The use of methamphetamine may result in severe psychological effects due to the impairment of the brain, through dopamine depletion as the main example. Australia has one of the highest rates of methamphetamine use in the world, with around 2.5% of Australians having used methamphetamine in the last 14 years.
As methamphetamine enters the brain, dopamine is released in concentrations ten times higher than normal. This excessive release of dopamine produces pleasure and cause the user to feel energetic, joyful and alert. The listed symptoms can persist for several hours as methamphetamine is slowly metabolised and excreted from the body. The “high” stage of methamphetamine binging lasts for approximately 8-24 hours, with only 50% of the drug removed from the body within 12 hours. When the “high wears off” after a surge of dopamine, the user will consequently experience intense cravings for the drug, and therefore will ingest more of the drug to satisfy their need for this euphoric “high”. As methamphetamine is continuously taken, the user will be mentally and physically hyperactive and will ultimately avoid sleep. This is identified as the “binge” stage, which lasts between 2 and 14 days. Neurotransmitters cannot function properly when the dopamine levels are depleted (Figure 6), and nerve impulses are not transmitted correctly, impairing essential brain functions like behaviour, mood, attention, movement, cognition, learning, and sleep. In time, the reward system is exhausted, and the individual will lack motivation, as the brain is unable to produce dopamine due to the regular use of methamphetamine. Furthermore, when the dopamine system wears out, it will impair the decision-making parts of the brain, allowing the emotional parts of the brain to be released unchecked. Therefore, the user will have mood swings, which may range from anxiety to unpredictable and erratic behaviour and exhaustion. The methamphetamine user will subsequently experience an emotional crash, with feelings of sadness and emptiness after the binge stage as the drug is excreted in a stage known as “tweaking”. Professor of psychology, Steve Allsop, states that “the crash is the opposite effect of the drug, instead of feeling awake and alert, the user begins to feel sleepy and depressed.” As the brain is accustomed to the high levels of dopamine through the development of tolerance, when the drug is not taken, the individual will experience several effects of methamphetamine withdrawal. The withdrawal stage is the physical and mental effects of the reduced and ceased consumption of the drug, occurring when the individual’s body has developed tolerance. Studies show that symptoms of withdrawal evident in methamphetamine users include irritability with 78%, depression with 50% and impaired social functioning with 46%. As such, the psychological effects of methamphetamine initially are stimulating but eventually, with excretion, become depressing. What are the long-term effects of methamphetamine abuse? There are several long-term effects of methamphetamine abuse, but the most common ones include addiction, depression, changes in brain structure and function, mood disturbances, behavioural changes and deficits in thinking and motor skills. …show more content…
Methamphetamine is highly addictive, which causes the brain to speedily build a tolerance to the drug, leading to the cycle of dependence and abuse, a chronic relapsing brain disease that drives compulsive drug consumption. This occurs in the “crash” stage, where the user experiences severe depression, irritability and fatigue and requires more of the drug to experience the high stage, which places further high demands on the dopamine receptors. Methamphetamine abuse induces cognitive impairment, as it damages the frontal lobe of the brain which is responsible for judgement, impulse control and the ability to comprehend the consequences of various actions. This develops over time, as stated by Professor of Pharmacology, Christie Macdonald, with “the function of the front part of the brain gets inhibited and can degenerate to some extent in …show more content…
In regards to methamphetamine abuse statistics, the same population with depressive symptoms commonly declined treatment, owing to impaired foresight from the addiction. A methamphetamine user who is in the process of recovering from addiction relapses when they “return to the consistent pattern of addictive behaviour” after a duration of abstinence. The relapse rate from The National Institute of Drug Abuse in methamphetamine use disorder recovery programs is estimated to be approximately
As methamphetamine enters the brain, dopamine is released in concentrations ten times higher than normal. This excessive release of dopamine produces pleasure and cause the user to feel energetic, joyful and alert. The listed symptoms can persist for several hours as methamphetamine is slowly metabolised and excreted from the body. The “high” stage of methamphetamine binging lasts for approximately 8-24 hours, with only 50% of the drug removed from the body within 12 hours. When the “high wears off” after a surge of dopamine, the user will consequently experience intense cravings for the drug, and therefore will ingest more of the drug to satisfy their need for this euphoric “high”. As methamphetamine is continuously taken, the user will be mentally and physically hyperactive and will ultimately avoid sleep. This is identified as the “binge” stage, which lasts between 2 and 14 days. Neurotransmitters cannot function properly when the dopamine levels are depleted (Figure 6), and nerve impulses are not transmitted correctly, impairing essential brain functions like behaviour, mood, attention, movement, cognition, learning, and sleep. In time, the reward system is exhausted, and the individual will lack motivation, as the brain is unable to produce dopamine due to the regular use of methamphetamine. Furthermore, when the dopamine system wears out, it will impair the decision-making parts of the brain, allowing the emotional parts of the brain to be released unchecked. Therefore, the user will have mood swings, which may range from anxiety to unpredictable and erratic behaviour and exhaustion. The methamphetamine user will subsequently experience an emotional crash, with feelings of sadness and emptiness after the binge stage as the drug is excreted in a stage known as “tweaking”. Professor of psychology, Steve Allsop, states that “the crash is the opposite effect of the drug, instead of feeling awake and alert, the user begins to feel sleepy and depressed.” As the brain is accustomed to the high levels of dopamine through the development of tolerance, when the drug is not taken, the individual will experience several effects of methamphetamine withdrawal. The withdrawal stage is the physical and mental effects of the reduced and ceased consumption of the drug, occurring when the individual’s body has developed tolerance. Studies show that symptoms of withdrawal evident in methamphetamine users include irritability with 78%, depression with 50% and impaired social functioning with 46%. As such, the psychological effects of methamphetamine initially are stimulating but eventually, with excretion, become depressing. What are the long-term effects of methamphetamine abuse? There are several long-term effects of methamphetamine abuse, but the most common ones include addiction, depression, changes in brain structure and function, mood disturbances, behavioural changes and deficits in thinking and motor skills. …show more content…
Methamphetamine is highly addictive, which causes the brain to speedily build a tolerance to the drug, leading to the cycle of dependence and abuse, a chronic relapsing brain disease that drives compulsive drug consumption. This occurs in the “crash” stage, where the user experiences severe depression, irritability and fatigue and requires more of the drug to experience the high stage, which places further high demands on the dopamine receptors. Methamphetamine abuse induces cognitive impairment, as it damages the frontal lobe of the brain which is responsible for judgement, impulse control and the ability to comprehend the consequences of various actions. This develops over time, as stated by Professor of Pharmacology, Christie Macdonald, with “the function of the front part of the brain gets inhibited and can degenerate to some extent in …show more content…
In regards to methamphetamine abuse statistics, the same population with depressive symptoms commonly declined treatment, owing to impaired foresight from the addiction. A methamphetamine user who is in the process of recovering from addiction relapses when they “return to the consistent pattern of addictive behaviour” after a duration of abstinence. The relapse rate from The National Institute of Drug Abuse in methamphetamine use disorder recovery programs is estimated to be approximately