TEEN BINGE-EATERS PRONE TO DRUG USE

Study Also Finds More Depression

Teens with binge eating habits tend to use more drugs and have poorer
mental health than other students, says a study of almost 2,000 Ontario youth.

The study found that 16 per cent of female students and 5 per cent of males
were binge eaters who try to offset the effects of their bingeing by
vomiting, dieting, exercising or using a diuretic.

Marijuana and other drugs such as speed and LSD were more likely to be used
by teenagers who binge and purge their meals than those who didn't, says
the study, published this month in the International Journal of Eating
Disorders.

And bingers also have a lower sense of self-esteem and more frequent bouts
of depression than other students, said study co-author Helen Ross, a
scientist with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and a University
of Toronto professor in the department of psychiatry.

``We've discovered heavier and more problematic use of most drugs among
young people who are binge eaters compared to non-bingers.''

Ross analyzed data collected from the 1997 Ontario Student Drug Use Survey
on youth in Grades 7, 9, 11 and 13. The students were quizzed on their
eating habits, mental health, alcohol and drug use