SAMHSA Addresses Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA) recently released a new Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) publication focusing on fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). The new TIP provides information on preventing alcohol-exposed pregnancies and effectively identifying the unique needs of pregnant, substance-abusing women (SAMHSA, 2014).

According to the Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality (CBHSQ), of pregnant women aged fifteen to forty-four, “2.7 percent reported binge drinking and 0.3 percent reported heavy drinking” (SAMHSA, 2014). According to SAMHSA, “recent estimates suggest that there may be as many as 200,000 new cases of FASD in the US each year” (2014)—this is drawing increasing concern to the issue.

The TIP provides clinical strategies for FASD prevention and intervention, guides for program administrators, and an online literature review of FASD (SAMHSA, 2014).

To download or order a copy of the TIP, click here.

References

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). (2014). Saving babies from exposure to alcohol. Retrieved from http://beta.samhsa.gov/samhsaNewsLetter/Volume_22_Number_3/saving_babies/?utm_source=govdelivery&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Summer2014_eBlast&utm_campaign=SAMHSA_newsletter

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