scholarly journals Arguing the case: Committing pregnant substance abusers to compulsory care

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 131-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Therese Reitan
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Substance Abuse ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Drug Research ◽  
Substance Abusers ◽  
Clear Indication ◽  
Time Of Application ◽  
Compulsory Care ◽  
Abuse During Pregnancy

Reitan, T. (2016). Arguing the case: Committing pregnant substance abusers to compulsory care. The International Journal Of Alcohol And Drug Research, 5(3), 131-139. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.7895/ijadr.v5i3.219Aims: To analyse how social services relate to compulsory care legislation in applications for compulsory care for substance abuse in cases involving pregnant women, given that such commitments cannot be made solely for the sake of the fetus/unborn child.Design: Applications for compulsory care to administrative courts involving pregnant women categorized according to how the pregnancy was presented or emphasized.Setting: Compulsory care for substance abuse in Sweden.Participants: 116 cases involving 107 individuals who were pregnant at the time of application for commitment to compulsory care between 2000 and 2009.Findings: In 43% of the cases the risks for both the woman and the fetus’/child’s health was emphasized. In 28% of the cases the applications were primarily for the sake of the fetus/child. In 17% of the cases the pregnancy was mentioned in a neutral manner, while in 8% of the cases the fact that the woman was abusing substances during pregnancy was presented as an indication of the severity of the problem.Conclusions: References were commonly made to the interests of the woman and the fetus/child as an entity, but social services also openly claimed the need for commitment primarily for the sake of the child. Arguments also mirrored the debate when legislation was first introduced; for example, that substance abuse during pregnancy is a clear indication of how serious the problem is, and how this situation may be hazardous to the woman’s mental health should she become the cause of severe and irrevocable harm to her child.

Criminal History, Physical and Mental Health, Substance Abuse, and Services Use Among Incarcerated Substance Abusers

2003 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 82-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison Mateyoke-Scrivner ◽  
J. Matthew Webster ◽  
Matthew L. Hiller ◽  
Michele Staton ◽  
Carl Leukefeld
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Substance Abuse ◽  
Substance Abusers ◽  
Criminal History ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Services Use

scholarly journals COVID pandemic as an opportunity for improving mental health treatments of the homeless people

2020 ◽  
pp. 002076402095077
Author(s):  
Carmen Martin ◽  
Pilar Andrés ◽  
Alberto Bullón ◽  
José Luis Villegas ◽  
Javier Ignacio de la Iglesia-Larrad ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Substance Abuse ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Psychiatric Service ◽  
Homeless People ◽  
City Council ◽  
Homeless Population ◽  
Pharmacological Intervention ◽  
Hospital Emergency Service

Background: Homeless population has been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Their living conditions, comorbidity with different pathologies and a greater frequency of mental disorders, make this population vulnerable. Method: We implemented a program of serial visits in a hostel for confined homeless of the city council social services, for the monitoring and treatment of mental disorders and substance abuse problems. Accompanied by serial phone and email contacts. Results: A highly significant percentage (63%) had mental disorders or substance abuse, requiring pharmacological intervention, and 37% began follow-up in resources of the Mental Health and Addiction network of the Psychiatric Service at the end of the program. Hospital emergency service visits were drastically reduced. None of them were infected with COVID-19. An individualized Social plan was drawn up in order to reintegrate them with support in the community. Conclusions: The Results have been really positive, meeting all the objectives and opening up developing new programs in the future, in the pandemic outbreak and out of it.

scholarly journals Patterns of polydrug use among pregnant substance abusers

2017 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Therese Reitan
Keyword(s):  
Substance Abuse ◽  
Drug Use ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Injection Drug Use ◽  
Substance Abusers ◽  
First Trimester ◽  
Injection Drug ◽  
Clinical Population ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Polydrug Use

Aim: Studies of drug use during pregnancy have generally focused on individual substances or specific combinations of drugs. The aim of this article is to increase our knowledge about polydrug use and pregnancy in a Nordic context by describing the sociodemographic characteristics of a clinical population of pregnant women with severe substance use, examining the scope and type of polydrug use and analysing factors associated with concurrent use of many, as opposed to a few, drugs. Method: A cross-sectional study of pregnant women on admission to compulsory care for substance abuse in Sweden between 2000 and 2009 ( n = 119 women, representing 128 pregnancies). Data were retrieved from administrative registers and client records. Univariate links between demographic, social, obstetrical, treatment history variables and polydrug use were examined. Binary logistic regression was used to analyse the association between explanatory variables and polydrug use. Results: The average number of drugs being used concurrently was 2.65, and injection drug use was recorded in 73% of the pregnancies. Opiates and amphetamines were the most common primary drugs, followed by alcohol. The likelihood of polydrug use increased with first trimester pregnancy, planned (as opposed to emergency) committals, as well as the combination of partner substance abuse and injection drug use. Conclusions: Polydrug use was widespread among pregnant substance abusers. Policies, interventions and research often focus on individual drugs separately, but for clinical populations in particular there is a need to address drug use broadly, including a systematic recording of smoking habits. This also entails awarding more attention to those not eligible for established interventions, such as opiate maintenance treatment, and giving more consideration to a variety of life circumstances, such as partner drug use.

