Withdrawal In Neonates

Presenter Information

Alexandra Nicole MeinertFollow

Honors Capstone Project

1

Advisor(s)

Lindsey Ferraro

Confirmation

1

Document Type

Paper

Location

Dean's Heritage Room

Start Date

16-4-2024 2:15 PM

End Date

16-4-2024 5:45 PM

Abstract

Substance Use Disorder (SUD) is a very complex disease state that is surrounded by many misconceptions and feelings of judgement. Many people believe that “doing drugs” is a choice and those that partake in recreational drug use are selfish people that aren’t concerned with the lives of those they are impacting. Those individuals often do not know about how much these illicit substances can alter someone’s life. While sometimes this illness does begin with a choice of the person to start down this path, there are often circumstances that lead them down this road that are out of their control. There are many stigmas that exist and many refuse to acknowledge that addiction is a disease and those suffering need help to overcome it. This is particularly true for patients that are pregnant and suffering from SUD.

Approximately 5.4% of pregnant patients have been impacted by SUD in some way or another. This leads to an increase in morbidity and mortality for both the pregnant person and the neonate. The stigmas surrounding SUD in pregnant patients lead to less effective care for the patient as some will refuse to help them and call them selfish instead. It is common for these patients to be treated as less worthy of care than others. In order for these patients to receive comprehensive care to prevent harm to both the pregnant person and the neonate, these stigmas must be broken down and a care team full of specialists for each step of pregnancy, birth, and post-birth.

To combat these stigmas and provide education to the public about these circumstances, there are many forms of media that depict these circumstances. While some depictions are more accurate than others, these media aid in breaking down preconceived notions of what SUD disorder looks like, and how it can impact the lives of many. There is still a long way to go in both breaking these stigmas and removing barriers to care for patients suffering from SUD, but increasing education in the general public is a great way to start.

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Apr 16th, 2:15 PM Apr 16th, 5:45 PM

Withdrawal In Neonates

Dean's Heritage Room

Substance Use Disorder (SUD) is a very complex disease state that is surrounded by many misconceptions and feelings of judgement. Many people believe that “doing drugs” is a choice and those that partake in recreational drug use are selfish people that aren’t concerned with the lives of those they are impacting. Those individuals often do not know about how much these illicit substances can alter someone’s life. While sometimes this illness does begin with a choice of the person to start down this path, there are often circumstances that lead them down this road that are out of their control. There are many stigmas that exist and many refuse to acknowledge that addiction is a disease and those suffering need help to overcome it. This is particularly true for patients that are pregnant and suffering from SUD.

Approximately 5.4% of pregnant patients have been impacted by SUD in some way or another. This leads to an increase in morbidity and mortality for both the pregnant person and the neonate. The stigmas surrounding SUD in pregnant patients lead to less effective care for the patient as some will refuse to help them and call them selfish instead. It is common for these patients to be treated as less worthy of care than others. In order for these patients to receive comprehensive care to prevent harm to both the pregnant person and the neonate, these stigmas must be broken down and a care team full of specialists for each step of pregnancy, birth, and post-birth.

To combat these stigmas and provide education to the public about these circumstances, there are many forms of media that depict these circumstances. While some depictions are more accurate than others, these media aid in breaking down preconceived notions of what SUD disorder looks like, and how it can impact the lives of many. There is still a long way to go in both breaking these stigmas and removing barriers to care for patients suffering from SUD, but increasing education in the general public is a great way to start.