Teenagers who take speed or ecstasy appear to have an increased risk of developing depression, regardless of whether or not they have previously suffered from depressive symptoms.
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A study of almost 4,000 adolescents in Quebec has found that 15 and 16-year-olds who consume meth/amphetamine (speed) or MDMA (ecstasy) are between 60 to 70 per cent more likely than other young people to experience heightened depressive symptoms during the following 12 months.
"...from a cumulative perspective, adding the use of these drugs to the typical challenges and crises of adolescence might chart a life-course towards poorer mental health prognosis," the study's authors wrote in the Journal of Epidemi-ology and Community Health.
Young people who used both ecstasy and speed were at an even greater risk of suffering from depression.
"Many recreational users engage in simultaneous drug mixing, and these users may be particularly at risk of developing negative effective consequences," the study found.
The study was led by Professor Frederic Briere of the Department of Psychology at the University of Montreal.
In 2008, less than four per cent of Canberra secondary school students had used ecstasy and about three per cent had used amphetamines at least once in their lifetimes, according to the ACT Secondary School Alcohol and Drug Survey.
