Youths who faced depression
in the past year were twice as likely as those who did not have depression
to take their first drink or use drugs for the first time, according
to a new report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
(SAMHSA).
The NSDUH Report: Depression
and the Initiation of Alcohol and Other Drug Use among Youths Aged 12
to 17 showed that in 2005 2.2 million youths experienced a major depressive
episode in the past year. For these estimates from the National Survey
on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), a major depressive episode is defined
as a period of two weeks or longer during which there is depressed mood
or loss of interest or pleasure and at least four other symptoms that
reflect a change in functioning, such as problems with sleep, eating,
energy, concentration and self-image.
Among youths who had
not used alcohol before, 29.2 percent of those who faced depression
took their first drink in the past year, while 14.5 percent of youths
who did not have a major depressive episode took their first drink.
And 16.1 percent of youths who faced depression and had not previously
used illicit drugs began drug use; in contrast, 6.9 percent of youths
who did not have a major depressive episode began drug use.
The rates of first-time
use for specific drugs, such as marijuana, cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens,
inhalants, and non-medical use of prescription drugs, showed a similar
association between past year depression and drug initiation. The rates
of drug initiation were higher for youths who reported depression in
the past year than for those who did not.
"As National Children’s
Mental Health Awareness Day, May 8, approaches, it’s important to
remember that depression is real and painful for youths," said
Terry Cline, Ph.D., SAMHSA Administrator. "Recognizing depression
early and helping youths receive appropriate help may prevent substance
use."
While 8.8 percent of
youths overall reported depression in the past year, the rate grew gradually
with age. Among 12-year-olds, 4.3 percent had faced depression in the
past year, but the percentage climbed to 11.9 percent of 17-year-olds.
Among young women, the
rate of depression was triple that for young men, 13.3 percent vs. 4.5
percent. Rates across racial/ethnic groups were similar.
According to the 2005
estimates, 2.7 million youths—about 15.4 percent of youths who had not
tried drinking—took their first drink during the past year. And 1.5
million youths, or 7.6 percent of those at risk, used drugs for the
first time.
