Depression and recreational drugs

Written by Renee Mill on February 14, 2012 - 0 Comments
Categories: Depression

Depression and recreational drugs
There is an interaction between depression and recreational drugs which can take several forms:
A person may be suffering from depressive symptoms initially and take drugs in the hope of gaining some relief. We call this self medicating.

Depressive symptoms may develop, as a direct result of taking drugs. This is because recreational drugs affect the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain.
1. dopamine is affected by cocaine, amphetamines and ecstasy
2. serotonin (or 5-HT) is affected by ecstasy and LSD
3. noradrenaline (Norepinephrine) is affected by amphetamines, opiates (heroin, morphine etc).
Depressive symptoms may arise as part of withdrawal symptoms when drug-taking stops. (Low mood in withdrawal may be brief and self-limiting. But sometimes it can lead to a serious, prolonged depressive illness.)

A person may take drugs to ‘escape’ from a problem during a particularly stressful time in their life. This stress may also be the trigger for an episode of depression.

Heavy drug use can lead to major financial problems, difficulties with relationships or trouble with the law. A person taking recreational drugs is likely to have more of these pressures, which may trigger depression.

People who are depressed may use recreational drugs in an attempt to end their life. Sometimes these attempts lead to brain damage and other problems which in turn lead to depression.

Drug use is particularly common in other psychiatric illnesses (such as post-traumatic stress disorder, some anxiety disorders and phobias) that can also have depressive symptoms, even if the main problem is not depression itself.
If you are depressed, and taking recreational drugs, you should visit a competent doctor to sort out what role drugs are playing in your depression.