August 21, 2008 |
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In 2004 to 2006, 8.5 percent of youths aged 12 to 17 (an estimated 2.1 million youths) experienced MDE in the past year. Females were about 3 times as likely as males to experience past year MDE (12.7 vs. 4.6 percent). As youths increased in age from 12 or 13 up to ages 16 or 17, the rate of past year MDE also increased (Figure 1).
Past Year MDE and Past Year Inhalant Use | Aged 12 or 13 |
Aged 14 or 15 |
Aged 16 or 17 |
---|---|---|---|
Past Year Major Depressive Episode | 5.2% | 8.8% | 11.5% |
Past Year Inhalant Use | 4.3% | 5.3% | 3.9% |
Source: SAMHSA, 2004-2006 NSDUHs. |
In 2004 to 2006, 4.5 percent of youths aged 12 to 17 (an estimated 1.1 million youths) used inhalants in the past year. Females in this age range were more likely than males to use inhalants in the past year (4.8 vs. 4.2 percent, respectively). Youths aged 14 or 15 were more likely than youths aged 12 or 13 and those aged 16 or 17 to have used inhalants in the past year (Figure 1).
Of the youths aged 12 to 17 who had experienced past year MDE, 10.2 percent used inhalants in the past year compared with 4.0 percent of the youths aged 12 to 17 who had not had past year MDE. Males with past year MDE were about twice as likely as those without past year MDE to have used inhalants (9.6 vs. 4.0 percent). Females with past year MDE were about 3 times as likely as those without past year MDE to have used inhalants (10.5 vs. 3.9 percent). In each age group, youths with past year MDE were more likely than youths without past year MDE to have used inhalants in the past year (Figure 2).
Age Group | Past Year MDE |
No Past Year MDE |
---|---|---|
Aged 12 or 13 | 13.9% | 3.7% |
Aged 14 or 15 | 12.7% | 4.6% |
Aged 16 or 17 | 6.7% | 3.6% |
Source: SAMHSA, 2004-2006 NSDUHs. |
An estimated 218,000 (0.9 percent) youths aged 12 to 17 used inhalants and experienced MDE in the past year. Among those who had used inhalants and had also experienced MDE in the past year, 43.1 percent experienced their first episode of MDE before initiating inhalant use, 28.3 percent used inhalants before they experienced their first episode of MDE, and 28.5 percent started using inhalants and experienced their first episode of MDE at about the same time (Figure 3).
First Inhalant Use and First MDE | Percent |
---|---|
Experienced First Inhalant Use before First MDE | 28.3% |
Experienced First MDE before First Inhalant Use | 43.1% |
Experienced First Inhalant Use at the Same Age as First MDE | 28.5% |
Source: SAMHSA, 2004-2006 NSDUHs. |
Regardless of whether youths aged 12 to 17 experienced MDE in the past year, the majority of youths who used inhalants did so on 1 to 11 days in that time frame (Figure 4). However, among youths who used inhalants in the past year, those with past year MDE were more likely than those without past year MDE to have used inhalants on 100 days or more per year (12.3 vs. 7.9 percent).
Whether Had MDE in Past Year | 100 or More Days | 50 to 99 Days | 12 to 49 Days | 1 to 11 Days |
---|---|---|---|---|
Past Year MDE | 12.3% | 6.1% | 21.5% | 60.0% |
No Past Year MDE | 7.9% | 10.4% | 21.2% | 60.5% |
Source: SAMHSA, 2004-2006 NSDUHs. |
Inhalant use continues to be a serious public health problem that can have potentially dire consequences for young people, including damage to major organ systems and cognitive processes. When combined with a major episode of depression, inhalant use can have devastating consequences for adolescents and their families. These findings suggest that clinicians and parents monitoring adolescents for depression should be alert to the potential for the initiation of substance abuse, including the use of inhalants. Similarly, the data suggest that adolescents using or abusing inhalants might benefit from screening to determine the presence of co-occurring mental health issues such as depression.
The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) is an annual survey sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The 2004 to 2006 data used in this report are based on information obtained from 67,706 youths aged 12 to 17. The survey collects data by administering questionnaires to a representative sample of the population through face-to-face interviews at their place of residence. The NSDUH Report is prepared by the Office of Applied Studies (OAS), SAMHSA, and by RTI International in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. (RTI International is a trade name of Research Triangle Institute.) Information on the most recent NSDUH is available in the following publication: Office of Applied Studies. (2008). Results from the 2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National findings (DHHS Publication No. SMA 08-4343, NSDUH Series H-34). Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Information for earlier NSDUHs is available in the following publications: 2006 NSDUH: (DHHS Publication No. SMA 07-4293, NSDUH Series H-32) 2005 NSDUH: (DHHS Publication No. SMA 06-4194, NSDUH Series H-30) 2004 NSDUH: (DHHS Publication No. SMA 05-4062, NSDUH Series H-28) Also available online: http://oas.samhsa.gov. Because of improvements and modifications to the 2002 NSDUH, estimates from the 2004 through 2006 surveys should not be compared with estimates from the 2001 or earlier versions of the survey to examine changes over time. |
The NSDUH Report is published periodically by the Office of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). All material appearing in this report is in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied without permission from SAMHSA. Additional copies of this report or other reports from the Office of Applied Studies are available online: http://oas.samhsa.gov. Citation of the source is appreciated. For questions about this report, please e-mail: shortreports@samhsa.hhs.gov.
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This page was last updated on December 30, 2008. |
SAMHSA, an agency in the Department of Health and Human Services, is the Federal Government's lead agency for improving the quality and availability of substance abuse prevention, addiction treatment, and mental health services in the United States.
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