ECSTASY 'LINK TO DEPRESSION'

Taking just one ecstasy tablet is enough to make you depressed, a study
suggests.

Researchers at London Metropolitan University have found that people who
take ecstasy are more likely to suffer depression compared to non-users and
even people who use other drugs.

Their study also indicates that heavy users of the drug are at risk of
becoming clinically depressed.

The researchers believe ecstasy has a long-lasting impact on key chemicals
in the brain, which regulate mood.

The findings are based on a study of almost 600 working professionals. They
each filled out a form detailing previous drug use and overall mood.

Drug users

The researchers split these people into three different groups - those who
had only taken ecstasy; those who took other drugs; and those who have
never taken drugs.

Anybody who had taken drugs in the previous three weeks were excluded. This
was designed to ensure the pharmacological effects of the drugs did not
influence the study.

The researchers found that people who took ecstasy were generally more
depressed than people in either of the two other groups.

"People who said they had taken just half a tablet had high depression
scores compared to people in the other groups," said researcher Lynn Taurah.

The study also revealed that depression levels among ecstasy users were
linked to the amount of drugs they were taken.

"People who had taken more than 4,000 tablets were more likely to be
clinically depressed," she told BBC News Online.

Ms Taurah said she believed the different depression scores could be linked
to the effects of ecstasy on the brain.

"I think it could be argued that people who take ecstasy are perhaps
generally more depressed.

"But I think this is unlikely simply because we did not see similar rates
of depression in those who took other drugs."

She suggested the results tied into previous studies which have indicated
that ecstasy can affect key brain chemicals.

"There is a lot of data in animals showing that ecstasy damages the
neurotransmitter for serotonin, which is known to be involved in depression."

Serotonin also plays an important role in regulating memory and behaviour.
The researchers are now looking to see if these are also impaired on people
who take ecstasy.

"We think there may be a connection, said Ms Taurah.