Grant: Operating Grant: Methamphetamine and related psychostimulant use

Methamphetamine use and harms are rising at a concerning rate in Canada, resulting in a rapidly emerging public health crisis. While psychosocial treatments as well as drug treatments have been studied, treating individuals with problematic methamphetamine use is a challenge for clinicians, with no clear best approach. Additionally, we do not currently know whether certain treatments work better for certain individuals with problematic methamphetamine use, such as: adolescents; those with other existing mental health problems (e.g., depression); gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men; individuals in the corrections system; and pregnant women. The planned study will use a 'scoping review' approach to identify, assess and summarize existing studies of psychosocial and drug treatments for methamphetamine use problems. This research method uses a structured approach to mapping the characteristics and findings of available research on a focused question. We will review all research that has previously studied the use of psychosocial and drug treatments for methamphetamine use problems. This work will allow for the planning of future research to inform comparisons between treatment strategies using the available information, while also identifying gaps in the current evidence (including treatments requiring study, as well as population subgroups that have thus far been ignored by research). We will work with our partners from the Canadian Center on Substance Use and Addiction, the Canadian Society of Addiction Medicine, Public Health Ontario, the Community Addictions Peer Support Association, the Mental Health Commission of Canada, Corrections Services Canada, the University of Western Ontario, the Lawson Health Research Institute, Max Ottawa and the Drug Users Advocacy League to ensure this work has an impact on future policies, clinical practice, the design of future research and efforts to curtail this threat before greater impacts on public health.