Prison and Women With Dual Diagnosis
Women with a dual diagnosis such as bipolar disorder and drug or alcohol addiction have a greater chance of being involved in the criminal justice system than women without a dual diagnosis. That’s a lot to swallow - in essence, bipolar and addiction can set women up for a criminal record. Men with this diagnosis combination have yet a greater risk for criminal activity. Nonetheless, untreated bipolar and addiction is a nasty combination - a ticking time bomb for disaster.
Reports on Women and Dual Diagnosis in Prison
In a 2005 workshop from a Women’s Mental Health conference in the UK, Marcia Rice reports some startling statistics. While working in the US, UK, and Europe for 15 years, she found that over 60% of women in prison receive treatment for mental illness. Also, many women in prison have experienced trauma and abuse in their past. Interestingly, she also reports that creative therapies such as art therapy, singing, drama, and music were needed to meet women’s mental health needs.
According to another report about a Midwestern US jail from 1999, women make up only 10% of the prison population but have over twice the rate of mental illness as men. A stunning 75% of women with mental illness also had a co-occurring addiction.
Women generally acquire an addiction through emotional pathways. This helps to explain the high rate of overlap between mental illness and addictions among women in prison. Overall, women tend to have more mental health needs than men while in prison, and are not likely to be placed in facilities that can meet these needs.
After Prison for Women With Dual Diagnosis
The concern becomes re-entry into the community. What happens to the women who’ve been in prison for several years, getting hit-or-miss mental illness and addiction treatment? When they return to their hometown, how many have really had the kind of dual diagnosis drug rehab that treats the whole person, especially for a woman?
Certainly, many prisons and jails are trying to make the experience more of a rehabilitation than strictly punishment. And with women-only prisons and detention centers, there are now more opportunities than ever before to focus on the needs of women. However, studies in women’s addiction are a more recent phenomenon. Putting this important research information into practice takes time.
Studies in women’s addiction has been a more recent phenomenon. There are certainly many fine drug rehab facilities all over the United States. However, the holistic drug treatment approach is still somewhat of a unique option. It is therapeutic for both men and women alike, but this approach speaks especially well to the needs of women. The sense of community and connection fostered in a holistic healing environment is of particular importance for women.
Holistic Dual Diagnosis Drug Rehab Helps Women
The Canyon is a holistic dual diagnosis drug rehab well-suited for women. Finding excellent dual diagnosis treatment can be challenging enough. When a woman needs residential treatment, she needs to look no further than The Canyon. Contact The Canyon now to ask questions and begin the journey of holistic addiction recovery.
Tags: Drug Rehab for Women, Dual Diagnosis and Women, Prison and Women with Dual Diagnosis
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