Treatment of Stimulant Use Disorders

Course overview

Course Description: This course is based on material published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and is available as an open-access article. Abstract: Stimulant use is on the rise in the United States. According to the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, an estimated 5.1 million people aged 12 or older misused prescription stimulants in the past year; approximately 1.9 million people aged 12 or older used methamphetamine in the past year with significant increases in use in those aged 26 and older; and 5.5 million people aged 12 or older used cocaine in the past year.1 Overdose deaths linked to psychostimulants increased approximately 22 percent from 2017 to 2018 and have increased more than threefold over the past five years. Deaths from cocaine, which can be laced with fentanyl, increased by 5 percent from 2017 to 2018 and are more than double what they were in 2015.2 The combination of all types of stimulants with unknown amounts of fentanyl increases the risk of overdose and overdose death substantially. This guide discusses effective practices to treat stimulant use disorders, clinical challenges associated with these disorders, and implementation strategies that can be used to address those challenges. Use this guide to identify treatment practices you can implement to address stimulant use in your healthcare settings and communities. This course on treating stimulant use disorders is designed for social workers, professional counselors, psychologists, nurses, and substance abuse counselors, who do clinical work. In addition, this course is appropriate for intermediate and advanced-level practitioners who wish to develop their skills in treating stimulant use disorder. The course material includes a literature review of interventions and research. It may also be useful for licensed clinicians who require continuing clinical education courses for license renewal. The course is based on a journal article that includes research. It contains statistical analysis and data that some clinicians enjoy reading and others do not. A significant benefit of reading research-based articles for continuing education is that they provide practitioners with the latest findings in their field. Authors: SAMHSA Learning Objectives: This course will provide the practitioner with detailed information regarding treating stimulant use disorder. Specifically, a professional will: Describe effective practices to treat stimulant use disorder. Identify clinical challenges associated with stimulant use disorder. Describe implementation strategies for addressing the clinical challenges associated with stimulant use disorder. Citation: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): Treatment of Stimulant Use Disorders. SAMHSA Publication No. PEP20-06-01-001 Rockville, MD: National Mental Health and Substance Use Policy Laboratory. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2020