Are Australian meth/amphetamine users more likely to have high levels of psychological distress, compared to those who do not use meth/amphetamine?
A larger proportion of Australians who used meth/amphetamine† in the past 12 months report high or very high levels of psychological distress compared to those who did not use meth/amphetamine in the past 12 months.
17% of Australians who used meth/amphetamine in the past 12 months report high levels of psychological distress, compared to 7% of non-methamphetamine users. 11% of Australians who used meth/amphetamine in the past 12 months report very high levels of psychological distress, compared to 3% of non-methamphetamine users.
Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). 2013 National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NCETA secondary analysis, 2015).
†Meth/amphetamine: This term covers a range of stimulant drugs including methamphetamine and amphetamine. The National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS) described meth/amphetamine as including drugs commonly known as speed, ice, crystal, whizz, Ritalin, or pseudoephedrine-based cold and flu tablets.