There are three main underlying themes throughout “A Mother’s Desperation”. These underlying themes include the disease model of addiction, the toll addiction takes on families, and the labeling of individuals who suffer from a substance use disorder. The majority of this documentary was told from a mother’s perspective whose daughter has is battling a current addiction to Opioids. Throughout the documentary the mother attended a support group for families of addiction and it became clear of the toll that addiction takes on the family system. During the opening chapter of “A Mother’s Desperation” the mother mentions how hard it was to have her daughter arrested and she also mentions how she never thought that she would have to do that or that
