Depressed teenagers who attempt to self-medicate by using cigarettes to fight depression may actually be making their depression worse, according to a new study from the University of Toronto and the University of Montréal in Canada.
- Researchers interviewed 662 high school students from a variety of backgrounds,.
- The researchers divided the students into three groups -- those who never smoke, those who use cigarettes to enhance their mood or physical well-being, and those who do not use cigarettes that way.
- Then the researchers measured the students' levels of depression by asking questions such as "how often do you feel too tired to do things," "how often do you have trouble going to sleep," and so forth.
"Smokers who use cigarettes as mood enhancers have higher risks of elevated depressive symptoms than teenagers who never smoked," said Professor Jennifer O'Loughlin, a co-author of the study and a professor at the University of Montréal. "Our study found that adolescent smokers who reported emotional benefits from smoking are at higher risk of developing depression."
The study appears in the journal Addictive Behaviors.
Labels: depression, tobacco use, smoking
Posted By: Jane St. Clair