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May 10, 2008 1:01 pm US/Eastern
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Marijuana Linked To Teen Depression
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
Marijuana is often considered a "soft drug," one that does no real damage.
Jessica Kartalija reports a new White House report finds a link between teens who smoke pot and depression.
Teens who smoke pot could be getting more than just a quick high.
The newly released report says a teen who has been depressed at some point over the past year is twice as likely to have used marijuana.
"Understand that young people are looking for solutions. They are trying to regulate, they are trying to feel better. The solution that our culture offers kids becomes the problem here," said Dr. Drew Pinsky.
Mental health doctors have found smoking marijuana can lead to more serious problems down the road.
"We find that prior to them using, they don't have any sort of mental health issues or physical problems. Then they stop using and we find a whole slew of problems that are created," said Kourtney Knight.
Using marijuana has been found to increase the risk of developing mental disorders by as much as 40 percent.
"Mentally, we can see the difference in someone's brain chemistry after long term use of marijuana or even short time. It depends on the individual," said Knight.
It's important for parents to recognize signs of possible drug use and depression, such as changes in appetite or sleeping patterns, mood changes that last more than two weeks, lack of interest in activities and reduced energy.
"Don't ever say, 'not my kid.' That is one of the most dangerous expressions that can come out of a parent's mouth," said Pinsky.
There is some good news in all of this. Marijuana use among teens has dropped 25 percent since 2001.
May is National Health Awareness Month.
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