Needs of Female Outpatients with Alcohol Use Disorder: Data from an Italian Study

Aims: Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a common mental disorder characterized by sex-gender differences (SGDs). The present study was aimed at evaluating attitudes displayed by Italian AUD treatment services towards investigating the presence of SGDs in their patients and implementing gender-specific treatments for female AUD patients. Methods: Potential SGDs were initially investigated in a sample of AUD outpatients, subsequently followed by a national survey on the adoption of specific interventions for female AUD outpatients. Results: The presence of SGDs was confirmed in a sample of 525 (332 men; 193 women) AUD outpatients, including a higher prevalence of anxiety and mood disorders, and episodes of violence and trauma among female AUD outpatients compared to males. Despite the presence of these SGDs, only less than 20% of a total of 217 Italian AUD treatment services reported the implementation of specific strategies for female AUD outpatients. The majority of services (94%) reported investigating episodes of violence and/or trauma, largely resorting to specific procedures only when these issues were detected. Conclusions: Our findings confirm the presence of SGDs among AUD outpatients, including a higher prevalence of anxiety and mood disorders and episodes of violence and trauma among females compared to males. However, only a small number of services has adopted a gender medicine approach in AUD treatment. These results underline the urgency of investigating the specific needs of female, male, and non-binary AUD patients in order to personalize and enhance the effectiveness and appeal of AUD treatment

Rapporto 2008 su consumo e dipendenze da sostanze in Emilia-Romagna.

Report on the state of legal and illegal substances use in the territory of Emilia Romagna Region.Il report analizza il fenomeno delle dipendenze nel territorio della Regione Emilia-Romagna. La descrizione del fenomeno si sviluppa intorno all\u27analisi degli indicatori individuati dall\u27Osservatorio Europeo delle Dipendenze di Lisbona (OEDT): 1-uso di sostanze nella popolazione generale (questo indicatore va a rilevare i comportamenti nei confronti di alcol e sostanze psicoattive da parte della popolazione generale); 2-prevalenza d\u27uso problematico delle sostanze psicoattive; 3-domanda di trattamento degli utilizzatori di sostanze; 4-mortalit? degli utilizzatori di sostanze; 5-malattie infettive. Altri due importanti indicatori che si stanno sviluppando, e che vengono qui illustrati, sono l\u27analisi delle Schede di Dimissione Ospedaliera (SDO) e gli indicatori relativi alle conseguenza sociali dell\u27uso di droghe (criminalit? droga correlata). Inoltre sono state applicate diverse metodologie standard di stima sia per quantificare la quota parte sconosciuta di utilizzatori di sostanze che non afferiscono ai servizi, sia per identificarne alcune caratteristiche