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Depression and Substance Abuse: A Rationalization of a Vicious Circle

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Author Info
Levy, Amnon () (University of Wollongong)
Faria, João Ricardo (University of Texas Pan American)

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Abstract

While a mind-altering-substance consumption alleviates current level of depression, it facilitates future depression. Our analysis incorporates this trade off and shows that the stationary state of a consistently overly ambitious sophisticated substance user is improved by impatience, and that this improvement is amplified by the ratio of the instantaneous depression-relief effect to the state-degradation effect of the substance. The analysis also shows that the existence of a supportive personal community leads to permanent cyclical substance consumption when the user is relatively patient.

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File URL: http://www.uow.edu.au/content/groups/public/@web/@commerce/@econ/documents/doc/uow012229.pdf
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Publisher Info
Paper provided by School of Economics, University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia in its series Economics Working Papers with number wp06-16.

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Length: 23 pages
Date of creation: 2006
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:uow:depec1:wp06-16

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Postal: School of Economics, University of Wollongong, Northfields Avenue, Wollongong NSW 2522 Australia
Phone: +612 4221-3663
Fax: +612 4221-3725
Web page: http://www.uow.edu.au/commerce/econ/
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Related research
Keywords: Substance abuse; ambition; consistency; sophistication; impatience; state-maturation; state-degradation; depression; relief; community support; cycles;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
D91 - Microeconomics - - Intertemporal Choice and Growth - - - Intertemporal Consumer Choice; Life Cycle Models and Saving
I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Production

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References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. Levy, Amnon, 2002. "Rational eating: can it lead to overweightness or underweightness?," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 21(5), pages 887-899, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Levy, Amnon & Neri, Frank & Grass, Dieter, 2006. "Macroeconomic Aspects Of Substance Abuse: Diffusion, Productivity And Optimal Control," Macroeconomic Dynamics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 10(02), pages 145-164, April. [Downloadable!]
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  3. Dockner, Engelbert J & Feichtinger, Gustav, 1993. "Cyclical Consumption Patterns and Rational Addiction," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 83(1), pages 256-63, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Becker, Gary S & Murphy, Kevin M, 1988. "A Theory of Rational Addiction," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 96(4), pages 675-700, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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