Aim: Methamphetamine (MA) use in the chemsex scene is a rising problem among the gay and bisexual male (GBM) population. The study aimed to implement a 16-week intensive outpatient treatment program modified from the Matrix Model with thrice-a-week group and as-needed individual sessions for the GBM subjects with MA use disorders in Taiwan. Methods: The program was implemented in the Taipei City Hospital and Kaohsiung Municipal Kai-Syuan Psychiatric Hospital between 2018 and 2022. The voluntary GBM participants were between 20 and 65 and had moderate to severe MA use disorder. Fifty-five subjects were enrolled in this study. All participants must receive urine drug testing weekly during the treatment period. Drop-out was defined as missing twelve treatment sessions. Three consecutive monthly follow-ups were arranged after their discharge from treatment. Results: Nearly 92% were sexualized MA users, and 14 (25.4%) used MA primarily by injection. Thirty-eight (69.1%) completed the 16-week treatment program, and 17 dropped out with an average treatment duration of 8.6±5.4 weeks. The accumulated MA-free weeks were 13.9±2.5 for the completers, significantly longer than 6.0±4.3 for the dropouts (p<0.0001). During the follow-up, 13 completers (34.2%) accomplished all three consecutively monthly visits with MA-free urine samples, but not significantly different from 17.7% in the dropouts (p=0.336). Conclusions: There are emerging treatment needs for GBM subjects with MA use problems. Our findings suggested that the intensive treatment program was feasible and acceptable for the GBM subjects to reduce their MA use.
Date:
2024-07-01
Relation:
Drug and Alcohol Dependence. 2024 Jul 01;260(Suppl.):Meeting Abstract 110867.
