Alcohol and drug misuse among women - an overview

Article Abstract:

Female substance abuse has received little attention. Due to differences between problem drinking (which leads to physical psychological, social, financial or legal problems) and dependent drinking (which leads to compulsive, alcoholic drinking and withdrawal symptoms when intake is stopped), a variety of treatment responses are required. USA surveys indicate that approximately six million American women are either problem drinkers or alcohol dependent, and that one third of all people with drinking problems in the USA are women. USA and British surveys show that those at highest risk for alcohol problems are younger women and women who remain single or who divorce or separate from their husbands. Alcoholism in women has been associated with increased gynecological, reproductive and sexual difficulties. The average lifespan of alcoholic women has been shown to be decreased by 15 years. Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), which has disastrous effects on infants, has been shown to occur in one to three of every 1000 births worldwide. Less precise information is available about drug abuse among women. In Britain, surveys show a ratio of approximately one woman to every three men in treatment for drug problems. Women who misuse drugs are vulnerable to the same health risks and overdose deaths as males. However, when women turn to prostitution to finance their addictions, they are at additional risk for contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. Pregnant addicts do not usually attend prenatal clinics and often give birth to low-weight or premature babies born with withdrawal symptoms. There is increasing evidence that addicted women have experienced higher than expected rates of physical, psychological and early sexual abuse and come from unstable and conflicted families. Addicted women must be helped to recognize their problems at an early stage, and need more access to treatment and rehabilitation which focus on their unique problems. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Psychological aspects, Women, Alcoholism, Substance abuse, Alcohol, Ethanol

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Suicide in England and Wales and in Scotland: an examination of divergent trends

Article Abstract:

Suicide rates in England, Wales and Scotland were compared from 1958 to 1986, to assess trends over time. Data was obtained from various registrar, health and coroner reports. Data analysis showed that in the late 1950s, suicide rates for both men and women were much lower in Scotland than they were in England and Wales. These rates evened out during the 1960s, but by the early 1970s they had reversed, so that suicide rates for both sexes were higher in Scotland than in England or Wales. In the 1960s, suicide rates for both sexes in England and Wales were relatively low. Since then, rates for men have risen moderately, while women's rates have decreased slightly. In the 1950s, about half of all suicides in England, Scotland and Wales used coal gas as the suicidal method. After 1960, when natural gas was substituted for coal gas, this method was greatly reduced, and by 1974 was very rare. Elimination of coal gas supplies in England and Wales coincided with falls in suicide rates for both sexes, with the largest drop in rates among those over 45 years of age. In Scotland, the replacement of coal gas only led to a fall in suicide rates for men over 45 years. From 1958 to 1986, there were large increases in suicide by drug overdose, hanging, suffocation, and carbon monoxide poisoning (car exhaust) by Scottish men of all ages, while Scottish women showed an increase in suicide by drugs, hanging and suffocation. The divergent trends in suicide in Scotland, England and Wales remain unexplained, but are thought to result from a complex set of social changes which require further evaluation. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

United Kingdom, Causes of, Suicide

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