Please Connect the Dots . . . Between Methamphetamine ("speed") Abuse and Untreated ADD/ADHD Brain Chemistry

The authorities assure us that there is a methamphetamine ("speed") drug abuse epidemic that is national in scope, second only to the use of marihuana, and of such severity that it is filling our presently over-crouded jails and prisons with men and women.

Is use of methamphetamine a form of self-medication? Of course it is! In concept, such use is similar to alcoholics drinking too much, gamblers gambling too much, cocaine users looking for heightened pleasure feelings, and other impulsive behaviors.

Does impulsive self-medication with illicit substances often harm the individual in question, his or her family, friends, and society? Unquestionably, yes. It is also filling our jails and prisons with people who need medical treatment more than incarceration.

Joan Cassidy, a director with the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services . . . is quoted as saying that, ". . . 85% of inmates in Montana prisons for women attribute their incarceration at least partially to meth use, and meth is also a significant problem on American Indian reservations in Montana."

Now, let's start connecting some dots . . .

Impulsive behavior is probably the most troublesome behavioral characteristic, often more so than inattention and certainly more so than hyperactivity, in teenagers and adults with ADD/ADHD. In my many years of medical practice, impulsive behavior, which disconnects what one is doing from what one is thinking, causes ADD/ADHD people to be disorganization, have trouble focusing on even important task that should be completed, and to act in ways that would not happen IF the mind could stay focused on the task at hand.

For example, the mind of the alcoholic with ADD/ADHD races along often returning to focus on the pleasure of just one more drink even though earlier that day he or she had promised to adhere to a limit of just one drink. This kind of brain behavior is not significantly different from the "just one more bet" for the gambler or "just one more piece of chocholate" for the chocolate craver.

Impulsive behavior is well recognized although still poorly understood in terms of brain chemistry, but impulsive behavior is a significant and often harmful characteristic of teenagers and adults with ADD/ADHD.

Let's move a few dots further along . . .

A quick look in the current Physicians' Desk Reference, the PDR, reveals that methamphetamine, brand name, Desoxyn, is a schedule II drug that has been approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity and, in particular, is approved for the treatment of "emotional lability" and "impulsivity."

Isn't it reasonable to think that at least some of those in jail or prison for self-medicating with methamphetamine have severe ADD/ADHD that is even in this, the 21st century, unrecognized, undiagnosed and untreated? Is any major organization now working to identify incarcerated ADD/ADHD people who are methamphetamine abusers? Certainly, it will cost less money to medically treat those with ADD/ADHD than to pay for repeated incarcerations and the destructive, antisocial behaviors of methamphetamine drug abusers.

Please, let's connect some more dots . . .

Diagnose ADD/ADHD when it is present. Provide effective treatment (and supervision) when applicable. And, deal with the meth scourge more economically and effectively.