NCJ Number
224075
Date Published
August 2008
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This report presents findings on inhalant use and major depressive episode (MDE) among youth 12 to 17 years of age from 2004 to 2006.
Abstract
Key findings include: (1) in 2004 to 2006, 1.1 million youths aged 12 to 17 (4.5 percent) used inhalants in the past year, and 2.1 million (8.5 percent) had experienced major depressive episode (MDE) in the past year; (2) the rate of past year inhalant use was higher among youths aged 12 to 17 who had MDE in the past year than among those who did not; an estimated 218,000 youths had used inhalants and experienced MDE in the past year; and (3) among the youths aged 12 to 17 who had used inhalants and experienced MDE in their lifetime, 43.1 percent had their first episode of MDE before initiating inhalant use, 28.3 percent used inhalants before they had their first episode of MDE, and 28.5 percent started using inhalants and had their first episode of MDE at about the same time. Inhalant use continues to be a serious public health problem with consequences including: damage to major organ systems and cognitive processes. Inhalant use and abuse disproportionately affects youth. The findings suggest that clinicians and parents monitoring adolescents for depression should be alert to the potential for the initiation of substance abuse, including the use of inhalants. The data also suggests that adolescents using or abusing inhalants might benefit from screening to determine the presence of co-occurring mental health issues such as depression. Figures and notes