DRAMATIC JUMP IN USERS OF ANTI-DEPRESSANT DRUGS

The Number Of People Taking Anti-depressants Rose By 250% In Seven
Years, A New National Report Shows.
~~~~~
The State of the Nation: Indicators of a Changing Australia report shows
that from 1990-97 the number of Australians taking antidepressants rose from
one in 80 to one in 30.

The findings by the New South Wales Centre for Independent Studies
coincides with today's public release of the National Drug Strategy
Household Survey of 10,030 Australians aged 14 or over.

Managed by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, the 1998
survey shows use of all illicit drugs has increased since the first
survey was conducted in 1995.

Young females have accounted for a large part of the overall increase
in the use of illicit substances, particularly marijuana/cannabis.

The survey found that from 1995-98 the proportion of the population
aged 14 or over who had used an illicit drug rose from 39% to 46%.

The proportion of teenagers who had used illicit drugs increased only
slightly for males but rose from 34% to 52% for females.

The institute estimated that in 1997, 831 people died and more than
11,000 were hospitalised because of illicit drug-related causes.

Overall in 1997, more than 22,000 deaths and more than 250,000
hospital episodes were drug-related, with legal drugs (tobacco and
alcohol) accounting for more than 96% of drug-related deaths and
hospitalisations.

Lianne Barden, co-ordinator of Hobart's The Link Youth Health Centre,
said the service for 12 to 24-year-olds was seeing an increase in
injecting drug use and in the use of prescription and licit drugs
among clients. She said it was also seeing an increase in female
clients injecting.

Ms Barden and the centre's drug worker, Victoria Henderson, said it
was unclear whether the increase in antidepressant prescriptions was
because of a rise in depressive illness or to doctors becoming more
aware of depression.

The institute report shows the number of people who injected illicit
drugs increased from 1.3% to 2.1% from 1995-98, with more than twice
as many males (76,700) as females (31,100) injecting.

From 1995-1998 the incidence of "lifetime" use of marijuana/cannabis
rose from 31% to 39%.

The proportion of people aged 40-49 years to have used
marijuana/cannabis rose by more than 75% between 1995 (24%) and 1998
(42%).

The survey also revealed one in seven associate alcohol with a "drug
problem", while three in five approve of regular (at least once a
week) alcohol use by adults.

The number of "regular" drinkers rose from 44% to 49% from 1995-1998,
with one in six admitting to driving under the influence.