Pubdate: Fri, 14 Dec 2007
Source: Salem News (MA)
Copyright: 2007 Essex County Newspapers
Contact: http://www.ecnnews.com/cgi-bin/05/snother.pl?submitletter
Website: http://www.salemnews.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3466
Author: Dr. Michael Levy
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?232 (Chronic Pain)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?136 (Methadone)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment)

HOW DOES DEPRESSION AFFECT DRUG USE?

By Take The First Step , Dr. Michael Levy

Dear Dr. Levy: Is a person who is depressed more likely  to turn to 
using drugs than a person who is not  depressed?

A: Researchers have looked at this issue, and clearly,  there is a
relationship between psychiatric disorders,  in particular depression,
and substance use. Depression  is a risk factor for drug use.

Researchers found that young adults who experienced a  major
depression within the past year of a study were  twice as likely to
have initiated illicit drug use as  compared to individuals who had
not experienced a major  depression within the past year (12 percent
versus 5.8  percent).

However, I also want to say that the opposite  relationship can also
occur - drug use can lead to  depression, since using drugs can cause
so many  problems for a person. Consequently, when a person is
depressed and also uses drugs, it can be difficult to  figure out what
came first - the depression or the  substance use.

The good news is that regardless of the specific  relationship between
substance use and depression, if a  person is going to be helped,
substance use must stop.  If a person is no longer using drugs and
continues to  feel depressed, the depression needs to be treated.

Dear Dr. Levy: I have heard that methadone is  responsible for 
causing many drug overdoses and death.  Is this because of all the 
take-home doses being given  to people at methadone clinics?

A: You are right in that deaths from methadone  overdoses rose 390
percent between 1999 and 2004, and  there is concern that this trend
is continuing.

However, the supply of methadone on the streets is not  primarily due
to take-home doses being given to  individuals enrolled in methadone
treatment programs.  Rather, it is due to the increasingly widespread
use of  methadone for the treatment of chronic pain. It has  been
documented that prescriptions for methadone rose  by more than 700
percent from 2001 to 2006.

It should also be noted that the rate of methadone  overdoses, while
rising, is still lower than the  overdose rate for other narcotic
painkillers. This  points to the widespread abuse and misuse of
prescription painkillers in general and not just the  abuse and misuse
of methadone.

- ----------------------

Send questions about addictions or related problems to:  Take The
First Step, c/o Essex County Newspapers, 32  Dunham Road, Beverly, MA
01915; or send an e-mail to   Questions
will be answered  in confidence by a clinical team led by Dr. Michael
Levy, director of clinical treatment services at CAB  Health &
Recovery Services in Peabody and author of  "Take Control of Your
Drinking ... and You May Not Need  to Quit."
- ---
MAP posted-by: Steve Heath