Methamphetamine, which has stimulant properties and causes hallucinations, is distinguished from other drugs because it is very addictive, tolerance develops very quickly and causes additional psychiatric diseases very frequently. Stating that methamphetamine causes serious psychiatric side effects, experts stated that the most common conditions are aggression and violence.
Üsküdar University NPISTANBUL Hospital Psychiatry Specialist Assoc. Prof. Dr. Onur Noyan made important evaluations about methamphetamine, which is addictive and brings serious psychiatric disorders.
It differs from other drugs
"Methamphetamine is a hallucinogenic drug with stimulant properties. It is distinguished from other drugs because it is very addictive very quickly, tolerance develops very quickly and causes additional psychiatric diseases very frequently." Assoc. Prof. Dr. Onur Noyan said, "Methamphetamine is used in many different ways, often through cigarette smoke. The effects of methamphetamine in the brain are characterized by toxic effects on brain cells, especially through dopamine and seraotonin neurons."
The most common psychiatric side effects: Aggression and violence
"When we think about the psychiatric side effects of methamphetamine, aggression and violence are very common symptoms," said Assoc. Prof. Onur Noyan,
"Paranoia, suspiciousness, irritability, violent behavior, as well as sudden increases and decreases in mood are very serious psychiatric symptoms associated with methamphetamine use. Due to the high frequency of psychiatric symptoms of methamphetamine use, treatment of methamphetamine abuse is often performed in a hospitalized setting. The treatment of psychiatric diseases accompanying the toxic effects of methamphetamine use on the brain is possible with medication."
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Onur Noyan made general evaluations about addiction. Stating that addiction is a long-term brain disease, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Noyan said, "When we say addiction, not only drugs but also many behavioral addictions along with drugs fall under this definition."
The main problem in addiction Control problem
"The main problem in addiction is the inability to control oneself. The inability to stop the substance they use, to stop the game they play, to stop gambling, or to control their sexual behavior also falls under the definition of addiction," said Assoc. Prof. Onur Noyan,
"So who do we call addicted? If a person uses more substances than he/she intended, if he/she wants to stop substance use but fails to do so, if very serious accompanying withdrawal symptoms occur when he/she tries to stop and quits the substance, if the amount of substance he/she has used is gradually increasing, if he/she starts to experience problems in his/her work, school, family and social life due to the substance he/she uses and if this substance use is accompanied by other psychiatric symptoms, we can talk about addiction. If one or more of these symptoms are present, addiction is diagnosed with a physician's assessment and treatment interventions are initiated."
Addiction can happen to anyone
Stating that there are many factors that cause addiction, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Noyan continued his words as follows
"In addition to biological-genetic factors, the individual's own psychological life, psychological problems, past traumatic experiences can cause these. But if we evaluate addiction only according to these underlying causes, we would be wrong. Because addiction is a disease that can happen to anyone. Here, a person's level of education, occupation or the environment they live in has nothing to do with whether they are addicted or not. People from all walks of life can suffer from addiction.
Treatment should be accompanied by psychotherapy
After the diagnosis is made, the first thing to be done is for the doctor to investigate whether the substance, alcohol or other behaviors that the person has used have caused a problem in the brain or in the psychological life of the person. After these problems have been identified, a detoxification treatment called 'detoxification' should be applied to remove the substance from the body and brain. Then, medication should be initiated according to other underlying symptoms. This treatment can be outpatient or inpatient. In outpatient treatment, the treatment process continues with frequent check-ups and psychotherapy, while inpatient treatment involves detoxification from drugs and treatment of other symptoms under the frequent observation of a doctor and a psychologist.
