Youths and young adults who experienced a major depressive episode (MDE) in the past year are more likely to have also used alcohol or illicit drugs for the first time in the past year, according to a recent analysis of data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH).

Among youths ages 12 to 17 who had not previously used alcohol, those who had experienced a past year MDE were nearly twice as likely to have used alcohol for the first time in the past year as those who did not experience a MDE. Likewise, youths who experienced a MDE in the past year were more than twice as likely to initiate illicit drug use.

A similar relationship was found for young adults.

Health care and social service providers should consider the increased risk of recent alcohol and illicit drug initiation when providing services to persons with MDEs.

For details, including data charts, source information and caveats, download the PDF.

Reprinted from CESAR Fax, a weekly, one-page overview of timely substance abuse trends or issues, from The Center on Substance Abuse Research (CESAR) at the University of Maryland.

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