News: Meth addicts can't read faces

[DreamingNagual]

http://www.virtualmedicalcentre.com/news.asp?artid=13692

Meth addicts can't read faces.

Methamphetamine abusers find it hard to read expressions on people's faces and therefore struggle to detect emotion in others, a new joint study at Australian Catholic University (ACU National) has found.

Dr Peter Rendell, Associate Professor of Psychology at ACU National, postgraduate student Magdalena Mazur and Julie Henry from the University of NSW tested 20 adults with an average history of four years of methamphetamine (MA) abuse on measures of social reasoning.

These 20 adults were screened from more than 100 MA users who had been formally diagnosed with MA dependence, were not dependent on any other drug and did not have a medical condition.

Compared with a control group who had no history of drug use, the group who had used MA had greater difficulty detecting subtle differences in mental states and differentiating between basic facial expressions of emotion.

Dr Rendell said that recognising emotion on people's faces and understanding that others think about things differently to you are two of the most important aspects of social-thinking.

"Being so significant to social-thinking, we wanted to see whether MA users were impaired in these specific thought processes – and they clearly were," he said.

"We therefore know that MA use has psychological consequences, and, potentially, consequences for these individuals' social functioning.

"The size of these social reasoning deficits was comparable to the memory problems that have also been found in users of MA, consistent with other evidence showing that MA is a dangerous drug which can do lasting harm."

The study was published recently in the British Journal of Clinical Psychology.

"An interesting point to also consider is the possibility that these deficits could have been present before drug use and even a risk factor for drug use – meaning those who struggle to make sense of other people might be more vulnerable to taking drugs in the first place."

(Source: Australian Catholic University: British Journal of Clinical Psychology: June 2009)

http://www.virtualmedicalcentre.com/news.asp?artid=13692

[Alchemica]

"An interesting point to also consider is the possibility that these deficits could have been present before drug use and even a risk factor for drug use – meaning those who struggle to make sense of other people might be more vulnerable to taking drugs in the first place."

That can't be stated enough... seems like a pointless piece of research until this can be taken into account.

Edited June 1, 2009 by The Alchemist

[rahli]

Most decent folk have life experiece to show them that Meth fucks your skull open.

Poor catholics must rely on the finding of a study!!

[Chiral]

Generally meth addicts are so concerned with hiding their addiction that they usually avert looking directly at people and making eye contact...paranoia and psychosis come along for the ride and the meth user becomes somewhat of an introvert...not surprising that that may not see subtleties in others behavior because they are more concerned with hiding their own.

H.

[t st tantra]

would be interesting to compare with a control of sleep deprived people.

i have always been fascinated with the awareness of pinned eyes that goes on in the opiate community ,users and medicos......i rarely notice the state of anyones pupils ,even the alchemists extreem presentations,lol.

t s t .

[mutant]

"An interesting point to also consider is the possibility that these deficits could have been present before drug use and even a risk factor for drug use – meaning those who struggle to make sense of other people might be more vulnerable to taking drugs in the first place."

That can't be stated enough... seems like a pointless piece of research until this can be taken into account.

excellent quote and comment, many people cannot or dont wanna see this, not excluding the majority of the community people, in regards with every drug abusive behaviour, or the need to get high.

Regarding speed, I really find it a amusing how demonised this amazing substance is. I guess I never belonged in one of 'speed's risk groups' and didn't have drug-abusive tendencies, especially with something that OBVIOUSLY ain't for regular use, and it states this loud and clear.

[the germinator]

Regarding speed, I really find it a amusing how demonised this amazing substance is.

for nearly a century it was a cure for whatever ails ya'... Now it's the devil...

They even renamed it so their propaganda would stick, like they did weed

Anyone ever heard of predisposition???

[Teotzlcoatl]

Ever heard the song "Mother's Little Helper" by the rolling stones?

You know the Nazis did meth, right?

[the germinator]

Methamphetamine was first made in the late 1800s by a Japanese chemist.. (good bloke I reckon)

I don't get the link between a song about Diazapam and Nazi speed, or are you talking about methadone - that would certainly make more sense Except that they were prolly speedin' when they wrote it

Edited June 1, 2009 by the germinator

[Chiral]

Ever heard the song "Mother's Little Helper" by the rolling stones?

You know the Nazis did meth, right?

...wow you really lost me there Teo....mind you you lose me so easy a lot these days...stop puffing on that bloddy sally and get back to your cacti.

H.

[Neoshaman]

They even renamed it so their propaganda would stick, like they did weed

Please clarify ? I always thougght speed was different from MA which i was always under the impression was ice or have i completely missed your point and confused myself

[the germinator]

Please clarify ? I always thougght speed was different from MA which i was always under the impression was ice or have i completely missed your point and confused myself

Look up methamhetamine in the Merck index.

Methamphetamine = C10 H15 N

Speed = C10 H15 N

Ice is cut with salt and speed is cut with glucose. There's your difference.

EDIT: That sounds blunt and rude, I really mean no offense man - It just sux to know their propaganda works...

Edited June 1, 2009 by the germinator

[Neoshaman]

Look up methamhetamine in the Merck index.

