Different needs: women's drug use and treatment in the UK.

Background : Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a pervasive, serious problem detrimental to the health of untold numbers of women. In addition to physical injuries that may be sustained, IPV has been significantly associated with mental health challenges including substance use problems. The problems are complex, highly correlated with each other, and bidirectional in nature. Although as many as 50% of women in mental health and between 25% and 50% of women in substance abuse treatment programs report IPV, frontline workers in all three sectors state they lack the training to address these co-occurring problems. Objective : To determine what frontline IPV, mental health, and substance use workers need to know in order to provide appropriate care to women experiencing co-occurring IPV, mental health and/or substance use problems. Design : Using Scholars Portal OVID, Medline and OVID PsycINFO and combinations of significant terms, we conducted a scoping review of articles published between 2005 and 2014. Results : An initial 4017 records were retrieved (3484 from Scholars Portal, 272 from Medline, 261 from PsycINFO). After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 35 articles were reviewed. Of these, 14 examined the relationships among IPV, mental health, and substance use; 7 focused on IPV and mental health; 14 looked at IPV and substance use. Conclusions : Although education and training frequently figured among the recommendations in the reviewed articles, specific content for proposed education or training was lacking. The most frequently occurring recommendations focused on the need to develop better collaboration, coordination, and integration across IPV, mental health and addiction treatment services. (Published: 20 November 2014) Keywords : intimate partner violence; mental health; substance use; education; scoping review Citation : Glob Health Action 2014,  7 : 24815 -  http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/gha.v7.24815 SPECIAL ISSUE : This paper is part of the Special Issue:  Intimate Partner Violence and Mental Health . More papers from this issue can be found at  http://www.globalhealthaction.net

Co-occurring intimate partner violence, mental health, and substance use problems: a scoping review

Production of this report has been made possible through a financial contribution from Health Canada.

/pdf/expecting-to-quit-a-best-practices-review-of-smoking-1rsu5oioqb.pdf

Expecting to Quit: A Best-Practices Review of Smoking Cessation Interventions for Pregnant and Postpartum Girls and Women

Introduction p.5
1.0 Epidemiology of maternal drug use p.8
2.0 Medical and obstetrical consequences of drug use in women p.14
3.0 Psychosocial issues and victimization in pregnant women using drugs p.26
4.0 Outcomes of newborns of pregnant women using drugs p.34
5.0 Comprehensive treatment approaches for pregnant women using drugs p.62
6.0 Early childhood outcomes p.90
7.0 A Call to action by Franco Vaccarino and Colleen Dell p.106
Appendices p.112

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Licit and illicit drug use during pregnancy: maternal, neonatal and early childhood consequences.

Alcohol and breast cancer

Differences exist in the prevalence and physical health impacts of problem substance use among men and women. These differences are also found in the mental health and trauma events related to substance use, barriers to treatment and harm-reduction services and the impact of substance use on pregnancy and parenting. Data from the 2000–2001 Canadian Community Health Survey and Canada's Alcohol and Other Drugs Survey (1994) were used to explore this issue further. While women use alcohol and illicit drugs at lower rates than men, the health impact of their use is significant, and in some cases greater than for men. Women are more likely to use prescribed psychoactive drugs (e.g. pain relievers, sleeping pills, tranquillizers) and most of these drugs have addictive potential and long-term negative consequences on health. Research collected from treatment centres in Canada show high rates of victimization experienced by women, which have implications for both their substance use treatment and improvement in mental health. Significant gaps exist in our knowledge on the level, type, and impact of substance use and the adequacy of programming for Canadian women. Information that might be used to guide prevention initiatives, such as the amount of alcohol that might safely be used in pregnancy and the incidence of fetal alcohol syndrome, related birth defects and developmental disabilities are unknown. Improved surveillance, sensitive and comprehensive screening for substance use problems, accessible treatment and harm reduction programming, and coordination with the mental health and violence fields are recommended.

/pdf/women-and-substance-abuse-problems-5cadc69u5c.pdf

Women and Substance Abuse Problems

Experience in the women's health field indicates that women often experience addictions in concert with other social and health concerns, making intersections among substance use, mental health and illness, trauma, violence, and HIV/AIDS a key issue. However, both research and practice often overlook these intersections and resulting co-morbidities and tend to address substance use in isolation. In addition, research and practice concerned with alcohol and other drugs rarely address tobacco addiction, so that clinical practice in women's addictions often is not fully informed by an integrated approach. A multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approach to both research and practice is necessary in order to address the complex issues involved in women and addiction.
 While few treatment programs in Canada address cigarette smoking in the context of other addictions, those that do are meeting with some success. The Aurora Centre, a multi-faceted women's substance-use treatment centre based at British Columbia Women's Hospital and Health Centre in Vancouver, does address nicotine addiction in the context of treatment for other addictions. The initiatives taken by the Aurora Centre since 1998 are focused on supporting women's motivations to examine and change their smoking patterns in the context of residential treatment for other drug and alcohol use, and in the aftercare period.
Integrating Tobacco into Addictions Treatment
Although cigarette smoking poses a serious threat to the health of substance-addicted women, there has been resistance to considering tobacco a "problem drug," along with other substances, in addictions treatment

https://cjnr.archive.mcgill.ca/article/view/1824/1818

Renée A Cormier

Papers

Women and Substance Abuse Problems

Integrating treatment for tobacco and other addictions at the Aurora Centre of the British Columbia Women's Hospital and Health Centre.