PREGNANCY ADDS TO TEEN DRUG RISK

Nearly two-thirds of pregnant teenagers suffer major psychological and
social problems, making them much more susceptible to illicit drug and
alcohol abuse than other teenagers, according to a study just published.

The research, involving 170 pregnant girls aged between 12 and 17, revealed
60percent experienced depression, and family or personality problems, which
tended to lead to drug use.

Published in this month's Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry,
the study found the rate was much higher than the 10 to 15per cent of
teenagers estimated to have psychiatric disorders across the wider
community.

Study coordinator, Dr Julie Quinlivan, a senior obstetrician at Perth's King
Edward Memorial Hospital, said about one-third of the group with psychiatric
and social problems had suffered some kind of physical or sexual violence.

She said some teens may perceive pregnancy as a form of escape from troubled
families.

She also noted that a high proportion of expectant teenage mothers lacked
career ambitions and seemed eager to prove they could be better mothers than
their own had been.

"You can see the ongoing cycle of homelessness and social disadvantage
starting in some of these young teenagers' child rearing," Dr Quinlivan
said.

Almost half the teens were smoking while pregnant, many of them more than 20
cigarettes a day. Twenty per cent drank alcohol -some until they passed
out - and 38per cent admitted to using illegal drugs while pregnant. Most
used marijuana and 16per cent used heroin, but Dr Quinlivan said the most
worrying drug abuse involved solvents such as paint stripper.

"The thing is, it's cheap, and young people can always get it from the
hardware store, but it actually can do permanent brain damage, let alone the
damage to the unborn baby," she said. Cannabis has also been linked with low
birth weight and a possible rise in the risk of birth defects.

"It is possible that many Australian drug-prevention programs are simply
failing to reach this high risk audience," the study found.

The majority of problems were not detected during pregnancy, prompting calls
for more careful antenatal care for young women.

"Homelessness, isolation, domestic violence, and illegal drug abuse are
often not discussed in detail with young antenatal patients. Their problems
are often missed in a busy clinic setting where pregnancies with medical
complications receive the focus of attention," Dr Quinlivan said.

"How can we expect a homeless 15-year-old who abuses solvents to manage with
a newborn baby unless issues of housing, drug abuse, finances and support
are addressed before the birth."

The study, conducted at three Western Australian hospitals, concluded that
"the antenatal clinic provides an ideal setting in which to address issues
of smoking, excessive alcohol consumption and use of non-prescription drugs
on a one-on-one basis.

"Pregnancy is a time when many teenagers hope for a change in their
fortunes, with optimism and high ideals. Positive intervention at this time
is often welcome, before the rigors of unplanned and unsupported motherhood
intervene," the study said.