Teenagers who listen to heavy metal music are into unprotected sex, self-harm and shoplifting. Pop music fans are curious about their sexuality and worry about peer acceptance. Jazz fans are misfits and loners. Rap fans are into theft, violence and anger.

Those are the findings of a recent study published in the Australasian Psychiatry journal, an Australian/New Zealand publication. The study suggests that doctors can determine whether teenagers are at risk of suicide or certain mental illnesses by the type of music they prefer.

But Felicity Baker, researcher and author of the study, added there was no evidence to suggest the type of music a person prefers will necessarily cause them to commit suicide.

“But those who are vulnerable and at risk of committing suicide may be listening to certain types of music,” she said in an article from the Sydney Morning Herald Web site.

A few local mental health providers say they have doubts about the study.

“It appears this study found correlations, not necessarily cause-effect data, between certain kinds of music and aspects of personality,” said Dr. Shirley Taylor, licensed psychologist with Heartland Health Counseling Services. “While it is interesting, as a psychologist I prefer to rely on data that has more reliability and validity such as the information we gather through tried-and-true psychological tests.”

Ken Hines, another local psychologist, said correlations simply do not imply a cause-effect relationship.

“Finding out that people with long feet are more likely to play basketball does not mean that basketball causes big feet anymore than it means that big feet causes people to play basketball,” Mr. Hines said.

He added the associations that happen to co-exist are generally in numbers that are pretty suspicious in the first place. They’re also far from perfect and very inconclusive.

If 100 percent of people who like jazz are loners and 100 percent of loners like jazz ... you’re on to something,” Mr. Hines said. “But these people are getting excited with anything over 50 percent, which would basically mean zilch or random.”

“My personal research is making me believe that pizza leads to unprotected sex and body piercings and should definitely be regulated,” he added. “And hold the anchovies, just to be on the safe side.”

Alonzo Weston can be reached at alonzow@npgco.com.