Treatment of methamphetamine abuse: research findings and clinical directions

Over the past few years, methamphetamine has appeared in mass quantities, in part, because of the ease and cost efficiency of manufacturing. With this increase in availability, the use of methamphetamine has increased significantly. The purpose of this article is to describe the existing treatment options for methamphetamine abuse and provide recommendations for practitioners and researchers. Methamphetamine abuse adversely impacts physical functioning, brain functioning and cognition, social support and social networks, and behavioral functioning. Negative consequences have also been documented to the environment and communities. In the studies reviewed on effective treatments, interventions consisted of aversion therapy, medication, psychosocial treatment, and case management. Each specific treatment is described as connected with an overall drug treatment program. If methamphetamine abuse continues to increase and the consequences continue to be so devastating, researchers and clinicians could advance the field by particular focus on the treatment of this type of drug use.