Reference no: EM133192949

Assignment: Social Science Gender and Substance Abuse Disorder

Topic 1: Gender and Substance use Disorders

The Convergence Theory: It has been suggested that the percentage of women who have substance use disorders is slowly approaching that of men with similar disorders. Is this true? Society has hidden the problem of substance abuse in women for the better part of the 20th century. Further, as was discussed in your text, many women obtain their drugs of choice not from illicit sources, but from physicians. An example of this is the fact that for many years after its introduction, diazepam was referred to in some quarters as "mother's little helper". If the stress of parenthood was too much, one could always take a benzodiazepine such as diazepam, and make it all go away, or so the popular stereotype suggested.

Task

A. If the woman's substance use was sanctioned by a physician, is it an SUD (substance use disorder) or just a woman receiving another prescription?

B. Should multiple prescriptions for a compound with a moderate or high abuse potential be counted as part of the substance use problem in this country?

C. What statistics comparing substance use disorders in men and women can you find? Is the percentage of women with a substance use disorder approaching that of men, or is it just that society is able to recognize such problems, now?

D. Your text notes that only 40 percent of substance abuse rehabilitation programs offer genderspecific treatment. But what should be included in a "gender-specific" rehabilitation program? Why those components and not others? If a hypothetical woman is admitted to a male dominated rehabilitation program and is handed a booklet on recovery for women, does that make the program "gender specific"?

E. Does "gender specific" mean only specifically for women or are there "gender specific" programs for men as well? Should such programs be offered? Why, or why not?

Topic 2: Hidden Faces of Substance use Disorders

Task

A. Can diagnostic standards created within one culture be exported to others? Give an example of when this cross-cultural diagnosis works and when it may be problematic. What types of conditions fall into either category?

B. Is "mental illness" universal or is it shaped by culture? Why or why not? Do we have the right to impose our perspective on mental illness onto other cultures?

C. There are many subcultures within this country, each with their own traditions and beliefs. One such example is the Native American Church, which originated in Oklahoma and which is now the largest indigenous religious sect among Native Americans with an estimated 250,000 members.

For many years the use of peyote was contentious, and various state and federal agencies sought to restrict, if not deny, its use in these religious ceremonies. The courts have ultimately ruled, however, that the use of peyote in religious ceremonies by members of the Native American Church is permitted as an acceptable religious practice and thus exempt from the drug classification system established by the Drug Enforcement Administration. However, its use by nonmembers of this religious group remains a violation of the law, and peyote remains classified as a Category I compound. In this manner, the practices of a minority population were accommodated by that of the predominant culture. To what degree has the Native American population been assimilated into the larger society of the United States? For example, are those members of the tribal unit who live on a reservation exposed to the same drug use "cues" as those who live outside of the reservation in a major metropolitan area?

D. What social forces on the reservation might fuel, or inhibit, the individual's interest in abusing alcohol or another drug? Are the substance use cues for members of a tribe living on a reservation in central Maine the same as those for a tribal member living in a reservation in Nevada, for example?

E. If the traditions and beliefs of a hypothetical tribe living in southern Wyoming were to inhibit the growth of substance use disorders, would those traditions and beliefs be of value to another hypothetical tribe living in southern New England? Should a single form of treatment be established for Native Americans, or should treatment centers in each region develop region-specific treatment modalities to accommodate the needs of the Native Americans who live in that area? Who would make these decisions? If a person who grew up in a specific tribe in New England should move to Washington state, should that person be forced to adapt to the treatment program developed for Native Americans indigenous to Washington state?

F. When does a minority custom become something the majority must tolerate? Can you think of examples other than the one above, in which the dominant culture learned to tolerate, if not accept, the practices of a minority culture?