We recently discussed how the late Henrietta Lacks may be one of the most important figures in medical research, yet not many people had heard of her before the publication of the book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and the subsequent television movie based on that book.

Researchers have used Henrietta Lacks’s genes to develop medical treatments and study cell biology. Unfortunately, researchers took these genes without the permission of Lacks and her family and didn’t notify her family about their use.

It seems like discrimination was behind some of these decisions. Lacks was African American, a woman, and not rich or powerful. She died in the early 1950s, before women and African Americans had more rights than they do today, although it seems that these groups still do not enjoy the same privileges that white males do. The poor and middle class still seem to lack the rights and opportunities that their rich counterparts have.

Weirdly enough, we’ve even seen such discrimination when it comes to substance use disorder. People sometimes judge women more harshly for drinking or drug use, especially if these women have children. People might view addicted men as people with problems and applaud them for seeking help. If women have children, people might see their addictions not as the diseases they are, but as moral flaws that can hurt their children and others.

So, in addition to having to grapple with their own physical and mental problems brought on by addiction, women who abuse alcohol or drugs must contend with the judgment of others. It’s little wonder that some women try to hide their addictions.

But, as you know, hiding problems doesn’t make them shrink. It often has the opposite effect. A substance use disorder problem that’s growing is harder to treat. People with growing problems might think they can’t treat such problems and that there’s no hope.

Acknowledging that addiction is a disease, not a character flaw, can help people admit their problems and help them solve them.