Addiction as in Human Disciplines - Term Paper Example

?Addiction is one of the most ambiguous and misinterpreted terms in many human disciplines including medicine, biology, chemistry, psychology, sociology, psychiatry among other specialties. However, what is uncontestable about addiction is that it is a form of compulsive human behavior toward substances, or activity (Henry, and Ting, 2008). In the contemporary society, addiction is synonymous with drugs; a situation that Dalley et al (2000) argues is faulty because it does not take into consideration other forms of obsessive human behaviors such as gambling. Chiang and Loretta (1996) noted that addiction arises from the affiliation between a person and the object of their obsession. In this regard, ingested psychoactive substances such as drugs have the ability of inducing dependence just like other forms of addictive behavior such as gambling. Due to the ambiguity of this term, medical practitioners and researchers regard addiction as a human behavior that motivated by emotions, ranging from craving to compulsion, continued use in spite of the known adverse effects and that result to a person losing control (Henry and Ting, 2008). In reference to drug use, American Psychological Association uses substance use disorders as a collective term for substance abuse and dependence (APA, 1994). Under dependence, APA (1994) identifies impaired control over using a substance as an important component. This implies a combination of behavioral, cognitive and psychological symptoms that indicate continuous use of the substance in spite of the resulting health problems cause by it (Henry, and Ting, 2008). Substance use in the society is widespread and one of the major areas concern is its effect on pregnant women. Chiang and Loretta (1996) noted that substance abuse in women is common to those struggling with poverty, homelessness, mental illness violence and trauma. In United States, SAMHSA (2009) reports that pregnant women are more likely to engage in substance abuse than their non-pregnant counterparts in the same age bracket. According to SAMHSA (2009), 22% of pregnant women reported using cocaine compared to 17% of those who were not pregnant. The rate of substance abuse such as amphetamines and marijuana in pregnant women exceed that of non-pregnant women. According to SAMHSA (2009), 21% of pregnant women used amphetamines compared to 13% of women who were not pregnant. Moreover, 17% of pregnant women admitted to using marijuana as their drug of choice compared to 13 % of those who were not pregnant. In addition, 18% pregnant women are likely to seek medical attention on drug related problems compared to 31% of their pregnant counterparts (SAMHSA, 2009). Substance abuse among pregnant women varies with age and race in the United States. For instance, white women are more likely to smoke and use tobacco related products compared to the blacks and Hispanic women (SAMHSA, 2009). An average of 25.7% of pregnant women aged from 15-25 smoke cigarettes compared with 10.6% of their pregnant counterparts aged from 26-44 years (SAMHSA, 2009). This pattern is reflected in alcohol use among the pregnant women, whereby younger pregnant women have higher prevalence rate compared to their older counterparts. However, alcohol use among pregnant women is lower compared to their non-pregnant counterparts in the United States. In addition, most pregnant women use more than one type of drugs (SAMHSA, 2009). According to MCFD (2003), one of the leading causes of mental, psychological and physical impairments in children is use of substances such as alcohol, tobacco and other illegal drugs by the pregnant mothers. Different drugs have diverse health complications to the unborn child, and MCFD (2003), notes that alcohol is one of the most notorious drugs that cause the severe health complications. Substance use during pregnancy causes premature birth, in addition short term and long-term impairments. However, the effects depend on several factors, including the health status of the mother, the quantity and the type of the drug that the baby is exposed to in addition to the stage of pregnancy that the drug is introduced (MCFD, 2003). Research has shown that the most common effect of maternal drug use is interruption of the fetal physical and mental development in the womb. Premature birth is one of the most common effect of maternal drug use, whereby the baby is born underweight, before the of gestation period. Premature babies may have undeveloped organ systems and immediately after birth, they experience health problems, distinct to the undeveloped organs. Some of these problems include breathing difficulties, feeding and digestive problems, temperature fluctuations in addition to feeding problems and failure to gain weight. Premature babies require constant and specialized medical attention in incubators and over stimulating special care nursery (MCFD, 2003). Maternal drug use causes long-term effects to the resulting children. These effects include birth defects or teratogenesis on organs such as brain, heart, kidneys and facial deformities, such as cleft lip palate (MCFD, 2003). Alcohol is an established teratogen and it causes Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). The disorder comprises of several medical conditions, including Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), partial Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (pFAS) and Alcohol Related Neurodevelopment Disorder (ARND) (MCFD, 2003). These conditions are characterized by facial deformities, growth retardation and damage to the brain. Children suffering from brain damage have small heads and neurological problems that affect their cognitive behavior. The children experiences learning and intellectual challenges in addition to poor psychomotor and socialization skills with other members of the society. Other adverse effects that children born to mothers abusing substances suffer from include sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), poor growth, and increased risks of contracting infectious diseases, such as hepatitis, HIV/AIDS(MCFD, 2003). Most drug-addicted women encounter other problems including the risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections