Mental health articles

women and substance abuse facts. Substance abuse is a growing problem among women. They have unique
characteristics in terms of their patterns of drug use, risk factors, and the
physiologic effects of use compared to men. Special populations within this group, especially women who are pregnant and/or parenting, have distinctive risks, barriers, and needs. Recognition of these distinct features is vital to establishing effective treatment systems and an essential feature of the recovery process. Additionally, pregnancy and motherhood can often result in decreased or altered patterns of substance use to allow for caregiver responsibilities and can be a strong motivator in seeking and completing substance abuse treatment.
Tailored and comprehensive treatment programs for this unique group show improved outcomes both for the women and their children.
Several components of treatment have been shown to correlate with improved outcomes: (1) child care, (2) prenatal care, (3) women-only programs, (4) supplemental services and workshops for women, (5) mental health treatment, and (6) comprehensive programming. With appropriate interventions, mothers with substance use disorders are able to not only achieve abstinence from alcohol and drugs of abuse, but can demonstrate improved mental health, increased socioeconomic
functioning, and more effective parenting. Though some programs
offer comprehensive services that incorporate these areas, there is still a great need for development and empirical study in this area.

Tags: substance abuse