Posted on September 29, 2009

The use and abuse of inhalants continues to be an issue of concern among the public as products are easily available and not illegal. The 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) reported on the trends of inhalant use among adolescents, or persons aged 12 to 17, in Inhalant Use and Major Depression Episode Among Youths Aged 12 to 17: 2004 to 2006.

According to collected data, the prevalence of past year inhalant use was nearly four times higher among adolescents than among young adults aged 18 to 25, or 1.3 percent versus 0.4 percent. Mental health also plays a role in usage as those with a past year major depressive episode (MDE) were more than three times as likely as their counterparts with no episodes to use inhalants.

During the study period, research determined that 8.5 percent of adolescents had experienced MDE in the past year. Females were proven to be three times as likely as males to experience past year MDE as these statistics were proven to be 12.7 percent versus 4.6 percent. As the age of the youth increased, so did the past year rate of MDE.

Study data found past year usage of inhalants among adolescents was 4.5 percent for the study period. This percentage represents 1.1 million youths and females were more likely than males to use inhalants in the past year, at 4.8 percent versus 4.2 percent, respectively. Youths in the age range of 14 to 15 were more likely to use inhalants than those aged 12 to 13 or 16 to 17.

This report also examined whether or not youths with MDE were more likely to use inhalants. For those adolescents examined in the study, 10.2 percent used inhalants in the past year, compared with 4.0 percent of youths with no MDE. Males who had experienced an MDE were nearly twice as likely as those without past year MDE to have used inhalants.

At the same time, females with past year MDE were almost three times as likely as those without past year MDE to have used inhalants. The percentage distribution was 10.5 percent versus 3.9 percent. In each age group, youths who experienced a past year MDE were more likely than their peers to have used inhalants.