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What Are the Mental Effects of Smoking?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 45 million people in the United States smoke. Many people use smoking to relieve stress and depression. A report by the National Institute of Mental Health concluded that more than 40 percent of smokers have psychiatric issues. Many of those people did not have mental health issues such as anxiety disorders and depression before smoking.

  1. Addiction

    • Tobacco contains a substance called nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical that causes alterations in the brain. This chemical causes some of the same withdrawal symptoms of other drugs such as heroine, methamphetamine and cocaine. It carries the same risk of addiction as these drugs, which can prevent you from quitting easily. Some of the withdrawal symptoms of this drug are depression, anxiety, decreased heart rate, nausea, vomiting, weight gain, irritability and hostility.

    Anxiety

    • Many people find that smoking relieves stress for a short period of time. According to an evaluation of the Stirling County Study, a study conducted on psychiatric issues in adults, evidence suggests nicotine is a cause of anxiety disorders in those who smoke. While this analysis has suggested that the nicotine addiction plays a part in anxiety disorders, there is not enough evidence to fully support these claims. A further finding in this study showed that those who quit smoking were relieved of anxiety.

    Depression

    • Within the last few years, depression has been linked to smoking. A higher percentage of those who smoke are depressed than those who do not smoke. The evaluation of the Stirling County Study showed that people who quit smoking stopped experiencing depression symptoms. While this may be due to a number of factors, researchers from the evaluation of the study suggest that smoking was the key factor.

    Substance Abuse

    • According to a study conducted by the Oregon Health & Science University Smoking Cessation Center, smoking is twice as likely among those who have a substance abuse disorder. The study has also shown that people who have a substance abuse disorder are less likely to quit than those who do not, making it difficult to determine whether smoking causes the disorder.

    Evidence

    • According to an article published in 2003 by Journal Watch Psychiatry, evidence supporting the claim of smoking causing mental illnesses is increasing. An analysis of a German health study showed that, out of the 4181 nicotine dependent individuals in the study, more than half of them were suspected of at least one mental illness.

    Warning

    • While smoking may temporarily relieve stress and some symptoms of depression, smoking does cause more health problems than it relieves. The American Cancer Society has conducted studies that show smoking causes fatal health issues such as cancer and emphysema.

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