A review of psychological and pharmacological treatment options for methamphetamine dependence

Abstract

Methamphetamine (MA) is a public health problem both in Australia and internationally and very little is known about the most cost-effective treatment options. This study is a review of recent studies and an assessment of current treatment options for MA dependence. Treatment options for MA dependence can be divided into outpatient and inpatient modality settings according to the level of drug use. Moderate improvements through higher rates of retention in treatment (especially residential rehabilitation) have been found in individuals who completed either cognitive-behavioural therapy or counselling as a form of outpatient treatment and in those users who completed a residential rehabilitation treatment programme at an inpatient treatment modality. There remains a need for further research to investigate the efficacy of existing treatment options in individuals with MA use problems and to address the economic impact of those interventions in terms of cost-effectiveness/cost utility.