A Gender Perspective of Addictive Disorders Current Addiction Reports

For women, cytisine increased rates of quitting for women, whereas for men, it was noninferior [50]. Some early work demonstrated that mecamylamine, a non-specific nicotinic antagonist, might be more effective for women [51], but later trials did not support the efficacy of mecamylamine for smoking cessation [52]. Consideration of understudied populations, including older women, pregnant women, and women with co-occurring psychiatric disorders continues to be a key area of need (Greenfield, Brooks, et al., 2007).

Men More Likely Than Women to Face Substance Use Disorders and Mental Illness

• This paper aims to present an overview of how sex and gender may influence epidemiology, clinical manifestations, social impact, and the neurobiological basis of these differences of women with SUD, based on human research.
• Women are more likely to seek treatment for misuse of central nervous system depressants,14 which include sedatives sometimes prescribed to treat seizures, sleep disorders, and anxiety, and to help people fall asleep prior to surgery.
• Across this period, women have consistently displayed lower rates of tobacco use than men (CBHSQ, 2016).
• Therefore it’s possible to find a rehabilitation center nearby that will suit each person’s needs.
• She also consumed a great deal of alcohol to avoid any instances where she might start to relive her experience (when she went to sleep, for example) or whenever an everyday occurrence triggered a flashback in her mind.

A new report from the World Health Organization (WHO) highlights that 2.6 million deaths per year were attributable to alcohol consumption, accounting for 4.7% of all deaths, and 0.6 million deaths to psychoactive drug use. Notably, 2 million of alcohol and 0.4 million of drug-attributable deaths were among men. Without a doubt, https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/should-you-have-relationships-in-recovery/ women are susceptible to suffering from the negative effects of alcoholism just like men are. As mothers, many women will not go to treatment because they don’t want to be away from their children. This last statistic is helpful since it shows a direct line between drinking in college and its relation to campus sexual assault.

Cannabis (Marijuana) Use and Abuse

• They very commonly suffer from mental health disorders alongside their substance abuse problems as they are related.
• Also, although being married is a protective factor for men, it can act as a risk factor of relapse for women.
• Our discussion will first focus on studies comparing men and women, followed by studies of gender-responsive treatments and treatment for pregnant women.
• Trauma, the psychological damage that occurs as the result of an overwhelmingly stressful event, is an immense factor in the development of addiction.

In relation to assessing and treating women’s medical issues, a gender perspective is required, transcending anatomical and biological aspects concerning health and sickness through life. Gender has implications for health across the course of a person’s life in terms of norms, roles, and relations. It influences a person’s risk-taking and health-seeking behaviors, exposure alcoohol is better than drugs to health risks, and vulnerability to diseases. One of the priorities of WHO is to reduce gender inequality and remove barriers to treatment access [4]. Women are more likely to report experiencing a traumatic event and posttraumatic stress disorder onset prior to the onset of an SUD (Compton, Cottler, Phelps, Ben Abdallah, & Spitznagel, 2000; Sonne et al., 2003).

Emerging Adults

Across this period, women have consistently displayed lower rates of tobacco use than men (CBHSQ, 2016). In 2015, 18.5% of women ages 12 and older reported past month use of tobacco products, compared to 22.5% of women in 2007. Decreases in past-month tobacco use have been particularly rapid among adolescents, with 4.9% of girls reporting past-month tobacco use in 2015, compared to 10.7% in 2007 (CBHSQ, 2016). The decrease in use of tobacco products has been accompanied by an increase in other forms of nicotine administration. For example, electronic cigarette use is now more prevalent among adolescents than tobacco use.

• Evidence has shown that men become addicted to prescription drugs more through experimentation and a desire to get “high.” Women drug addiction develops by over-medicating when faced with numerous other medical and social concerns.
• Compared to women, men are more likely to engage in illicit drug use and to begin using alcohol or drugs at a younger age.
• To date, most studies of opioid replacement therapy have not included sex-specific analyses, which limit conclusive statements on sex and gender differences in response.
• Treatment for women should include services that monitor things like menstrual health and other aspects of sexual health.
• A singular case of early childhood sexual abuse paints a revelatory picture of how exactly trauma, PTSD, and substance abuse in females are connected.
• The factors and circumstances that lead to someone developing addiction are many, and you may be surprised to find out that one of the elements to consider is gender.

Overdose, Disorders, and Relapse