SAMHSA releases updated treatment guidelines for stimulant use

VOLUME 30, NUMBER 8 September 1999

Now available from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) Center for Substance Abuse Treatment is Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) #33, "Treatment for Stimulant Use Disorders."

Based on recent research, it gives an overview of new knowledge about stimulants and their effect on the brain and behavior, and includes treatment guidelines and other clinical, medical and social interventions. Treatment strategies, screening tests for cognitive impairments, and client worksheets are also provided in the guidelines.

Among the findings covered:

Symptoms of stimulant abuse include euphoria; increased vigor, giddiness and a sense of enhanced mental acuity; agitation, restlessness and irritability; garrulousness with rapid shifts in thinking; poor concentration; grandiosity, exaggerated self-esteem and egocentricity; hypervigilance; enhanced sensory awareness; fearlessness and suspiciousness; impaired judgment and poor impulse control; and potential for aggression and violence.

Neurological impairments may last up to two years or more after cessation of stimulant use.

*Chronic use of methamphetamines can lead to psychosis.

The clinical issues are presented according to their placement in the treatment plan, which consists of four phases: treatment initiation, abstinence attainment, abstinence maintenance and long-term abstinence support.

TIP #33 is available online at www.samhsa.gov, and can also be ordered through SAMHSA's National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information at (800) 729-6686, TDD (800) 487-4889.

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