Are Australians who use amphetamine / methamphetamine more likely to be diagnosed with or treated for a mental illness, compared to those who do not use methamphetamine?
Australians who used methamphetamine or amphetamine† in the past 12 months were significantly more likely to have been diagnosed with or treated for a mental illness (44%) than those who had not used meth/amphetamine in the past 12 months (18%).
Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). 2022-23 National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NCETA secondary analysis, 2024).
† Methamphetamine or amphetamine: The NDSHS asked about the use of methamphetamine and amphetamine (including the street names speed, crystal and ice) in 2022–2023. In 2019 and prior years, the NDSHS asked about the use of “Meth/amphetamines”, which also included the non‑medical use of pharmaceutical amphetamines, such as Ritalin (methylphenidate) and pseudoephedrine based cold and flu tablets. The change represents a break in the timeseries. Results for methamphetamine and amphetamine in 2022–2023 should not be compared to meth/amphetamines results from previous survey waves.