SYDNEY, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- A global review conducted by Australia's National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) at the University of New South Wales has found people who use the drug methamphetamine have a significantly higher risk of developing psychosis and other mental health problems.
A growing health concern Down Under, use of the illicit narcotic has known locally as ice, has skyrocketed in recent years with NDARC figures indicating that meth and stimulant-related hospitalizations have increased from approximately 2,760 in 1999-00 to around 13,950 in 2017-18.
Given this dramatic rise, leader of the study Associate Professor Rebecca McKetin said on Wednesday that Australia must take steps to improve its drug treatment programs.
"Services for substance use and mental health are often separate, meaning that people who use substances do not get the care they need for mental health issues," she said.
"More work is needed to ensure that people who use this drug are provided with adequate mental health care."
"We need to tailor generic responses and make sure they are acceptable, safe, and effective for people who use methamphetamine."
Finding that ice users are twice as likely to experience depression and psychosis, and four times more likely to be suicidal, addiction psychiatrist from Monash University Dr Shalini Arunogiri said drug treatments must now be developed and implemented to stop these mental conditions progressing to schizophrenia.
"There is currently no agreed treatment model for people who have methamphetamine-related psychosis. People are often discharged without a care plan for their psychosis, resulting in a 'revolving door' scenario," he explained
"Psychosis is often dismissed as being drug-induced, but the reality is that many of these people will experience recurrent psychotic episodes, often triggered by ongoing methamphetamine use, and some will go on to develop schizophrenia."
"This is a real opportunity for early intervention to prevent an ongoing risk of enduring mental illness."