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| Alcohol, Drugs and Depression | ● What About Suicide?
Most people who are depressed do not commit suicide. However depression increases the risk for suicide or suicide attempts. It’s not true that people who talk about suicide do not attempt it.
Suicidal feelings, remarks, or attempts are Always Serious!... if any of these happen to you or a friend, you must tell a responsible adult Immediately! ....it's better to be safe than sorry.
● Why do people get depressed?
Occasionally people get seriously depressed after something like a divorce in the family, major financial problems, someone you love dying, a messed up home life, or breaking up with a boyfriend or girlfriend. So, depression just happens.
Often young people react to the pain of depression by getting into trouble: trouble with alcohol, drugs, or sex; trouble with school or bad grades; problems with family or friends. It is another reason why it's important to get treatment for depression before it leads to other trouble.
● Alcohol, Drugs and Depression
Lots of depressed people, especially teenagers, also have problems with alcohol or other drugs (Alcohol is a drug, too.) Sometimes the depression comes first and people try drugs as a way to escape it (In the long run, drugs or alcohol just make things worse.)
The alcohol or other drug use comes first, and depression is caused by:
• the drug itself, or
• withdrawal from it, or
• the problems that substance abuse causes.
From time to time you can't tell which came first... the important point is that when you have both of these problems, the sooner you get treatment, the better. Any problems can make the other worse and lead to bigger trouble, like addiction or flunking school. You should be honest about both problems - first with yourself and then with someone who can help you get into treatment... it's the only way to really get better and stay better.
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