Smoking Can Increase Depressive Symptoms in Teens, Study FindsThis study finds no such thing.
ScienceDaily (Aug. 27, 2010) — While some teenagers may puff on cigarettes to 'self-medicate' against the blues, scientists at the University of Toronto and the University of Montreal have found that smoking may actually increase depressive symptoms in some adolescents.
"Smokers who used cigarettes as mood enhancers had higher risks of elevated depressive symptoms than teens who had never smoked," says coauthor Jennifer O'Loughlin, a professor at the University of Montreal Department of Social and Preventive Medicine and scientist at the of the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre. "Our study found that adolescent smokers who reported emotional benefits from smoking are at higher risk of developing depressive symptoms.The association between depression and smoking exists principally among teens that use cigarettes to feel better,
"It's important to emphasize that depressive symptom scores were higher among teenagers who reported emotional benefits from smoking after they began to smoke," says Dr. Chaiton.
My Turn:
People with rapidly diminishing orexin levels find nicotine attenuates their mood problems. It does not, however, address the underlying neurodegeneration. They deteriorate rapidly anyway.
