Among depressed and suicidal youth, those using all substances had highest suicidality and ADHD rates
Latent class analysis of 945 depressed/suicidal youth identified three substance use patterns, with the highest-use group (12.7%) showing significantly more substance use disorders, ADHD, and higher suicidality scores.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Three substance use classes emerged: non-use (63.4%), moderate use of alcohol/nicotine/cannabis (23.8%), and high use of all substances (12.7%). The high-use class was more likely to have substance use disorders, ADHD, and higher suicidality scores. Both substance-using classes were older than non-users.
Key Numbers
945 youth. Three classes: non-use (63.4%), moderate (23.8%), high (12.7%). High-use class had more substance use disorders, ADHD, and higher suicidality. Both substance-using classes were older.
How They Did This
Cross-sectional analysis of 945 youth with depression and/or suicidality from the Texas Youth Depression and Suicide Research Network. Latent class analysis identified patterns of past-year alcohol, nicotine, cannabis, and other drug use. Demographics and psychiatric diagnoses were tested as predictors of class membership.
Why This Research Matters
Understanding how substance use clusters among depressed youth can help clinicians identify who is at highest risk. The link between polysubstance use, ADHD, and suicidality suggests these youth need comprehensive assessment across multiple domains.
The Bigger Picture
Screening for substance use in depressed youth is not universal. This study shows that a meaningful minority (nearly 13%) of depressed/suicidal youth are using multiple substances at high rates, and these are the same youth with the most severe psychiatric profiles.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Cross-sectional design cannot determine temporal ordering. Texas-based sample may not represent other regions. Brief self-report substance measures may miss details. Cannot determine whether substances worsen or are driven by psychiatric symptoms.
Questions This Raises
- ?Would universal substance screening in depressed youth improve outcomes?
- ?Does treating ADHD in polysubstance-using youth reduce their substance use?
- ?Are the substance use patterns stable over time or do they shift?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- 12.7% of depressed youth showed high-level polysubstance use
- Evidence Grade:
- Moderate-sized cross-sectional study from a clinical research network with structured assessment. Limited by cross-sectional design and single-state sample.
- Study Age:
- Published in 2024 in the Journal of Affective Disorders.
- Original Title:
- Substance use patterns and mental health comorbidities in youth with a history of depression or suicidality: Findings from TX-YDSRN.
- Published In:
- Journal of affective disorders, 366, 210-216 (2024)
- Authors:
- Clark, Shaunna L(3), Dodd, Cody G, Mitchell, Tarrah B, Ingram, Sarah J, Armstrong, Gabrielle M, Jha, Manish K, Soares, Jair C, Smith, Matt, Minhajuddin, Abu, Slater, Holli, Wakefield, Sarah M, Trivedi, Madhukar H
- Database ID:
- RTHC-05214
Evidence Hierarchy
A snapshot of a population at one point in time.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
How common is substance use among depressed teens?
In this study, about 37% of depressed or suicidal youth reported past-year substance use, with 23.8% showing moderate use and 12.7% showing high use of multiple substances including cannabis, alcohol, and nicotine.
Which youth were at highest risk?
The 12.7% using all substances at high rates had significantly more ADHD diagnoses, substance use disorders, and higher suicidality scores, suggesting they need the most comprehensive clinical attention.
Read More on RethinkTHC
Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-05214APA
Clark, Shaunna L; Dodd, Cody G; Mitchell, Tarrah B; Ingram, Sarah J; Armstrong, Gabrielle M; Jha, Manish K; Soares, Jair C; Smith, Matt; Minhajuddin, Abu; Slater, Holli; Wakefield, Sarah M; Trivedi, Madhukar H. (2024). Substance use patterns and mental health comorbidities in youth with a history of depression or suicidality: Findings from TX-YDSRN.. Journal of affective disorders, 366, 210-216. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2024.08.128
MLA
Clark, Shaunna L, et al. "Substance use patterns and mental health comorbidities in youth with a history of depression or suicidality: Findings from TX-YDSRN.." Journal of affective disorders, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2024.08.128
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Substance use patterns and mental health comorbidities in yo..." RTHC-05214. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/clark-2024-substance-use-patterns-and
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.