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Teens: Sex, Drugs And Depression?
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Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
(WebMD) Depression may be the result rather than the cause of risky teen behaviors.
A new study shows that teen sex or drug use raised the risk of depression a year later.
Researchers say the results challenge the notion that teens become sexually active or engage in drug use to "self-medicate" their own depression.
"Findings from the study show depression came after substance and sexual activity, not the other way around," says researcher Denise Dion Hallfors of the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, in a news release.
Sex, Drugs Come First and Depression Follows
In the study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers analyzed data from a national survey of more than 13,000 teenagers in grades seven to 11 who were interviewed in 1995 and again a year later.
Overall, the results showed that sex and drug use was associated with an increased risk of depression by the second interview, but depression didn't predict risky behavior.
Researchers say both drug experimentation and sexual activity were linked to an increased risk of future depression in teenaged girls. Among teenage boys, only high-risk behaviors, such as binge drinking, were associated with an increase in future depression.
For example:
Girls who had experimented with drugs and sex were two to three times more likely to become depressed than those who abstained.
Boys who used marijuana were more than three times as likely to become depressed as nonusers.
Boys who engaged in binge drinking were nearly five times more likely to become depressed than abstainers.
Depression Still Raises Risks
Though depression did not influence risky behavior among teenaged boys, researchers found depression was related to behavior in some cases among teenage girls.
Specifically, depression reduced the likelihood of high-risk behavior among girls who abstained from drug and alcohol use but increased the risk of these behaviors among girls already experimenting with drugs and alcohol
"For females, even modest involvement in substance use and sexual experimentation elevates depression risk," write the researchers. "In contrast, boys show little added risk with experimental behavior, but binge drinking and frequent use of marijuana contribute substantial risk."
Researchers say the results show that experimentation with substance use and sex, along with other factors, such as dropping grades in school and social isolation, can be signs of depression in teenagers that parents and health care professionals should look out for.
Identifying Teen Depression
Young people with depression may have a hard time coping with everyday activities and responsibilities, have difficulty getting along with others, and suffer from low self-esteem.
Depression is more than just having the "blues" now and then; it is a persistent condition.
Here are some signs and symptoms of depression to look out for:
Frequent sadness, tearfulness, or crying
Hopelessness
Decreased interest in activities or inability to enjoy former favorite activities
Persistent boredom; low energy
Social isolation; poor communication
Low self-esteem and guilt
Extreme sensitivity to rejection or failure
Increased irritability, anger, or hostility
Difficulty with relationships
Frequent complaints of physical illness such as headaches and stomachaches
Frequent absences from school or poor performance in school
Poor concentration
A major change in eating and/or sleeping patterns
Talk of or efforts to run away from home
Thoughts or expressions of suicide or self-destructive behavior
Sources: Hallfors, D. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, October 2005; vol 29. News release, Health Behavior News Service. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration.
Link
Any thoughts?
A new study shows that teen sex or drug use raised the risk of depression a year later.
Researchers say the results challenge the notion that teens become sexually active or engage in drug use to "self-medicate" their own depression.
"Findings from the study show depression came after substance and sexual activity, not the other way around," says researcher Denise Dion Hallfors of the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, in a news release.
Sex, Drugs Come First and Depression Follows
In the study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers analyzed data from a national survey of more than 13,000 teenagers in grades seven to 11 who were interviewed in 1995 and again a year later.
Overall, the results showed that sex and drug use was associated with an increased risk of depression by the second interview, but depression didn't predict risky behavior.
Researchers say both drug experimentation and sexual activity were linked to an increased risk of future depression in teenaged girls. Among teenage boys, only high-risk behaviors, such as binge drinking, were associated with an increase in future depression.
For example:
Girls who had experimented with drugs and sex were two to three times more likely to become depressed than those who abstained.
Boys who used marijuana were more than three times as likely to become depressed as nonusers.
Boys who engaged in binge drinking were nearly five times more likely to become depressed than abstainers.
Depression Still Raises Risks
Though depression did not influence risky behavior among teenaged boys, researchers found depression was related to behavior in some cases among teenage girls.
Specifically, depression reduced the likelihood of high-risk behavior among girls who abstained from drug and alcohol use but increased the risk of these behaviors among girls already experimenting with drugs and alcohol
"For females, even modest involvement in substance use and sexual experimentation elevates depression risk," write the researchers. "In contrast, boys show little added risk with experimental behavior, but binge drinking and frequent use of marijuana contribute substantial risk."
