This study investigated the relation between symptoms & a variety of health-related risk-taking behaviours during adolescence. A survey of 20,745 youth from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health provided the data. Adolescents who reported more depressive symptoms were found to wear seatbelts less often, wear bike-helmets less often, & drive while drunk more frequently. Depressive symptoms did not correlate with reported condom use. The found relations were all mediated by reported levels of hopelessness. Reported levels of anhedonia & suicidality also mediated some of the found relations. (26 refs.) JA