by sharing injection needles with infected partners. According to Dalley, et al. (2000) 80% of women suffering from HIV/ AIDS are infected from drug related practices in the United States. Other challenges include high rate of incarceration. About 60% of the incarcerated women in New York prisons are convicted for drug related offenses (Dalley, et al. 2000). These problems undermine the health of the newborn babies. Most children born to HIV positive mothers eventually become infected because of lack of adequate medical intervention to prevent mother to child transmission. Studies show that most incarcerated mothers suffer from psychological problems, leading to development of mental disorders such as stress and other diseases including hypertension. These maternal health problems increase the likelihood of giving birth to premature babies (Chiang, and Loretta, 1996). In United States, the problem of pregnant women having drug addiction challenges has been noted and the government has implemented various programs to address the problem. However, treating drug-addicted women remains a formidable challenge because very few seek medical attention in health institutions (Chiang, and Loretta, 1996). Researchers on this trend contend that there are inadequate facilities for treating women with drug addiction problem in United States, yet women account to about 30% of drug-addicted population in the country. Dalley, et al (2000) noted that women account 20-25% of all patients undergoing drug related treatment in the country. Another challenge of treating women with drug addiction problem is that they seek treatment when it is very late. This makes it difficult to alleviate the risks of affecting their unborn children for the pregnant women because their conditions are often chronic or out of control (SAMHSA, 2009). Chiang and Loretta (1996) argue that the greatest barrier that prevents pregnant women from seeking early treatment is the risk of losing their unborn children and inability to cater for the child’s needs. Other barriers include social stigma that makes drug addicted women shy away from seeking medical attention. In addition, lack of money or health insurance and lack of access to treatment facilities that offer gender sensitive services are other factors that undermine treatment of drug-addicted women in the United States (Dalley, et al 2000). The government has invested vast resources to provide curative and preventive medical services to addicted pregnant mothers and children born to women who had been exposed to drugs. In addition, rehabilitation, counseling and treatment facilities for drug addiction problems have been constructed in remote and poor areas to ensure that marginalized communities have better access to the services. To care for children born to drug addicted mothers, it is important for healthcare providers to be aware of the possible effects that the drugs could have had on the baby. This enables the physician to formulate effective medical intervention (MCFD, 2003). Treating pregnant addicts and infants exposed to illicit drugs requires a multidisciplinary approach comprising of psychosocial, medical and rehabilitation services. Chiang and Loretta (1996) note that an important part of treating these patients is provision of pharmocatherapeutic interventions to stabilize addicted patients in order to enhance their recovery from rehabilitation programs. However, lack of affordable and safe drug that does not induce craving or addictive habits makes treatment of such patients costly. Developing effective drugs to treat patients addicted to hard drugs such as cocaine is costly and takes long period to conduct trials and approve its safety for medical use (Chiang and Loretta, 1996). SAMHSA (2009) estimated that drug addiction in America cost taxpayers about $58.3 billion annually. When the costs of treating addicted infants and those exposed to illicit drugs is included, the total costs exceed $100 billion per year. Currently, there is no effective drug to treat cocaine addiction. To treat opiate addiction, three drugs, including methadone, naltrexone and 1-alpha-acetyl methadol are used (Chiang and Loretta, 1996). Research and development of drugs to treat cocaine addiction is still ongoing. Infants born to women addicted to opiate drugs suffer from neonatal opiate abstinence syndrome after they are born. Alcohol also produces similar effects to the infants once they are born. Such infants are treated depending on the drug that they are addicted to (Chiang and Loretta, 1996). It is apparent that the cot of treating pregnant addicts and the affected infants is astronomical and expensive to American taxpayers. To bring costs down, prosecution of the addicted pregnant women is not an effective way lowering the costs, considering the fact that most of them are usually in prison for drug related crimes. Therefore, the most pragmatic approach would be addressing socioeconomic factors that contribute to drug abuse, by promoting economic empowerment programs and providing educational opportunities for the women. References APA (American Psychiatric Association). (1994). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 4th ed. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press. Chiang, N. & Loretta, P.(Eds). (1996). Medication development for the treatment of pregnant addicts and their infants. Accessed on 24 April, 2011: Retrieved from http://archives.drugabuse.gov/pdf/monographs/149.pdf Dalley, M. et al. (2000). The costs of crime and the benefits of substance abuse treatment for pregnant women. Accessed on 24 April 2011: Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11166509 Henry, K and Ting, K. (2008). What is addiction? Accessed on 24 April 2011 from http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh312/93-95.pdf MCFD (Ministry of Children and Family Development, Vancouver Coastal Region). (2003). Baby steps: Caring for babies with prenatal substance exposure. Accessed on April 23, 2011, from http://www.aidp.bc.ca/babysteps.pdf SAMHSA. (2009). Women and substance use: Highlights of short reports on prevalence. Accessed on 24 April 2011: Retrieved from http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/women.htm Read More