Are you able to recognize the signs and symptoms of meth addiction in yourself or someone you care about? Certain symptoms, such as headaches, are present during other diseases or chronic conditions. So, how can you be sure? And how can you help a meth addict get treatment? Here, we outline symptoms of meth addiction and options for treatment. Then, we invite your question and comments about meth at the end.
The classifications for and definitions of “addiction” are found in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) of Mental Disorders and are published by the American Psychiatric Association. The DSM codes are mostly used by mental health professionals to describe the features of a given mental disorder and indicate how the disorder can be distinguished from other. Any meth user who meets the DSM criteria for methamphetamine addiction requires intensive treatment. So the question is, how can you recognize a meth addict? DSM criteria for addiction include:
Are the other, more practical ways to evaluate a person’s potential addiction to meth? Yes. You can also evaluate a person’s general health to check for meth dependence and related addiction. Because meth increases body metabolism and gives the feeling of immense energy and euphoria, followed by the awful crash, the body is literally exhausted and not able to maintain a regular body rhythm. Fatigue is evident in a meth addict’s face. Further, “meth mouth” is the term given to addicts caused by the deteriorating teeth.
Additionally, a meth addict’s mood easily shifts from one extreme to another and secrecy is high, especially before dosing. Meth addiction is very strong, therefore you can easily distinguish withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms may last for days with occasional use and weeks or months with chronic methamphetamine use. Symptoms which occur during meth withdrawal and are signs of dependence on meth include:
Yes, meth addiction symptoms can be treated. How to start? Consider planning an intervention. But, remember, you do not need to be alone in this. Gather a team of addicts family, friends and colleagues, people who would care about the person struggling with addiction. During a formal intervention, these people gather together to confront the person about the consequences of addiction and ask the addict to accept treatment.
The intervention points out specific examples of destructive behaviors and their impact on the addicted person and loved ones. You talk directly with the addict, offering a per-arranged treatment plan with clear steps . The end of an intervention is the hardest, when each person promises what will do if the meth addict refuses to accept treatment. This is often the hardest part where emotions get involved and the interventions goal slips out of hands.
Once an addict agrees to seek treatment, there are various of options for treating methamphetamine addiction. Meth addiction has been evidenced to respond well to psychological and behavioral treatment. However, treatment will depend of the resources, facilities, clinics, and professionals in your area as well as time limitations, the overall physical and psychological condition of the meth addict. The most commonly practiced meth addiction treatment techniques include:
When it comes to facilitation of these techniques, meth addiction can be treated by inpatient, or residential, and outpatient meth addiction treatment. All outpatient services employed for methamphetamine addicts, should consist of at least 6 hours of treatment per week. Because of the nature of meth addict, treatment episodes are recommended over a period of at least 3-6 months, followed by one year of after care treatment.