Does Depressed Teens Smoke More?
Study suggests smoking can cause depression in teens
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The study found that teens who smoked were about four times more likely to develop highly depressed symptoms during a year's time.
The researchers speculated that nicotine or other smoking byproducts may have a depressive effect on the central nervous system.
The study adds to a growing body of conflicting research on links between tobacco and the mind. |
Teenagers suffering from depression are much more likely to reach for a cigarette than contented teens, says a new study.
Researchers have typically viewed depression as increasing the likelihood of smoking behavior. But Goodman and Capitman's research has found the reverse: "Nondepressed teens who smoked in the prior month faced approximately a four times greater risk of developing depression than nonsmoking teens." "Teenagers with a depressive disorder had odds of nicotine dependence that were 4.6 times those of teenagers without depressive disorder," say researchers from the Christchurch School of Medicine in Christchurch , New Zealand .
The study found that co-factors such as family history of criminality or drug use (including cigarette smoking), association with delinquent peers, and feelings of low self-worth all contribute to increased rates of depression in teens. These increased rates of depression were mirrored in increased rates of smoking as well.
A cigarette can give the illusion of a quick mental fix in times of stress. It reduces anxiety, it energizes, and it tends to elevate mood. One of the reasons smoking is so persistently prevalent in our culture is because it is a way that people can medicate themselves against stress, against low mood under stressful circumstances.
For many, the teen years are another difficult time in life. We need to raise consciousness that adolescence is a time when people go through a lot of self-doubts and periods of feeling blue. Adolescents need to work with each other to try to keep from resorting to use of lethal drugs when they go through those periods.
Parents can help by trying to discover the underlying reasons why an adolescent may have taken up the habit.
Topics About Teen Depression :
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