Depression and the Initiation of Alcohol and Othr Drug Use among Youths Aged 12 to 17

The NSDUH Report May 3, 2007: Depression and the Initiation of Alcohol and Othr Drug Use among Youths Aged 12 to 17

In 2005, 8.8 percent of youths aged 12 to 17 (2.2 million persons) experienced at least one major depressive episode (MDE) in the past year. Among youths aged 12 to 17 who were at risk for alcohol initiation (i.e., those who had never used alcohol previously), those who experienced a past year MDE were twice as likely to have initiated alcohol use in the past year as those who did not have a past year MDE (29.2 vs. 14.5 percent). Among youths who were at risk for illicit drug initiation, those who experienced a past year MDE were over twice as likely to have initiated use of an illicit drug as those who had not experienced an MDE in the past year (16.1 vs. 6.9 percent).

The Good News:

Most children and youths do not drink alcohol. In fact, nearly 60 percent of youths ages 12-17 have never had a drink.

Delaying Onset Is Key:

Those who start drinking alcohol before age 15 are five times more likely to have alcohol problems later in life than those who begin drinking at age 21 or older.

Easy Access to Alcohol:

In a recent national survey, a little more than 60 percent of eighth graders said alcohol was "fairly easy" or "very easy" to get. In one study, 9.6 percent of 12-year-olds reported using alcohol at least once in their lifetimes. By age 13 the percentage doubles, and by age 15 it is over 50 percent.