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During the COVID-19 pandemic, problems like the need for methamphetamine treatment in Los Angeles became secondary. However, even when shunted aside, substance use disorders do not simply disappear. As reported on by the National Institutes of Health in late September, the results of a new National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) study reveal startling statistics. Indeed, methamphetamine-involved overdose deaths nearly tripled between 2015 to 2019.

Overall, the NIDA study shows not only an increase in risk in the patterns of methamphetamine use but a wider and more diverse spread across the U.S. population. Once considered a cheap cocaine alternative for the lower classes, crystal meth use is showing up in all economic strata in all types of people. As a nonprofit provider of integrated substance use disorder recovery services in California, Tarzana Treatment Centers is aware of the problem. Hence, there is an argument to be made that the need for methamphetamine treatment in Los Angeles is greater than ever before.

Need for Methamphetamine Treatment in Los Angeles and Overdose Deaths

Published today in JAMA Psychiatry, the study reveals why overdose deaths shot up during this period. It also shows why they most likely are continuing to increase nationwide. Higher-risk patterns of methamphetamine use that contribute to the rise in overdose deaths include:

1. A jump in methamphetamine use disorder

1. Higher frequency of use of the drug

1. Co-occurring and simultaneous use of other drugs

Moreover, the problem is continuing to get worse. According to provisional data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2020, more than 93,000 Americans died from drug overdoses. Although most of those overdoses are opioid-related, the number of methamphetamine overdoses is higher than ever before. Overall, it is the largest one-year increase in overdose deaths on record.

Reflecting on the national overdose crisis, including the need for methamphetamine treatment in Los Angeles, Emily Einstein, Ph.D., chief of NIDA’s Science Policy Branch, explains as a co-author of the latest study, “What makes these data even more devastating is that currently, there are no approved medications to treat methamphetamine use disorder. NIDA is working to develop new treatment approaches, including safe and effective medications urgently needed to slow the increase in methamphetamine use, overdoses, and related deaths.”

Psychostimulants = Increase in Overdose Deaths

The expanded use of psychostimulants other than cocaine is the reason for the need for methamphetamine treatment in Los Angeles. From 2015 to 2019, the number of overdose deaths involving psychostimulant drugs other than cocaine shot up from 5,526 in 2015 to 15,489 in 2019. Already a 180% increase in four short years, the numbers are expected to continue to rise when 2020 statistics are available. Overall, there was a 43% increase in the number of people who reported using methamphetamine during the same period.

However, such self-reporting is difficult to quantify when it comes to drug use. It is hard to know how many people are using in the shadows. Thus, the need for methamphetamine treatment in Los Angeles could be more even more extensive. Given this reality, Tarzana Treatment Centers offers SUD services both to adults and adolescents. Indeed, the earlier a substance use disorder is treated, the better the long-term outcome for a patient.

Overall, the study shows that riskier use patterns result in the increased numbers of methamphetamine-involved overdose deaths. This analysis of the study results also found that the prevalence of methamphetamine use disorder among those who did not inject the drug increased 10-fold among African Americans from 2015 to 2019. Indeed, this jump shows the need for methamphetamine treatment in Los Angeles across the landscape of diverse communities.

Unprotected Sex = Methamphetamine Treatment in Los Angeles

Moreover, there is a definite link between methamphetamine use and HIV transmission. Indeed, heightened unprotected sexual activity is a trademark of methamphetamine use. Although traditionally associated with gay men, there is a common need for methamphetamine treatment in Los Angeles. Heightened unprotected sexual activity is the cause. Indeed, the study shows it happens in a diverse range of people.

According to the study, methamphetamine abuse more than tripled among heterosexual women and lesbian or bisexual women. Moreover, a doubling of methamphetamine among heterosexual men is a frightening trend. Thus, a wide range of American citizens requires methamphetamine treatment in Los Angeles and beyond.