The effectiveness of CBT on depression and anxiety among Methamphetamine addicts

Subject Areas :

Biuok  Tajeri ¹ (دپارتمان روان شناسی، دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی واحد کرج، کرج، ایران)

Received: 2016-10-11 Accepted : 2016-10-11 Published : 2016-03-20

Keywords: depression, anxiety, Methamphetamine, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy,

Abstract :

Methamphetamine use has a lot of adverse effects as it enters the nervous system, affects dopamine’s level, and as a result stimulates the brain and increase aggressiveness and physical movements. Consumption of Shisha is a high-risk behavior among patients with substance abuse. The most serious sign of methamphetamine withdrawal is depression that may be associated with suicidal thoughts or behavior. The aim of this study is to examine the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy in reducing symptoms of depression and Anxiety among methamphetamine addicts. Therefore, in a quasi-experimental study, 30 individuals diagnosed with dependence on methamphetamine were randomly assigned into two experimental and control groups. The experimental group underwent 12 sessions of an hour treatment. The subjects were evaluated for depression and anxiety before treatment, after the sixth and the twelfth sessions, and 90 days after the completion of the treatment. The result of covariance analysis and analysis of variance with repeated measurements showed that the level of depression and anxiety in the experimental group were lower compared to the control group in all phases of intervention and that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is effective in the treatment of anxiety and depression among addicts.