The Impact of Addiction on Family Members Mental Health Status

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-134
Author(s):  
Farshid Shamsaei ◽  
Mohammad Baanavi ◽  
Zahra Marzieh Hassanian ◽  
Fatemeh Cheraghi
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Substance Abuse ◽  
Health Status ◽  
Substance Abusers ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Psychological Needs ◽  
Mental Health Status ◽  
Control Group ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Impact

Background: Effects of substance abuse frequently expand beyond the nuclear family. Extended family members can experience feelings of abandonment, anxiety, fear, anger, concern, embarrassment, or guilt. Thus, they may wish to ignore or cut ties with the person involved in substance abuse. The aim of this study was to compare the mental health status of families with and without substance abusers. Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted among 114 family members with substance abusers (case group) and 114 without substance abusers (control group) in Hamadan city of Iran, in a time period from October to December 2016. Data collection tools included demographic and SCL-90-R questionnaires. Data were analyzed by t- test using SPSS software version 16. The significance level was considered less than 0.05. Results: The mean age of participants in the case and control groups was 33±4.7 and 35±5.2 years. There was a significant difference in the mean of subscales which included somatization, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety and phobia in families with and without substance abusers (p< 0.001). In other words, the mental health status of family members with a substance abuser was lower than in the control group. Overall, 29.4% of family members with substance abusers and 16% without substance abusers were suspected to have mental disorders. Conclusion: Substance abuse is a disorder that can impact families in countless ways. Therefore, it is recommended that more attention should be given to this group toward planning mental health programs. Also, families should be screened by health professionals in regard to psychological needs and improvement of their mental health conditions.

scholarly journals A Reply to Camilla Pickles' “Pregnancy Law in South Africa: Between Reproductive Autonomy and Foetal Interests”

2022 ◽  
Vol 25 ◽  
pp. 1-28
Author(s):  
Shaun De Freitas
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Substance Abuse ◽  
Pregnant Woman ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Relational Model ◽  
Reproductive Autonomy ◽  
Single Entity ◽  
The Status ◽  
African Context ◽  
Abuse During Pregnancy

Camilla Pickles’ Pregnancy Law in South Africa. Between Reproductive Autonomy and Foetal Interests (Pregnancy Law) aims at providing a less adversarial angle related to the pregnant woman and the unborn within her, by moving away from the pregnant woman as a single entity (including the unborn within her) as well as from viewing the pregnant woman and the unborn within her as two separate entities of distinctive value and separate needs. This applies to four categories addressed by Pregnancy Law, namely foetal personhood, violence against pregnant women that terminates pregnancies, substance abuse during pregnancy, and termination of pregnancy for especially the South African context. Pregnancy Law positions its argument on a relational model that emphasises the context of pregnancy as signifying a connection between the pregnant woman (with rights) and the unborn (with interests) inside of her, the unborn being fully dependent on the pregnant woman’s body. This in turn is blended with what is referred to as a not-one/not-two approach. Bearing this in mind, Pregnancy Law claims to provide a compromise, middle ground and third approach regarding what is perceived to be the extremes of the single-entity and separate-entities approaches. Bearing this in mind, this article comprises a critical appraisal directed at Pregnancy Law’s claims as alluded to in the above with specific focus on the status of the unborn against the background of abortion (which in turn has implications for matters related to foetal personhood, violence against pregnant women that terminates pregnancies and substance abuse during pregnancy).

Substance Abuse in Older Psychiatric Inpatients

2017 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tilman Wetterling ◽  
Klaus Junghanns
Keyword(s):  
Substance Abuse ◽  
Substance Abusers ◽  
Psychiatric Inpatient ◽  
Psychiatric Inpatients ◽  
Severe Withdrawal ◽  
Psychiatric Inpatient Treatment ◽  
Clinical Diagnoses ◽  
Multiple Substance ◽  
Icd 10 ◽  
Substance Abuse Disorders

Abstract. Aim: This study investigates the characteristics of older patients with substance abuse disorders admitted to a psychiatric department serving about 250.000 inhabitants. Methods: The clinical diagnoses were made according to ICD-10. The data of the patients with substance abuse were compared to a matched sample of psychiatric inpatients without substance abuse as well as to a group of former substance abusers with long-term abstinence. Results: 19.3 % of the 941 patients aged > 65 years showed current substance abuse, 9.4 % consumed alcohol, 7.9 % took benzodiazepines or z-drugs (zolpidem and zopiclone), and 7.0 % smoked tobacco. Multiple substance abuse was rather common (30.8 %). About 85 % of the substance abusers had psychiatric comorbidity, and about 30 % showed severe withdrawal symptoms. As with the rest of the patients, somatic multimorbidity was present in about 70 % of the substance abusers. Remarkable was the lower rate of dementia in current substance abusers. Conclusion: These results underscore that substance abuse is still a challenge in the psychiatric inpatient treatment of older people.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document