Mental health issues in people with methamphetamine use: a pilot study

Abstract

Methamphetamine use is a public health issue due  to its high prevalence and the adverse effects it has  both on the body and  mental health. The  objective of this study is  to carry out a diagnostic assessment of the clinical  conditions of individuals  who reported methamphetamine as the  impact drug and who sought treatment at Centros de Integración  juvenil. The method used  was descriptive, cross-sectional, multicenter  study. The variables  included: cognitive impairment, manic and  psychotic episodes,  substance use patterns  and risks, addictive  behavior, depression,  anxiety, suicidality, attention deficit  hyperactivity disorder  (ADHD), antisocial personality disorder, and  post-traumatic stress  disorder (PTSD). As a  result, the most prevalent  substances  used in the past month were tobacco (66.7%),  alcohol (29.4%), and  marijuana (31.4%). The most common disorders  were severe depression  (60%), severe anxiety  (47.5%), ADHD (80.6%),  and antisocial personality  disorder (51.6%).  Additionally, 74.2%  reported experiencing  physical neglect, 32.3%  reported emotional neglect and abuse, 22.6%  reported physical abuse,  and 12.9% reported  sexual abuse. Methamphetamine use is associated with various  mental disorders,  requiring the intervention  of multiple  health specialists, both  physical and mental, for  better management of  the complications  resulting from  methamphetamine use.