Methamphetamine Use in Rural Midwesterners

Abstract

Methamphetamine use has been characterized as a "rural" drug; however, little is known about rural methamphetamine use disorders (MUD). This study describes and compares characteristics of rural and urban patients with MUD. Rural study participants reported earlier first regular use of methamphetamine, more alcoholism, more intravenous use, and a greater number of cigarettes/day, and were more likely to report methamphetamine-related psychotic symptoms. Rural methamphetamine users report multiple factors that may contribute to medical and psychiatric complications and worsen their prognosis. This is of significant concern given the limited substance abuse, mental health, and specialty care available in most rural Midwestern communities.

Chronic Nicotine Exposure Attenuates Methamphetamine-Induced Dopaminergic Deficits

“…Methamphetamine (METH) is a potent psychostimulant abused among adolescents and young adults (Grant et al, 2007;Johnston et al, 2014). Repeated METH administrations to humans (Sekine et al, 2001;Volkow et al, 2001;McCann et al, 2008) and rodents (McFadden et al, 2012;Kousik et al, 2014) cause long-term striatal dopaminergic deficits resembling some aspects of Parkinson's disease (PD) (McCann et al, 1998;Lotharius and Brundin, 2002;Kish et al, 2008).…”

Methamphetamine use, dependence and treatment access in rural and regional North Coast of New South Wales, Australia

“…The majority of existing research has focused on populations of methamphetamine users living in major metropolitan areas [1,7,8,16,17] and only a few studies have investigated the patterns and correlates of methamphetamine use outside of urban areas in Australia [14,[18][19][20][21] or elsewhere [22][23][24]. Understanding the nature of the problem is critical to adequately plan health services, allocate resources, provide suitable interventions and improve treatment coverage.…”

A Systematic Review of the Literature Regarding Family Context and Mental Health of Children From Rural Methamphetamine-Involved Families: Implications for Rural Child Welfare Practice

“…Furthermore, rural individuals who use methamphetamine may be at heightened risk for poor mental health functioning due to limited access to substance abuse treatment and mental health centers in rural areas (Hutchison & Blakely, 2003). In a recent study comparing methamphetamine use among 179 rural and urban adults being treated for methamphetamine use at five Midwestern substance use disorder centers (located in Nebraska), rural participants showed a consistent pattern of earlier first use (mean age 21.3 years rural; 24.9 years urban) and higher rates of methamphetamine-related psychosis (44.8% rural; 28.7% urban; Grant et al, 2007). Research examining urban-rural differences in stimulant abuse, including methamphetamine, indicates that abuse occurs at higher rates in rural areas overall and at a rate seven times higher among the rural unemployed.…”

“…Research indicates that rural-dwelling families have higher rates of poverty, fewer health and mental health resources, and increased substance abuse and mental health issues compared with their urban-dwelling counterparts (Hutchison & Blakely, 2003;Belanger, 2008;O'Hare, 2009). Additional research (Grant et al, 2007;Van Gundy, 2006) indicates unique patterns of methamphetamine and stimulant use among rural-dwelling adults, thus this review focuses exclusively on research regarding rural-dwelling children. Although a substantial body of research does exist regarding rural-dwelling methamphetamine-affected children that focuses on the environmental dangers and physical health risks to children raised in homes where methamphetamine is present (Hohman, Oliver, & Wright, 2004;Messina, Marinelli-Casey, West, & Rawson, 2007;Grant, Bell, Stewart, Paulson, & Rogers, 2010), there is a paucity of research regarding child psychosocial outcomes.…”