Teens Ecstasy or Amphetamine Use Linked to Increased Depression Risk
Canadian researchers say teens who use amphetamines or ecstasy once or more experience a dramatically elevated risk of depression (60% to 70% increase).
Teens that use synthetic drugs like ecstasy (MDMA) or amphetamines/methamphetamine are far more likely to report depressive symptoms by a year after drug use than teens that remain abstinent.
The Study
Researchers in Montreal wanted to learn more about the consequences of synthetic drug use by teens so they delivered questionnaires to 3880 lower income 15 and 16 year old students within Quebec and asked about drug use history and looked for evidence of depression.
The Results
- Of the 3880 study subjects, 8% reported ever having used MDMA and 11.6% reported ever having used amphetamines or methamphetamines.
- Teens who had used amphetamines by the grade 10 were 60% more likely than teens that had never used synthetic drugs to experience symptoms of depression – Teens who had used MDMA by grade ten were 70% more likely to experience depression than teens that had never used synthetic drugs
- Teens that had used both MDMA and amphetamines by grade 10 were twice as likely as those who never used synthetic drugs to experience depression by grade 11
Commentary
University of Montreal professor and study co-author Jean-Sébastien Fallu says the results build on a growing body of evidence that links recreational synthetic drug use with an increased risk for depressive symptoms. He says the evidence is now strong enough to justify warning young people about the real risks of MDMA and amphetamines, arguing, “Our results reinforce the body of evidence in this field and suggest that adolescents should be informed of the potential risks associated with MDMA and meth/amphetamine use.”
More like this
Social Contagion: Living with a Person at Risk of Depression May Increase Your Risk As Well
At certain periods in life, living with a person who uses maladaptive thinking styles increases your risk of depression. Fortunately, the opposite is also true.
Teen Stress Linked to Adult Mental Illnesses like Major Depression and Schizophrenia
For people already predisposed to mental illness (people with mental illness in the immediate family, for example) experiencing stress during adolescence likely increases the risk of experiencing mental illness as an adult.
The Link between Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) and Depression
Wondering what’s causing your depression? Have any concussions or other forms of brain injury in your past? Well, if you do it might explain the way you’re feeling, because having a brain injury, even a minor one, greatly increases your risks of depression – even years after the fact.
UK’s First Club Drug Rehab Opens Its Doors
There wasn’t anywhere in the UK where people addicted to club drugs and legal high drugs could go to get the help they needed, until now. The Club Drug Rehab is an NHS funded project designed to meet the needs of people not addicted to more conventional drugs of abuse.
Scientists Discover Why Quitting Smoking Can Cause Temporary Depression
Canadian scientists say that very heavy smokers who quit smoking can experience a spike in an enzyme called MAO-A. MAO-A metabolizes serotonin and so too much MAO-A can result in too little serotonin and feelings of sadness and depression.