Level of Depression among Addicts and Non-Addicts; A Comparative Analysis

Abstract

The present study was conducted to get evaluate and to compare the Level of Depression of Addicts and Non-addicts. The study was conducted in Chandigarh which was a purposive selection, covering the Non addicts in three Educational Institutes –Punjab University, Sector 14, D.A.V. College, Sector – 10 and Institute for Hotel Management Sector 42. Addicts were covered from three De-addiction centers; Govt. Medical College and Hospital, Sector-32, Lala Lajpat Rai Bhawan Sector-15 and Alcoholic and Narcotics Anonymous. The subjects were 100 in number, (50 Addicts, 50 Non-addicts) all males, in the age group 17-21 years. The tool used in the study was Depression Scale by Karim & Tiwari (1986). It was reported that the Addicts had significantly high level of depression. Thus, it could be concluded that satisfying & meaningful relationships and healthy lifestyle is necessary for the proper overall development of adolescents.