Methamphetamine abuse, psychosis and your patient

Abstract

Recent findings from the MRC-led South African Community Epidemiology Network on Drug Use (SACENDU) Project (which collects data on treatment episodes from substance abuse treatment centres) point to a significant and unprecedented increase in the proportion of clients reporting methamphetamine (MA) as their primary and/or secondary drug of abuse at these specialist substance abuse treatment centres in the Western Cape. For example, the proportion of clients reporting methamphetamine-related problems has increased from 5% of the total treatment population at Cape Town Drug Counselling Centre (the largest non-profit outpatient treatment centre in Cape Town) in 2003 to between 44% and 48% of the treatment population in 2004.1 (SA Fam Pract 2006;48(2): 56-57)