According to a new study by the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy at the University of Manitoba, the number of people in the province coming into contact with the health-care system due to meth use is on the rise.
The centre said Monday its research indicated roughly a sevenfold increase — from 134 to 1,001 visits to emergency departments for reasons involving meth use — between 2013 and 2018.
The study, which aimed to better understand patterns of meth use in Manitoba, found that users visited local ERs six times a year on average, compared to one visit every three years for the rest of the population.
“Our findings highlight the rapidly increasing need for services among Manitobans who use this drug,” said Dr. Nathan Nickel, associate professor of community health sciences.
“We’ve quantified that meth plays a role in an escalating number of 911 calls and visits to emergency rooms. Recent studies have also documented a dramatic increase in meth-related trips to Winnipeg’s mental health crisis response centre and rising demand for addiction treatment programs.
“By learning more about who uses the drug, we can help the system respond to this population’s health challenges and develop strategies to reduce and prevent meth use.”
The study tracked the interactions 4,800 adult meth users had with the Manitoba health system, and is the first step in a project funded by Health Canada that will continue to examine and document the experiences of meth users in the province.
Researchers said the study revealed that meth users are also significantly more likely to be diagnosed with a mood or anxiety disorder — at a rate of three times higher — than other Manitobans.
“Although we don’t know from the data whether their meth use preceded their mental disorder or vice-versa, our findings indicate that caring for people who use meth is complex because their challenges are often multi-layered,” said Dr. Mariette Chartier, assistant professor of community health sciences, who was co-leader of the study with Nickel.
“Studies have shown that people’s life circumstances can predispose them to turn to meth as a way of coping.
“As Manitoba’s health-care planners work to support people who use meth – and relieve the growing burden on front-line services that we’ve documented – it’s critical to address underlying factors that influence both mental health and substance use, such as poverty, insecure housing, racism and trauma.”
Comments