Substance abuse is among the most prevalent psychiatric disorders in males and contributes significantly to the morbidity and mortality nurses see in practice. Substance use and abuse disorders were the cause of a half million drug-related visits to emergency rooms in 1995, with more than 50% related to drug overdoses. Substance abuse and dependency result from a complex interaction of genetics and the environment. Various polymorphisms of genes have been demonstrated to have either protective effects or increased risk associated with their presence. Substance abuse is a chronic disease state that has effective treatments that reduce drug use, crime, and psychosocial problems. Nurses can provide targeted education and interventions to positively impact substance abuse treatment and by applying basic principles of genetic counseling may prevent transmission to future generations.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
1 November 2002
Current Issues in Genetics|
November 01 2002
The Genetics of Substance Abuse
Thomas L. Hardie, RN, EdD, CS
From University of Delaware, Newark.
Reprint requests to Thomas L. Hardie, RN, EdD, CS, University of Delaware, Department of Nursing, Room 361, McDowell Hall, Newark, DE 19716 (e-mail: [email protected]).
Search for other works by this author on:
AACN Adv Crit Care (2002) 13 (4): 511–522.
Citation
Thomas L. Hardie; The Genetics of Substance Abuse. AACN Adv Crit Care 1 November 2002; 13 (4): 511–522. doi:
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Short-term Access
Purchase short-term access on a pay-per-article or pay-per-issue basis.
$15 72 - hour single article access $30 7 - day full issue access
5
Views