The ‘meth’ epidemic: Managing acute psychosis, agitation, and suicide risk

Current Psychiatry Online, Vol. 5, No. 11 / November 2006
http://digbig.com/4nrdp
Michael J. Bostwick ; Timothy W. Lineberry
"Methamphetamine abuse has spread to every region of the United States in the past 10 years. Its long-lasting, difficult-to-treat medical effects destroy lives and create psychiatric and physical comorbidities that confound clinicians in emergency rooms and community practice settings. Methamphetamine-induced psychosis is difficult to differentiate from a primary thought disorder, especially in patients whoshow signs of both. This first in a series of two articles describes methamphetamine’s growing use and offers guidance to identify abusers and manage acute “meth” intoxication. Methamphetamine-abusing patients can appear in any area of acute psychiatric practice—during emergency department (ED) evaluations, medical-surgical consultations, and inpatient psychiatric admissions."