TEEN MARIJUANA USE LINKED TO LATER ILLNESS

Self-Medication, Especially for Depression, Raises Risk of Mental
Problems, Study Says

Teenagers who smoke marijuana put themselves at risk for future
mental illness and higher rates of depression, according to a report
to be released today by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Although fewer teens overall are smoking marijuana, the report said,
there is growing concern that those who do, particularly those who
view the drug as a way to cope with depression, do not understand its
consequences. It also is not clear whether their parents, who might
have indulged when they were younger, understand the risks, experts say.

The report, whose release coincides with the start of Mental Health
Awareness Month, said studies show links between marijuana use and
risk of mental illness later in life, and that use could increase the
risk by as much as 40 percent.

Teenage girls who smoke marijuana are particularly at risk, the
report said. It found that teen girls who smoke marijuana daily are
more likely to develop depression than those who do not.

The report also found that teenagers who smoke marijuana at least
once a month are three times more likely to have suicidal thoughts
than non-users. It said that even though the percentage of teens who
are depressed is equal to the percentage of adults who say they are
depressed, teenagers are more likely to seek solace in marijuana or
other illicit drugs.

"Significant numbers of teenagers are self-medicating," said John P.
Walters, director of the White House office. "They're turning to
marijuana to reduce [symptoms of depression], and [the depression] is
getting worse."

The report said that too often teens do not seek treatment for their
depression, choosing instead to seek relief by smoking marijuana.
They do not realize that pot can make their problems worse and can
set them up for serious health consequences, it said.

Susan Lydick, coordinator of the Youth Suicide and Depression
Initiative at the Fairfax Partnership for Youth, said the report
offers new information to parents and the general public -- groups
that are often unaware of the interplay between drug use and depression.

Walters said advances in technology allow researchers to better
understand the effect drugs such as marijuana have on brain function.
The research being done today "is breaking new ground in showing the
role marijuana use is playing in depression," he said.

Added Larry Greenhill, president-elect of the American Academy of
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: "What's new in this report is that
it documents how serious the impact is of what was thought to be a
mild recreational" drug.

Lydick said that in addition to teenage girls, minority youths are
likely to seek relief for depression through drugs or other
substances partly because of the social stigma some cultures attach
to mental health problems.

"They don't want to go to mom, they don't want to go to their pastor,
so the safer thing to do is to self-medicate with marijuana and other
drugs," Lydick said.

She said the report's conclusions mirror many of the findings of a
2005 survey of Fairfax County youth. According to that study,
Hispanic, Asian and African American teens reported higher
percentages of depression than their white counterparts. Lydick said
her agency is hosting a community forum next week to explore teen
depression and addiction. Nationwide, about 2 million teenagers
report having felt depressed or having lost interest in daily
activities during the past year.

Beth Kane-Davidson, director of Suburban Hospital's Addiction
Treatment Center in Bethesda, which serves teens and adults, said the
report offers important information for people in her field.

It "opens the door for parents and teens to start thinking about
their own decisions and the possible impact of their decisions on
their future," she said. Too often, Kane-Davidson said, parents and
teenagers downplay marijuana's impact because they see it as less
harmful than other drugs, such as cocaine.

Contributing to the risk is the higher potency of marijuana being
distributed today compared with what was available in the 1970s, when
federal officials began analyzing the drug. A study done last year by
researchers at the University of Mississippi found that, since the
1980s, the potency has doubled.

Walters said that despite a drop in usage among teenagers, those who
are using are becoming more dependent on it. About 60 percent of
first-time users are under the age of 18.

"We forget because we think of marijuana as something that's the
least dangerous of illicit drugs, but far more teens are in treatment
for dependency on marijuana than alcohol," Walters said.