Nonmedical Stimulant Use, Other Drug Use, Delinquent Behaviors, and Depression Among Adolescents

The NSDUH Report:  Nonmedical Stimulant Use, Other Drug Use, Delinquent Behaviors, and Depression Among Adolescents

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Highlights:

• SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use and Health estimated that about 510,000 youth aged 12 to 17 (2%) used stimulants (including methamphetamines) nonmedically in the past year in 2006. Nonmedical use is defined as the use of prescription-type psychotherapeutic drugs that were not prescribed for the respondent by a physician or were used only for the experience or feeling they caused.

• Over 71% of youth who used stimulants nonmedically in the past year compared with 34% of youth who did not use stimulants nonmedically also engaged in at least one of the six types of delinquent behaviors in the past year that were included in SAMHSA's National Survey of Drug Use. These delinquent behaviors were: (1) got into a serious fight, (2) took part in a group fight against another group, (3) sold drugs, (4) stole anything valued more than $50, (5) attacked someone, and (6) carried a handgun.

• Youth who used stimulants nonmedically in the past year were also more likely than youth who did not use stimulants nonmedically to have experienced a major depressive episode in the past year (23% vs. 8.1%).

Stimulants

Other drugs

Other reports on depression

Other topics

Other OAS publications and services

This Short Report, The NSDUH Report:  Nonmedical Stimulant Use, Other Drug Use, Delinquent Behaviors, and Depression Among Adolescents, 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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This page was last updated on February 25, 2008.

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