Methamphetamine Substance Use Disorder: Options and Analysis of Current Treatments in a Co-Occurring Condition

Course Summary

Methamphetamine, also referred to as “meth,” is an amphetamine derivative that is extremely powerful. It is frequently misused globally, and as will be seen, it can have considerable negative effects on a person’s physical, behavioral, cognitive and psychiatric conditions. When a methamphetamine use disorder coincides with a severe and chronic mental illness, the affected person will typically lose the ability to function. In a co-occurring disorder, or dual diagnosis, the affected individual will have a substance use disorder combined with a severe and chronic mental illness. Before an effective treatment plan can be developed, the characterization and description of a co-occurring psychiatric disorder, such as schizophrenia, must be distinguished from the methamphetamine use. Rehabilitation treatment tends to take longer in people with poor adherence to a treatment program. Those with co-occurring disorders tend to have lower treatment outcomes than those that are just diagnosed with one disorder.