The Impact of Substance Abuse on Adolescent Mental Health

Substance abuse among depressed adolescents appears to be a widespread problem. “According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 45 percent of people with addiction have a co-occurring mental health disorder” (Piacentini & Pataki, 2017, p. 114). In young adults, the risk of depression and associated substance abuse disorders is significantly higher. The co-occurrence of substance abuse and adolescent depression shares a strong correlation. Often, one of the two aforementioned factors is the driving influence on the other. It is relevant to understand the manner in which substance abuse and depression interact to ultimately damage the mental status of a young person. For the purposes of this examination, the student population will be assessed, primarily focusing on high school aged adolescents (teenagers between fourteen to eighteen years of age). The impacts of substance abuse on adolescent mental health will be addressed in terms of worsening depression, manifested in three main ways; biochemical, emotional, and social. Subsequent behaviors, such as compulsivity, further aggravate the issue. These behaviors are often driven by or magnified by substance abuse (i.e. drugs and/or alcohol). Identifying risk factors in the teenage population and recognizing the severity of substance abuse therein is critical to bettering the realm of therapy, treatment, and comprehensive sociology.

Foremost, the relationship between substance abuse and teenage depression must be defined. The relationship between mental health and alcohol or drug use typically takes one of two forms. Either adolescents who are predisposed to or suffering from depression turn to stimulants such as marijuana for comfort or addiction and subsequent dependency breeds depression. These two motives are not mutually exclusive and often co-occur. For example, adolescents may be genetically predisposed to depression, thus making the likelihood of addiction far stronger and more prevalent. Alternatively, the environment and life circumstances must be taken into account. Outside factors such as the social pressures of a school environment or a disruptive home life can lead students to develop a dependency on drugs or alcohol. In addition, teenagers with bipolar disorder and ADHD are at a greater risk of developing an addiction problem (Jordan & Andersen, 2017, p. 22). Ultimately, a cycle of mental decline develops as a result of addiction.

Brain chemistry is a driving factor in adolescent depression. Studies indicate that the human brain is not fully developed until around one’s mid-twenties (Piacentini & Pataki, 2017, p. 114). As a result, drugs and alcohol affect the function and processing ability of a young adult’s brain with far greater impact than that of a mature individual. Jordan summarizes, “addiction and depression both originate in the brain, making people who have mental health issues more prone to addictive behaviors. For teens, this is especially difficult, as their developing brains are particularly vulnerable to the damage caused by substance abuse” (Jordan & Andersen, 2017, p. 40). This can lead to feelings of hopelessness, lethargy, and frustration that coincide with depressive emotional spiraling. The concept of negative urgency is often seen in teens with substance abuse problems (Jordan & Andersen, 2017, p. 26). Negative urgency is essentially a lack of impulse control that manifests in reckless behavior. Often, suicidality is linked to this mindset as well. Depression, suicidality, and the dangerous impulsivity brought about by alcohol and drugs interact to create a toxic mental health profile.

Closely related to the decline in brain chemistry is an overall decline in emotional maturity, awareness, and positivity. Depression severely impairs the brain’s capacity for complex emotional awareness. Empathy and perspective are generally impacted in a negative sense as a result of chronic depressive episodes. Substance abuse exacerbates the risk of emotional imbalance by either magnifying or numbing emotional awareness. As previously addressed, teenagers who suffer from mental health conditions such as bipolar disorder already have a predisposition towards chronic depression and emotional highs and lows. In cases such as these, addiction is often used to numb one’s sense of depression and awareness. However, the side effects of addiction are extreme emotional plateaus which contribute to the depressive state most bipolar individuals suffer from, as well as exacerbating the impulsivity experienced in manic states. Furthermore, addiction can increase obsessive-compulsive behaviors through the dependency and ritual type behavioral patterns created by drug and alcohol reliance. Thus, substance abuse has a profoundly negative impact on the stability of the emotional state of depressed adolescents.

Depression in young people often manifests in social scenarios, primarily within the academic setting. Social anxiety and associated depression can often lead teenagers to abuse alcohol and drugs, either as a means of fitting in or as a means of calming down in social settings. The vulnerable emotional state of adolescents is most critical during the mid-teen years, typically defined as fifteen to seventeen years of age. Titus points out that, “middle adolescence is a period of increasing health risk behaviors. In middle adolescence, biological changes are usually complete for females, whereas males mature more slowly and are in mid-puberty. In late adolescence, the main tasks are the development of social autonomy and personal identity” (Titus, Dennis, White, Scott, & Funk, 2004, p. 94). The cited social drivers cause teenagers to experiment with drugs and alcohol, while the lack of maturity and emotional development can lead teens to spiral into a deeper depression. Far from solving social anxiety, stimulants can cause social withdrawal as a result of worsened mental status.

In conclusion, substance abuse in teenagers is strongly correlated with depression. The interrelatedness of addiction and depression creates a complex web of mental health problems. These problems range from impaired brain function to emotional instability to a heightened sense of social anxiety. Subsequent factors such as worsened symptoms of obsessive compulsion and impulsivity add an additional danger to substance abuse in depressed teenagers. Ultimately, understanding the mental health dynamics involved in adolescent depression with regards to drugs and alcohol is necessary for identifying the significance of the risk, as well as implementing therapeutic strategies.

References

Jordan, C. J., & Andersen, S. L. (2017). Sensitive periods of substance abuse: early risk for the transition to dependence. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 25, 29-44.

Piacentini, J., & Pataki, C. (2017). 11 Substance abuse in depressed adolescents. Depression in Children and Adolescents, 4, 133. 

Titus, J. C., Dennis, M. L., White, W. L., Scott, C. K., & Funk, R. R. (2003). Gender differences in victimization severity and outcomes among adolescents treated for substance abuse. Child Maltreatment, 8(1), 19-35.