INTEGRATING TREATMENTS FOR METHAMPHETAMINE ABUSE - A PSYCHOSOCIAL PERSPECTIVE

The recent West Coast experience with increased methamphetamine use is showing signs of spreading to other parts of the US. The risk of corr esponding medical and psychosocial problems has led to a call to actio n at the highest levels of government. The next few years will likely witness a substantial increase in treatment research on methamphetamin e abuse/dependence, with particular emphasis on the development and ap plication of novel pharmacotherapies. The evaluation of these agents p resupposes that we understand the clinical syndrome resulting from chr onic methamphetamine use. To establish a clear picture of the biologic al and psychological sequellae of methamphetamine use, we compare two cohorts (500 methamphetamine and 224 cocaine users) treated at the sam e outpatient clinic over the past nine years, using identical manualiz ed treatments. The results suggest that while there are important diff erences in group characteristics and drug effects, the total response to treatment was quite comparable.