Strategies for the Treatment of Methamphetamine Use Disorders Among Gay and Bisexual Men

SUMMARY

There is a growing need for treatment services that specifically target methamphetamine for gay and bisexual men. There may be significant barriers for the client in engaging in a treatment program, including thought disturbances and paranoia. A high level of ambivalence in spite of extreme adverse consequences from use is also relatively common among those presenting for treatment. Many people do recover if they are willing to commit to a structured treatment plan. Models of treatment that have been shown to be successful include motivational interviewing (MI), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and community reinforcement with contingency management. The Matrix Model was developed specifically for stimulant use disorders and includes many of these components as well as 12-step facilitation. Although it has been suggested that methamphetamine dependence may be more difficult to treat than other drug use dependence, empirical evidence suggests that success for methamphetamine treatment has not been shown to be different than for other stimulants, such as cocaine.

KEYWORDS:

• Bisexual men
• cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
• gay men
• homosexuality
• matrix model
• men who have sex with men (MSM)
• methamphetamine
• motivational interviewing (MI)
• substance abuse treatment