Study Points to Methamphetamine Crisis Among American Indians, Alaska Natives

There was a fivefold increase in methamphetamine overdose deaths from 2011 to 2018 among U.S. adults aged 25 to 54, with American Indians and Alaska Natives experiencing the highest death rates, according to areport published Wednesday inJAMA Psychiatry.“While much attention is focused on the opioid crisis, a methamphetamine crisis has been quietly, but actively, gaining steam—particularly among American Indians and Alaska Natives, who are disproportionately affected by a number of health conditions,” said Nora D. Volkow, M.D., director of th e National Institute on Drug Abuse and a senior author of the report, in anews release. “American Indian and Alaska Native populations experience structural disadvantages but have cultural strengths that can be leveraged to prevent methamphetamine use and improve health outcomes for those living with addiction.”Volkow and colleagues collected deidentified public health surveillance data on methamphetamine-related deaths from 2011 to 2018 from the National Vital Statistics System. The authors limited their analysis to individuals between 25 and 54 years old, as national data show that four-fifths of people who use methamphetamines are within this age group.The report revealed the following:Overall, deaths involving methamphetamines rose from 1.8 to 10.1 per 100,000 among men and 0.8 to 4.5 per 100,000 among women from 2011 to 2018.Methamphetamine-related deaths were higher among men across all racial/ethnic groups included in th...
Source: Psychiatr News - Category: Psychiatry Tags: Alaska Natives American Indians JAMA Psychiatry methamphetamine NIDA Nora Volkow overdose death Source Type: research