Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
[STK]
[IN] ALC MNH HEA
[SU] WOM AVO
-- WITH PHOTO -- TO FOOD, HEALTH, AND NATIONAL EDITORS:
Screening for Mental Health's Annual National Alcohol Screening Day
Highlights Alcohol's Harmful Effects on Women
WELLESLEY HILLS, Mass., April 7, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --
Screening for Mental Health, Inc. (SMH), the pioneer in large-scale
mental health screenings for the public, is focusing attention on the
particular health consequences of alcohol abuse in women. The
increased focus coincides with National Alcohol Screening Day, held
April 10th, 2014.
The 17th annual screening and education day raises awareness about
alcohol misuse and abuse, while providing the public with beneficial
screening and treatment resources. To help both women and men assess
their drinking patterns, SMH is promoting www.HowDoYouScore.org, an
online resource that offers anonymous screenings for alcohol abuse as
well as resources for treatment and recovery.
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism,
fewer women than men drink. However, among the heaviest drinkers,
women equal or surpass men in the number of alcohol related problems.
For example:
-- Female alcoholics have death rates 50 to 100 percent higher than
those of male alcoholics, including deaths from suicides,
alcohol-related accidents, heart disease and stroke, and liver
disease.
-- Women tend to develop alcohol-related diseases and other
consequences of drinking sooner than men, and after drinking less.
-- Women are more likely to abuse alcohol in order to self-medicate
problems such as depression, anxiety, or stress.
Several biological factors, including body fat and hormones, make
women more susceptible to alcohol's effects. Because of these factors,
a woman's body processes alcohol more slowly than a man's. One drink
for a woman has about twice the effect of one for a man.
"For women in particular, there is a fine line between healthful and
harmful drinking and this can be easy to cross," says Douglas G.
Jacobs, M.D., associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard
Medical School and medical director of Screening for Mental Health,
Inc. "If someone is drinking more after a disappointment, a fight, or
when they feel under pressure, we encourage them to take a screening.
The goal of National Alcohol Screening Day is for both women and men
to think about how, when, and why they drink. The anonymous, online
screenings provide a non-threatening way for individuals to assess
whether alcohol may be negatively impacting their health and life."
Some sample screening questions include:
-- How often do you have four or more drinks on one occasion?
-- How often during the last year have you found that you were not
able to stop drinking once you started?
-- How often during the last year have you failed to do what was
normally expected from you because of drinking?
More than 40,000 screenings were taken online and in-person at events
during National Alcohol Screening Day 2013. To take an anonymous and
free screening online, visit www.HowDoYouScore.org.
Screening for Mental Health, Inc. (SMH), the pioneer of large-scale
mental health screening for the public, provides innovative mental
health and substance abuse resources, linking those in need with
quality treatment options. SMH programs, offered online and in-person,
educate, raise awareness, and screen individuals for depression,
bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, posttraumatic stress
disorder, eating disorders, alcohol use disorders, and suicide.
Thousands of organizations worldwide including hospitals, military
installations, colleges, secondary schools, corporations, utilize our
educational and screening programs, and in turn, have reached millions
of people ranging from teenagers to adults.
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140407/DC98832 Photo -
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130409/DC90838
SOURCE Screening for Mental Health
-0- 04/07/2014
/CONTACT: Sue Thorn, Screening for Mental Health, 781-591-5243, sthorn@mentalhealthscreening.org
/Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140407/DC98832
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130409/DC90838
AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN6
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
CO: Screening for Mental Health
ST: Massachusetts
IN: ALC MNH HEA
SU: WOM AVO
PRN
-- DC98832 --
0000 04/07/2014 13:00:00 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
