The
NSDUH Report: Depression and the Initiation of Alcohol and Other
Drug Use among Youths Aged 12 to 17
- HTML
format (also has the data table used
to construct each figure)
Highlights:
- Major
depressive episodes in lifetime or past year were assessed in SAMHSA's
National Survey on Drug Use and Health among youth aged 12 to 17. A
major depressive episode was defined using the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria
which specifies a period of two weeks or longer during which there is
either depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure and at least four
other symptoms that reflect a change in functioning (such as problems
with sleeping, eating, energy, concentration, and self image).
- Data
from SAMHSA's 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health were used
to examine the following in the past year: major depressive episode,
initiation of alcohol or illicit drug use, and the association between
such new alcohol and/or illicit drug use and major depressive episode.
- In
2005, 8.8% of youth (about 2.2 million youth) had experienced at least
one major depressive episode during the past year. Rates of major depressive
episode varied by gender and age.
- About
2.7 million youth (15.4% of the youth who had not used alcohol previously)
used alcohol for the first time in the past year.
- About
1.5 million youth (7.6% of the youth who had not used an illicit drug
previously) used at least one illicit drug in the past year.
- Among
youth who had not used alcohol or an illicit drug previously, those
with a major depressive episode were about twice as likely to start
using alcohol or an illicit drug as youth who had not experienced a
major depressive episode in the past year.
-
Among youth who had not used alcohol previously, 29.2% of those with
a major depressive episode initiated alcohol use compared with 14.5%
youth who had not experienced a major depressive episode in the past
year.
- Among
youth who had not used an illicit drug previously, 16.1% of those with
a major depressive episode initiated illicit drug use compared with
6.9% youth who had not experienced a major depressive episode in the
past year.
Reports
on mental health
Reports
on co-occurring substance abuse & mental health problems
Reports
on youth
Reports
on drugs
Other
topics
Other
OAS publications and services
This Short
Report, The NSDUH
Report: Depression and the Initiation of Alcohol and Other Drug
Use among Youths Aged 12 to 17, is based on SAMHSA's National
Survey on Drug Use and Health conducted by the Office
of Applied Studies (OAS) in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration (SAMHSA). SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug
Use and Health (NSDUH) is the primary source of information on the prevalence,
patterns, and consequences of drug and alcohol use and abuse and for selected
mental health measures in the general U.S. civilian non institutionalized
population, age 12 and older. SAMHSA's
National Survey on Drug Use & Health also provides estimates for drug
use and for selected mental health measures by State.
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