Problem-Focused Coping With Stress Factors And Coping

Stress Factors and Coping: In the film, Linda uses problem-focused coping when dealing with her stressful situations. Death of a spouse is the highest rated event on the Social Readjustment Ratings Scale (McLeod, 2010). While the death can be very stressful, the events leading up to the death can also be very stressful. As Earl’s wife, Linda has the responsibility of picking up Earl’s prescriptions. When she picks up Earl’s prescriptions, the pharmacists’ talk about the dangers of mixing prescription and alcohol angers Linda. Thus, she uses problem-focused coping. As Spielman (2017) states, “in problem-focused coping, one attempts to manage or alter the problem that is causing one to experience stress.” To make the pharmacists stop bothering

They sometimes show intense and inappropriate anger that they have difficulty controlling, and they can be moody, sarcastic, bitter, and verbally abusive.” Linda, of course, abuses prescriptions and alcohol. She also is very verbally abuse to the pharmacists and is very angry at Earl’s nurse, Phil, for trying to contact Earl’s estranged son, Frank. Borderline personality is also strongly associated with suicide. Unfortunately, seventy percent of people with borderline personality disorder attempt suicide, and ten percent of people with borderline personality disorder commit suicide (Wang, 2011). As Spielman (2017) states, “frequently, a person who is addicted to drugs and/or alcohol has an additional psychological disorder.” Linda needs help with her drug and alcohol problem and her borderline personality disorder. Fortunately, though, “behavior therapies are used to treat comorbid conditions, and in many cases, psychotropic medications are used along with psychotherapy.” While treatment can help Linda, her experience will not be easy. As Spielman (2017) states, “[for] individuals [that] fall into the category of mentally ill and chemically addicted (MICA), their problems are often chronic and expensive to treat, with limited success.” Also, according to Spielman (2017), “about 40%–60% of individuals [who go to therapy] relapse, which means they return to abusing drugs