women
Women Have Special Needs in Substance Abuse Treatment
Gender differences come into play when it comes to treatment for substance abuse. Just as each patient’s needs are unique, and a treatment program must be tailored to address those particular needs, attention also must be paid to the special needs of women. What works for men in treatment doesn’t always work the same way for women. Here’s a look at some of the different needs women have in substance abuse treatment.
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Victims of Domestic Violence Have Higher Health Costs Years After Abuse Ends
Victims of domestic violence endure significantly higher health costs than other women for three years after the abuse ends, a new study finds. Abuse victims had health care costs that averaged more than $1,200 above non-abused women for the first two years after the abuse ended and about $400 above others in the third year.
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Treatment for Women with Dual Diagnosis Addiction
If you are a woman struggling with alcohol or a chemical dependency and also have a simultaneous behavior or mood disorder, you have what is called dual diagnosis addiction. This is not all that uncommon. An estimated 53 percent of women who are chemically dependent have one or more behavioral or mood issues. Since either condition by itself can complicate treatment, the most effective treatment addresses both conditions at the same time in a coordinated treatment program.
Co-occurring Behavioral or Mood Disorders
Women admitted to a treatment program to combat alcohol or chemical dependency often have these behavioral or mood disorders:
• Depression, such as bi-polar disorder
• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• Anxiety disorders, including post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Panic disorder
• Phobias
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
• Other psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and personality disorder
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Binge-Eating Disorder in College-Age Women and Ethnicity
Existing research shows that rates of binge eating among adult women is virtually identical across race. However, a new study found that among college-age women, Caucasian women are more apt to exhibit binge eating behaviors than African American women.
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Study Finds Hopelessness Can Lead to Stroke
Consistent research has shown that a person’s mental health plays a large role in their physical health. Now, new research out of the University of Minnesota Medical School has found that healthy, middle-aged women experiencing feelings of hopelessness are also experiencing thickening of the neck arteries, which can be a precursor to a stroke.
Science Daily recently issued a report on this study, which was published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. This study found negative thinking and feelings of uselessness – or hopelessness – affects arteries independent of clinical depression and before women develop clinically relevant cardiovascular disease.
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Pre-Natal Exposure to Antidepressants Can Influence Newborn’s Health
A new report shows that exposure to a certain class of antidepressant medications during pregnancy may be associated with an increased risk of preterm birth, a low five-minute Apgar score (a measure of overall health of the baby), and admission to the neonatal intensive care unit.
The study, published in the October issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, reports that more than one in ten pregnant women are estimated to have depression, comparable in frequency and severity to postpartum depression. “Depression, antidepressants, and lifestyle factors associated with depression may influence pregnancy outcomes and newborn health,” the authors write.
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Alcohol Abuse May Lead to Overeating and Depression in Women
A new study of young professional women finds that excessive alcohol use can relate to overeating and depression. Researchers surveyed 393 men and 383 women at ages 24, 27, and 30 about their weight, alcohol use, and depression symptoms within the last year. They found that women who had alcohol use disorders at age 24 were more than three times as likely to be obese at age 27, compared to women who did not.
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Gender Makes a Big Difference When Consuming Alcohol
The argument that there is no difference between men and women often does not hold water. Sure, educational ability and mental capacity are often gender neutral, but the impact of liquor intake is not.
According to a Fox News piece, alcohol can take a greater toll on women than men, physically, mentally and socially. Women can become intoxicated more quickly than men and do not absorb and metabolize alcohol the same way. Women also have less water in their bodies and therefore the alcohol they consume is more concentrated.
Age can also be a factor for women. As they get older, alcohol consumption will have an even greater impact on women than it did when they were younger. As a women ages, the amount of water in the body decreases, making it harder to metabolize alcohol.
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More Women Using Cocaine in the UK
The Telegraph UK reported that one in 15 women ages 10-25 in England admitted they have tried cocaine, raising concerns that young women will soon overtake men for cocaine use. Unfortunately, cocaine is being considered more glamorous and socially acceptable, with high-profile celebrities like Kate Moss and Amy Winehouse being associated with the drug.
The increase in female cocaine users parallels the recent increase in female binge drinkers. The co-author of the study, Jim McVeigh, says that the findings shouldn’t be surprising because “we have seen the same thing happening with alcohol, which is intrinsically linked with cocaine.”
Economic Crisis Puts Pressure on Women’s Mental Health
The state of the global economy seems to be on everyone’s mind and for some, it is taking a health toll. According to a UPI report, the majority of U.S. women polled in a recent survey report that the sagging economy is having a negative impact on their mental health.
The American Psychiatric Association recently conducted a survey that examined the impact of the economic crisis on the mental well-being of women throughout the nation, as well as in Clinton Country, Ohio. This particular community has been hit hard with the recent elimination of 5,000 jobs by air freight company DHL.
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