Researchers say the results show that experimentation with substance use and sex, along with other factors, such as dropping grades in school and social isolation, can be signs of depression in teenagers that parents and health care professionals should look out for.
Identifying Teen Depression
Young people with depression may have a hard time coping with everyday activities and responsibilities, have difficulty getting along with others, and suffer from low self-esteem.
Depression is more than just having the "blues" now and then; it is a persistent condition.
Here are some signs and symptoms of depression to look out for:
Frequent sadness, tearfulness, or crying
Hopelessness
Decreased interest in activities or inability to enjoy former favorite activities
Persistent boredom; low energy
Social isolation; poor communication
Low self-esteem and guilt
Extreme sensitivity to rejection or failure
Increased irritability, anger, or hostility
Difficulty with relationships
Frequent complaints of physical illness such as headaches and stomachaches
Frequent absences from school or poor performance in school
Poor concentration
A major change in eating and/or sleeping patterns
Talk of or efforts to run away from home
Thoughts or expressions of suicide or self-destructive behavior
Sources: Hallfors, D. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, October 2005; vol 29. News release, Health Behavior News Service. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration.
Link
Any thoughts?
0
Comments
But, given we have only a very patchy understanding of how the mind works to say one leads to the other is difficult.
I would be more interested in taking base level checks of dopamine in children and then seeing later how many of them went on to be involved in risky actions. Low dopamine is known to be linked to poor perception of risk.
The general message is true though, drug use is potentially dangerous for everyone, far more so for children.
Drugs can play a part in depression, but I really can't see how anyone can link depression with sex .
I read over that though and I was showing most signs when I was a kid/teenager, wish someone had noticed back then
Let me think .... :chin:
NOT A SINGLE CUNT :yippe:
Before she said I was always happy and never got in a mood..but apparently recently ( i've been smoking weed pretty much solidly ) i've been very aggitated and sometimes quite moody ( the moody part is true..but wouldn't you be in a mood if someone was touching up your g/f at a party ) ?
Drugs will obviously not help any mental issues/problems/whatever and probably exaggerate them, there's not much more to it really.
Drugs are not the direct cause of many things. (Pretty broad statement to make, but it's true)
Sniffed another gram between me and a mate tonight...i can see how it can be very addicitive.
Ah well, thank fuck i'm not a millionaire.
It takes a while, a long while for someone to be physically addicted to cocaine, it's just like taking E's for the first few times, really loving the buzz...wanting to do it next week again and so on and so forth.
shit man i would be more than in a mood,
the way i look at is that drugs give an amplified effect, if your naturaly a depressed person (tipical teen) then drugs will icrease that depression
You dont get physically addicted to cocaine, but the habit can kick in quickly, it just depends on the person.
Perhaps, but the most recent findings of research into the effects of cannabis on young smokers suggests that brain chemistry actually changes as a result of smoking in the formative teenage years. And thats for everyone, not just those predisposed to mental health problems. Nothing conclusive yet, as more research needs to be done, but certainly something to keep in mind.
Did they look into family history of depression?
Did they look into diet?
Yep and it's staring everybody straight in the face... but does anyone take any notice?
No because they've been so heavily socialised into a way thinking.
The whole reason drugs are not all legal or at least script legal is really down to socialisation. The population in general have been socialised into thinking that there's a seedy,shady,dangerous drug world when the truth is the world is a seedy place with a hell of a lot of drugs and many other major issues.
The Government must have some right secrets, if anyone found out any of them it'd be pandemonium... you gotta conform otherwise you get locked up.
Sorry for posting absolute bullshit with barely any relevance to the topic but I really do feel strongly about it. It's like everyones not even human anymore.
Depression in this instance is a clinical condition, and the symptoms would be manifesting themselves over a period of time, I think its six months or more, before 'feeling a bit low' would be classified as depression. A couple of days of coming down just doesn't cut it.
It has been said that taking drugs (including alcohol) at a younger age may lead to depression because the coping mechanisms you learn, to be able to handle the not so good things that are bound to happen to you in your life, are replaced to an extent by the temporary release that going out and getting wasted can give you. But that's just a theory...
Don't you think you should lay off the pharms Uprising?
Am I talking complete crap? :sour: