Methamphetamine is a highly addictive psychoactive stimulant that produces
an intensely euphoric high, with a “crash” that causes depression,
irritability, insomnia, nervousness, and paranoid aggressive behaviors
(ONDCP, 1999)—all of which present a risk of serious neglect and
abuse to the children of meth-dependent parents.  Many children
who survive abuse or neglect are angry, antisocial, physically aggressive,
and even violent (Dunn et al., 2002; Thompson, 1998).  They may
perform poorly in school and engage in delinquent behavior (Dembo et
al., 1988; Hildyard & Wolfe, 2002).  For some, the consequences
include low self-esteem, depression, hopelessness, suicide attempts,
and self-mutilation (Dube et al., 2001).  They may behave compulsively,
suffer panic attacks, be highly distrustful of others, and tend toward
dangerous play and sexual promiscuity (Brohl, 1996; Kang, Deren, & Goldstein,
2002).  These children are also at high risk to continue intergenerational
patterns of drug abuse, criminal behaviors, and neglectful parenting
(Dunn et al., 2002; Sheridan, 1995).

Children who live in home-based meth labs are not only exposed to their
parents’ chaotic
and drug-focused lifestyles, but also to the highly psychoactive stimulant and
the toxic precursor chemicals associated with meth production. Exposure to these
chemicals is known to cause severe health problems in adults, and can cause death
from accidental ingestion.  However, long-term affects of the chemical exposure
on children remain unknown (Kolecki, 1998).  Clearly, the combination of
exposure to the toxic effects of the drug itself and to the aberrant behavior
of the adult meth users puts children living in these settings in a uniquely
dangerous and damaging environment.  However, currently no data exist to
measure the impact of this circumstance.