|
A social scientist at the
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) will examine
drug abuse and related mental illnesses in rural populations in
the Arkansas Delta, Appalachia in Kentucky, and Ohio thanks to a
new federal grant of $6.1 million.
"Drug abuse, particularly of
stimulants such as 'meth' and cocaine, is an exploding problem in
rural America. To prevent and treat drug addiction in rural areas,
we need to understand how difficult it is to get drug treatment in
rural areas and whether people who use drugs in rural areas have
any medical care available. The issues are different than in urban
areas, where drug treatment may be a few blocks or a bus ride
away," Brenda M. Booth, Ph.D., said.
Booth will study how rural users of
stimulant drugs, including methamphetamine ("meth") and
cocaine, obtain health care and drug abuse treatment; what other
assistance, such as housing or employment, they need; and whether
they have related mental illnesses. Booth has received the grant
from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the National
Institutes of Health. The five-year research grant is one of the
largest in the history of UAMS.
Her research is expected to lead to
improvements in organization and delivery of health care,
particularly preventive care, so that fewer rural residents become
addicted to illegal drugs.
"We know that persons who
become addicted to drugs tend to have serious, ongoing problems
with fear of arrest and fear of government agencies, or
depression, or stress on their families, or poverty, or inadequate
housing, or a history of sexual abuse, or lack of basic health
care - and in many cases, all of these problems," Booth said.
"The combination of problems can overwhelm them and make it
even more difficult to get treatment and regain control of their
lives."
Crimes involving synthetic
narcotics, principally methamphetamines, are increasing in rural
areas around the nation. For example, according to the national
Uniform Crime Reporting System, between 1996 and 2000, the annual
number of arrests in St. Francis County, Ark., increased from
seven to 106. During the same period, arrests in Crittenden
County, Ark., increased from eight to 80. Statewide, the arrests
increased from 1,317 in 1995 to 2,172 in 1998.
According to the federal Drug
Enforcement Administration, using methamphetamine and amphetamine
can cause addiction, psychotic behavior, and brain damage.
Withdrawal symptoms include depression, anxiety, fatigue,
paranoia, aggression, and intense cravings. Chronic users can
behave violently and suffer from anxiety, confusion, insomnia,
auditory hallucinations, mood disturbances, delusions, and
paranoia. The drugs also can cause permanent brain damage with
symptoms similar to Alzheimer's disease, stroke, and epilepsy.
A biostatistician, Booth
specializes in health care for individuals with substance abuse
and mental health disorders. She has previously focused on problem
drinking and marijuana use in rural as well as urban areas of the
South and on the outcomes for persons with cocaine use and chest
pain who come to hospital emergency rooms.
Booth is a professor in the
Department of Psychiatry of the UAMS College of Medicine and in
the Department of Biostatistics in the UAMS College of Public
Health. She is interim director of the Centers for Mental
Healthcare Research in the psychiatry department. She also is a
research health scientist at Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare
System.
# # #
Brenda Booth, Ph.D. (UAMS) Click on
image for print-quality resolution.
UAMS
Home
Current
News UAMS
Today
|
