The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #43722

Daniel Dubovsky, MSW, CSAP FAS Center for Excellence, Northrup Grumman IT Health Solutions and Services, 1700 Research Blvd, Suite 400, Rockville, MD 20850, 301-294-5479, ddubovsky@hq.row.com

Have you ever worked with individuals who repeatedly have not followed through with treatment but say that they want to? Have you ever had someone come to you almost every month and tell you that s/he had no money to pay the rent or buy food for the month and didn't know where her/his money went? Then you have probably worked with individuals with FASD. When women drink during pregnancy, they put their unborn child at risk of having a wide range of physical, cognitive, and behavioral difficulties due to the prenatal exposure to alcohol. As the strongest available teratogen, the effects of alcohol on a developing fetus will affect the individual throughout his/her life. Yet we often do not identify prenatal alcohol exposure. As children and adults, these individuals are often diagnosed instead as having Attention Deficit Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Conduct Disorder, Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder or a host of other psychiatric disorders, and are frequently labeled as uncooperative and manipulative. Acknowledging the biological basis of many mental illnesses and estimates that the majority of individuals with mental illness use substances, it follows that prenatal alcohol exposure is a significant co-occurring disorder with mental illness and substance use disorders. This session will present a brief overview of the diagnostic process for FASD. We will examine how prenatal alcohol exposure manifests in various settings, such as treatment settings, home, school, community, job, and correctional settings. We will highlight the importance of identifying prenatal alcohol exposure and will discuss strategies for intervening to attain optimal outcomes.

Learning Objectives: By the end of this session, participants will be able to

• identify the diagnostic criteria for FASD;
• describe the behavioral presentation of individuals with FASD in mental health treatment settings;
• discuss the co-morbidity of FASD with mental health and substance use disorders;
• utilize information gained in meeting the needs of people with whom they work.

Keywords: Adult and Child Mental Health, Treatment Outcomes

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.