Methamphetamine = C10 H15 N

Speed = C10 H15 N

Ice is cut with salt and speed is cut with glucose. There's your difference.

thanks germinator yeah i was pretty sure the stuff my mates were buying 8-10 years ago as speed was just as potent as the so called ice that gets around although with all the media crap yeah I was thinkin fuck this ice stuff must be strong they never said these things about the speed 10 years ago hmmmmmmmmm maybe i need to study a bit more chemistry

EDIT : no offence taken at all man I really like it when people correct me on this kind of things stops me making an ass out of myself when the topic comes up in the future

Edited June 1, 2009 by neoshaman

[mauve]

I am somewhat not surprised that it is a japanese invention...

[Teotzlcoatl]

It's true.

[AndyAmine.]

They cut it with salt now? why would they do that, salt doesnt melt and it 'pops' when heated.

AFAIK the majority of crystal is cut with MSM because it melts and because it forms nice uniform crystals.

BAck in my day 'speed' wass usualy cut with a mix of glucose and epsom salts.

[the germinator]

Not table salt, more a mix of salts like MSG... It forms crystals which look different to crystals of "thingio" which form in solvent...

[the germinator]

I shoulda' probably just said the only difference between the 2 is the cut, my mistake

[KanJe]

I always thought it was MSM too. To cater for the crowd who wants to smoke it anyway.

A foaf also told me that his abilities of empathy if it was looked at as a analytical process definitely deteriorated over time. This comes from someone who likes to think they understand their emotions reasonably well. With empathy being their strongest and main form of communication, when it was gone for these short periods it left him socially inept. Too in his own head I guess.

Edited June 2, 2009 by KanJe

[psychoshaman]

from what i know "speed" is amphet sulfate (well it was back in the day)

meth is C10 H15 N whilst amphet is C9 H13 N

the difference is the addition of a single methyl group (CH3)to the amino group sticking out of the middle carbon atom group and makes it methamphetamine...

methamphetamine crosses the blood brain barrier a little better than amphet. hence making the drug more euphoric and

stronger (in it's pure form and void of all adulterants of course)

also i guess that the word "speed" is a general term to mean anything to do with amphetamine class drugs, used loosely...

msm (methyl-sulfur-methane) seems to be the cut of this day and age as it's easy to make nice big fat crystals that increase yield (unfortunately not the potency though) and burns relatively clean for people that smoke meth... as opposed to 20+ years ago epsom salts and glucose be the noramal cut used in the day (never heard of smoking amphets back then)

also 20+ odd years ago it seemed (imo) it was mainly amphet sulfate as opposed to meth HCl

but yeah i've had stuff just as potent years ago as what they have out now...

anywhoo, back to topic...

Meth addicts can't read faces, man after having a big does i can't even f#%*ing read the newspaper...

[ThunderIdeal]

i would think a little speed in a non-user sends empathy through the roof. studies in animals showed that the pro-social effects of MDMA, over time, caused the lab critter to become permanently anti-social. i guess there's a similar thing going on here.

i remember seeing a thread somewhere, somebody was asking what is used to cut for smoking (the answer he was after was MSM) but nobody would tell him.

[KanJe]

i would think a little speed in a non-user sends empathy through the roof. studies in animals showed that the pro-social effects of MDMA, over time, caused the lab critter to become permanently anti-social. i guess there's a similar thing going on here.

i remember seeing a thread somewhere, somebody was asking what is used to cut for smoking (the answer he was after was MSM) but nobody would tell him.

Sorry, should have been more clear. I meant the long and short term after effects rather than the effects while high.

In that case I think these types of amphetamine definitely stimulates logic but I wouldn't liken it to empathy. On the other hand MDMA I would say stimulates logic as well as emotion.

This is just my opinion, others might see it differently.

Edited June 4, 2009 by KanJe

[the germinator]

from what i know "speed" is amphet sulfate (well it was back in the day)

meth is C10 H15 N whilst amphet is C9 H13 N

When I got in trouble for making C10 H15 N (a long long time ago) even the wallopers called it speed. No one I knew usta call it meth/ice etc...

Maybe we were all wrong back then but the Merck would hafta' be wrong too... The only (ilicit) un-methylated amphetamine I've experienced 1st hand in Australia apart from MDA was an oil. Never heard of people making the sulphate. Heard a lot o' myths though...

[Neoshaman]

When I got in trouble for making C10 H15 N (a long long time ago) even the wallopers called it speed. No one I knew usta call it meth/ice etc...

Maybe we were all wrong back then but the Merck would hafta' be wrong too... The only (ilicit) un-methylated amphetamine I've experienced 1st hand in Australia apart from MDA was an oil. Never heard of people making the sulphate. Heard a lot o' myths though...

I've seen so called pure which is xstals and other which is like a sludging yellowish gunk the xstals swim told me is far more euphoric and seems stronger although maybe tahts just placebo

[the germinator]

Usually with pure product, most of it comes out of the solvent as crystals, the gluggy stuff is usually whats left after the remaining solvent has been evapourated so, yeah it has more impurities

Sometimes damp solvent won't allow for crystals, so same thing, retrieve sludge...

Edited June 5, 2009 by the germinator