behaviors/substances.
 When you use compulsive behaviors to feel better, it
increases the amount of pleasure chemicals in your
brain too fast.
 When you stop doing the behavior, or the substance
wears off, you will feel more depressed or anxious,
which often leads to more use.
 Addictive behaviors or substances can actually cause
the symptoms of depression and/or anxiety.

Summary
 When faced with a problem, we choose that
solution which seems to have the greatest benefit.
 Some behaviors have more of an immediate
benefit, but also cause more harm in the long run.
 By examining the benefits and drawbacks you may
increase your motivation for change
 By identifying what has helped in the past, you can
hone in on some things to start doing today to start
feeling happier.

Objectives
 Review the most common symptoms
 What makes them worse
 What makes them better
 How each symptom impacts you

Symptoms
 Not everyone experiences depression, anxiety,
anger or addiction in the same way
 What causes depression, anxiety, anger or
addiction can also be very different for different
people.
 To start living happier, start by addressing your
individual symptoms instead of trying to find a
“treatment” that will address everything. (There
isn’t one)

Symptom Assessment
 Feelings of Hopelessness/
Helplessness
 Feelings of Anxiety
 Feelings of Guilt
 Sleep Disturbances
 Eating Disturbances
 Fatigue
 Difficulty Concentrating
 Hypervigilance
 Low Self-Esteem
 Social Withdrawal
 Things That
Make it
Better
 Emotional
 Mental
 Physical
 Social
 Things That
Make it Worse
 Emotional
 Mental
 Physical
 Social
 Impact of the
symptom on
you
 Emotionally
 Mentally
 Physically
 Social

Summary
 There are a variety of symptoms that are common
to anxiety, depression and addiction.
 By understanding the impact of a symptom as
simple as poor quality sleep, you can start to see
how small things make a big difference.

Objectives
 Define what happiness/recovery looks like for you
 Explore sources of motivation for happiness and
change

Goal Setting and Motivation
 What does recovery/happiness look like to you?
 When I am happy…
Emotionally I will be…
Mentally I will be…
Physically I will…
I will feel good about myself because
My relationships will improve because

Sources of Motivation
 Emotional
 Mental
 Physical
 Social
 Environmental
 What kinds of reminders can you put in your phone,
on your computer, in your calendar, on your mirror
etc. to remind you of all of the reasons you want to
make living happier a priority?

Summary
 Happiness is your end goal
 Change is difficult. Your motivation will
sometimes get low.
 Identifying and reviewing your reasons
(motivations) for change will help you keep
heading in a positive direction
 Progress, not perfection

Objectives
 Pick a symptom, any symptom…
 Identify your expectations for addressing that
symptom
 Develop a plan that includes
 Learning about the symptom
 Learning about the causes and consequences of that
symptom for YOU
 Exploring ways you have addressed it in the past
 Identifying new ways to address it
 Increasing motivation for those strategies
 Clearly identifying what resolution of that symptom looks
like

Example-- Sleep
 Emotional
 I am happier when I am not as exhausted.
 Mental
 I can concentrate more. I am more creative. I am more efficient at work. My
memory improves. I enjoy learning new things.
 Physical
 I am not exhausted and living off caffeine (which makes fatigue worse). I will
get better quality sleep. I will have more energy to do things that are
important to me including exercise, gardening, spending time with my kids.
 Social
 I’m nicer and of better service to others when I am not tired. I am more
patient and tolerant. I enjoy being around people and making plans when I
am not just focused on making it through until I can get back into bed.
 Environmental
 I have energy (and desire) to clean when I am rested. I am more creative and
enjoy doing my crafts.

Goal Setting---Pick a Symptom
 Identify your expectations (benefits of working on
a particular symptom)
 Emotional
 Mental
 Social
 Environmental

Strategies
 Learn about the symptom
 Learn about the causes, and effects of the symptom
for YOU
 Gather baseline data
 Identify what has worked in the past
 Identify current strategies to address the problem
based on what has worked in the past and new
knowledge
 Increase motivation for those strategies
 Identify what resolution of the problem looks like.

Summary
 Many people mistakenly try to address depression,
anxiety or addiction as if it is a broken leg and
the same treatment works for each person.
 It is important to identify your symptoms and
what is causing them.
 Focus for now on identifying what has worked in
the past for you to address those symptoms
 The next modules will help you learn about
potential causes and fixes for each symptom.

Self Assessment of Symptoms Related to Mood and Addictive Issues

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