AND NEVER ENDING WAR! –
May 13, 2026 – Nearly 1 in 5 U.S. adolescents experienced depression between 2021 and 2023, and those teens were significantly more likely to use substances such as alcohol, marijuana and opioids, according to a new national study. Andrew Yockey, a University of Mississippi assistant professor of public health, and graduate student Aminul Apu found that adolescents struggling with depression are more likely to use substances. Their study, published in the Journal of Medicine, Surgery and Public Health, underscores the need to treat mental health and substance use together, rather than as separate issues.
“Research shows that depression will be the top contributor to mortality by 2030, and we know it is affecting adolescents,” Yockey said. “Depression is something that we have pharmacologically studied for years, but in this study, we wanted to look at the shifting patterns and correlations between depression and drug use.
