Sex Differences in Health Service Use for Mental and Substance Use Disorders Among Methamphetamine Users

Methamphetamine and associated health service use are rising globally, with psychiatric complications that may impact women and men differently. However, there are no recent population-level estimates of mental health and addictions (MHA) service use among methamphetamine users. This thesis explores the relationship between methamphetamine use and MHA service use across Ontario from 2017 to 2019 by identifying methamphetamine users through drug screen results and identifies differences in psychiatric health service use between women and men who use methamphetamine. Service use was higher in people with a positive test compared to those with a negative test, sex affected the relationship between methamphetamine use and MHA service use differently across psychiatric diagnostic categories, and men were at higher risk of MHA ED visits and hospitalizations compared to women. Sex did not affect the risk of outpatient visits or length of hospitalization. These findings can guide health system planning and harm reduction efforts.