Amphetamine Addiction Treatment and Adolescents Essay

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Literature Review

Amphetamine is a stimulant drug mainly used in the treatment of ADHD and narcolepsy (sleeping disorder). Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has classified amphetamine as a schedule II drug, which means that they can be used for medication and has a high potential for abuse (Drug Enforcement Administration, n.d.). Common prescription drugs include Ritalin, Adderall, and Dexedrine. Amphetamine is also used for recreation purposes and popular street names include Crank, Black Beauties, Uppers, Bennies, Ice, and Speed (Drug Enforcement Administration, n.d.).

In 2016, approximately 34.2 million people had used amphetamine and its derivatives - MDMA (ecstasy) and methamphetamine hydrochloride (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2019). Amphetamines are mostly taken orally as capsules or tablets (Tablets can either be crushed or injected). Crystal methamphetamine hydrochloride is smoked or inhaled. Methamphetamine powder dissolves in water and can be injected intravenously (Drug Enforcement Administration, n.d.). Studies indicate that amphetamine addiction is a global problem and adolescents are the most affected. Also, the stimulant is easily accessible. The devastating consequences of amphetamine addiction has renewed interest among health care professionals on the most effective treatment intervention.

This literature review will explore whether cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the best approach for treating amphetamine addiction. The following questions will be answered:

1. What are the effects of amphetamine use?

2. Is behavioral therapy effective at treating amphetamine addiction in adolescence?

3. What are the limitations of the matrix model?

What are the Effects of Amphetamine Use?

Amphetamine use is not a new phenomenon. Its usage can be traced back to 1930s when it was used to treat asthma and narcolepsy (Drug Enforcement Administration, n.d.). During World War II, soldiers on either side of the war used amphetamine to stay alert and be more efficient. Today, adolescents are using illicit amphetamines to boost their performance in school. It has resulted in high addiction rates among teens. Amphetamine addiction affects both the user and society at large. The user can no longer live a productive life and the society incurs rising health care costs in treating stimulant-related disorders.

The effects of amphetamine use vary from acute to chronic. The acute effects include alertness, decreased fatigue, increase confidence, exhilaration, improves performance for tasks that need sustained attention and impair performance for tasks that require smooth accurate muscle movements. The chronic effects include psychosis similar to paranoid schizophrenia, paranoia, hallucinations, violent behavior, picking at the skin and preoccupation with own thought processes (Drug Enforcement Administration, n.d.).

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Is Behavioral Therapy Effective at Treating Amphetamine Addiction in Adolescence?

In 2016, only one out of six people with stimulant use disorders globally sought treatment (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2019). The low rates of treatment have been attributed to the absence of a medical model for addiction treatment. Generally, treating amphetamine addiction in adolescents is challenging because there are no proven effective medications. Also, there is a high rate of relapse, severe cravings, and episodes of hallucinations and psychosis among users.…

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…psychosocial treatments. Thus, the matrix model has a greater treatment efficacy over the other psychosocial treatments.

What are the Limitations of the Matrix Model?

Matrix model is the most effective method of treating amphetamine addiction. However, health care providers need to be aware of its limitations. Massah, Effatpanah & Shishehgar (2017) conducted a study on problems of matrix model in treating Methadone dependency. A random sample of 42 women from 12 methadone clinics participated in the study. Ten therapists were also interviewed on the effectiveness of the matrix model in methadone treatment.

The results of the study showed that the matrix method is lengthy, expensive and required intensive training of clinic staff (Massah et al., 2017). Most of the women in the study noted that the matrix model is long and they get bored in the course of treatment. The length of treatment contributed to high dropout rates among the participants. The women in the study also claimed that the 16-week long treatment sessions was effective in reducing their cravings for methadone; however, it was costly. Most women were not in a position to pay for the treatment, so they preferred brief interventions which is less expensive. One of the therapists observed that matrix model requires intensive staff training because it is a 16-week standard treatment.

This study is related to amphetamine addiction because it highlights the limitations of the matrix model. To reduce the high dropout rates associated with the matrix model, amphetamine patients should be informed that the….....

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