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Smoking Pot Might Up Depression Risk in Vulnerable Teens

(10/17/2011)

HealthDay News
By Robert Preidt
October 13, 2011

Smoking marijuana increases the risk of depression in youngsters who are genetically susceptible to the mental health disorder, according to a new study. About two-thirds of the population have the variant of the serotonin gene (5-HTT) that increases vulnerability to depression, said the researchers at Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands. They analyzed five years of data collected from 428 families with two adolescent children each. The youngsters provided yearly information about their behavior and depressive symptoms.

Read the full HealthDay News Article: http://consumer.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=657780

Keywords: smoking pot, depression, risk, vulnerable, teens

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