According to a study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, high school students who take speed and ecstasy may be more prone to depression than peers who stayed clear of these synthetic drugs.
Between 2003 and 2008, researchers studied a group of 3,880 secondary school kids from disadvantaged areas in Quebec, Canada. They were able to come up with a relatively accurate report of drug use and its effects on the kids a year from the start of the study. According to their findings, 11.6 percent of the students took speed and 8 percent took ecstasy.
After a year, the participants were measured through a CES-D scale for depressive symptoms; this revealed that one in seven children had high levels of depression. In fact, those who used either of the two drugs were 60 to 70 percent more likely to develop depressive symptoms than their clean peers.
While these figures, according to the researchers themselves, merely hint at modest contributions to depression, they can be alarming when looked at from a general standpoint. After all, you probably wouldn’t believe that kids as early as 15 years old are already taking drugs until you see it with your own eyes. As parents, you’re probably fervently hoping that your kids would know better to stay away from drugs. To give them the best shot at happiness, you can start with making sure they don’t dabble in drugs.
(Photo by Grumpy-Puddin via Flickr Creative Commons)
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