Violent offences of methamphetamine users and dilemmas of forensic psychiatric assessment

Abstract

Methamphetamine (MA), an extremely addictive synthetic stimulant, has quickly spread to become the most frequently used illicit drug in China. People with a history of chronic and heavy MA use have a high possibility of exhibiting schizophrenia-like psychotic symptoms, mainly delusions of reference, auditory hallucinations and cognitive deficits. These emerging findings suggest MA use increases aggression and violence and that there is a correlation between MA use and violence. However, it is unclear how to assess the capacity of criminal responsibility in “MA-induced” psychosis and how to set clear boundaries between schizophrenia and MA-induced psychosis when only limited and inconsistent evidence is available. Furthermore, a final persuasive differential diagnostic method based on improved understanding of schizophrenia and MA-induced psychotic disorders has yet to be developed. This paper will evaluate the epidemiology, social harm, and forensic psychiatric assessment of MA users, propose a future direction for the differential diagnosis between MA-induced psychotic disorders and schizophrenia, and put forward some practical solutions to assess the capacity of criminal responsibility of defendants with drug-induced psychotic disorder.

Sexual Stress Immunization Protocols

“…Unfortunately, the forensic literature that outlines the relationship between methamphetamine abuse and aggression [4][5][6][7]14,22,32], with its emphasis on pathology and harm, does not trace the causal relationships of biphasic dosing to behaviour. Forensic research is usually correlational, although reliant on neuropharmacological mechanisms developed from animal studies, and from the methodologies such as positron emission tomography to study human brains [11,30].…”

“…Forensic research infers causation from the molecular mechanisms, and pharmacokinetics developed in experimental animal studies and from in-vitro methodologies. Coroners' toxicology data, forensic assessment, and post-mortem assessment of dopamine brain markers [30] are also useful to map onto experimental pharmacology research [4][5][6][7]. Nonetheless, forensic explanatory models for aggression typically correctly identify misuse of drug, and high-dose, mood-induced changes, psychoses, or withdrawal-related aggression in their explanatory bases [11- 23] sectors are emphasized in the international response, with criminal industry a serious problem for societies, policy strategy and law enforcement.…”

“…Despite a century of pharmaceutical science outlining the basis for medicinal benefits of stimulant [1][2][3], the forensic literature [4][5][6][7], though often correctly, identifies methamphetamine as a drug of abuse. Methamphetamine is also a potentially beneficial pharmacy.…”

Pharmacokinetics of selegiline, R‐methamphetamine, R‐amphetamine, and desmethylselegiline in oral fluid after a single oral administration of selegiline

“…While SG has been marketed for the treatment of PD and the metabolites R‐MA and R‐AM are sold over the counter as a nasal inhaler decongestant product, its enantiomers S‐MA and S‐AM are controlled illicit drugs . The difference is mainly because the S‐form has a psychotonic activity 5‐fold stronger than the R‐form . It has been reported that the way to differentiate clinical SG use from MA abuse is chiral analysis of MA and AM in biological specimens, including oral fluid (OF) specimens …”

“…5,6 The difference is mainly because the S-form has a psychotonic activity 5-fold stronger than the R-form. [7][8][9] It has been reported that the way to differentiate clinical SG use from MA abuse is chiral analysis of MA and AM in biological specimens, including oral fluid (OF) specimens. 6,8,10,11 OF has been successfully used as an alternative matrix for blood testing in several pharmacokinetic studies and pharmacotoxicological studies.…”