Canberra, Friday 14 December 2001
Recreational drugs linked to depression
An ANU researcher has found young adults who smoke, drink or use marijuana
have much higher rates of depression and anxiety.
Compared to other age groups, young adults have particularly high rates
of substance use and disorders. It is also an age where depression and
anxiety are substantial yet increasingly common problems.
Symptoms of depression included lacking energy and confidence, losing
interest in life, feeling hopeless and having difficulty concentrating.
Anxiety symptoms included feeling keyed up or on edge, worrying a lot,
being irritable and having difficulty relaxing.
Tanya Caldwell, from the ANU Centre for Mental Health Research, analysed
information collected from 2,500 people aged 20-24 years who are participating
in the Centre's Path Through Life Project. Ms Caldwell said it is a critical
age group to focus on to see how using alcohol, tobacco and marijuana
might relate to mental health.
Ms Caldwell found people who smoked tobacco or had tried marijuana displayed
more depression and anxiety symptoms than those who had not.
"The research indicates that the heaviest and most frequent users
displayed the most symptoms of anxiety and depression," she said,
"I also found that those who first tried marijuana early in life
had higher levels of depression and anxiety."
Ms Caldwell said the relationship between alcohol consumption and mental
health was particularly interesting. She said young men who did not drink
showed more depression and anxiety symptoms than light drinkers yet she
did not find the same pattern when she looked at tobacco and marijuana
use.
"Men and women who didn't smoke or use marijuana reported better
mental health than those who smoked or used more frequently".
"But it is important to not understate the experiences of the heaviest
drinkers. People who were drinking at hazardous or harmful levels reported
more depression and anxiety symptoms than any other level of alcohol consumption."
Contacts: Tanya Caldwell, Centre for Mental Health Research:
6125 0398 or Sean Daly, ANU Reporter: 6125 4171 or 0416 249 100
104/2001
© 2000 Marketing & Communications Division,
The Australian National University.
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Last Modified Tue, July 16, 2002
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