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Thursday, May 3, 2007

Depression and the Initiation of Alcohol and Other Drug Use among Youths Aged 12 to 17

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.
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