Study Finds Strong Relationship between Vaping and Depression

December 17, 2019    English , health    1 comment   

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Study Finds Strong Relationship between Vaping and Depression - A recent study concluded that people who consumed electronic cigarettes were twice as likely to report clinical depression, compared with those who never had. The correlation is robust among young people.

Known as vaping, battery-powered electronic cigarettes, and use heat to provide nicotine aerosol cocktails and flavors to users. Vape produces a small amount of vapor, while the cigarette releases smoke.

Many people believe that the steam contains water. In fact, it contains various toxic chemicals that have a relationship with heart and respiratory disease, as well as cancer. The use of electronic cigarettes in the United States has increased since it was introduced 10 years ago.

According to the Annals of Internal Medicine Treated Source, in 2016, an estimated 10.8 million people in the US used this cigarette. Of this, 2.8 million (9.2%) were 18-24 years old.

At present, some experts consider vaping to be an epidemic among teenagers. The number of high school students switching to vape doubled in 2018.

A study published in the JAMA OpenTrusted Source Network found a significant relationship between vaping and depression. Although the relationship between conventional cigarettes and depression is what drives this study, the results show that 9.1% of those who are depressed are electronic cigarette users.

The study's lead author, Olufunmilayo Obisesan from John Hopkins University in Baltimore, said that smoking with flammable substances, such as vapes, has been linked to an increased risk of major depression and has also been shown to be highly predictive of future suicidal behavior among individuals with a history of depression.

"Given the similarities in some cigarette constituents and electronic cigarettes, we decided to explore the existence of a similar relationship between electronic cigarettes and depression," he said as quoted by Medical News Today.

The study involved nearly 900,000 adults with random samples aged 18 and over in the 2016-2017 cross-sectional data collected by the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), the largest national telephone survey conducted in the US.

"The researchers found that 34% of current electronic cigarette users reported experiencing clinical depression, compared with 15% of those who had never used it. Also, 27% of former users were more likely to report clinical depression, compared with 15% in those who had never use this type of cigarette, "he said.

Students aged 18-25 years showed the most significant relationship between electronic cigarette use and depression.

Scientists focus on this group in particular because young people are usually more likely to experiment with new products, such as electronic cigarettes. Cigarette companies often target this demographic in marketing campaigns.

"This highlights the potential vulnerability of electronic cigarette users in this group to depression at very vulnerable times in their lives but also guarantees that what nicotine addiction might do to our children, middle school students, and younger, whom we know using e-cigarettes in epidemic proportions, "said Mariell Jessup of the American Heart Association (AHA) Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science.

AHA has launched a significant initiative to tackle the use of electronic cigarettes and nicotine addiction in young people.

The study also found that the relationship between electronic cigarette use and depression was stronger in people who smoked the most.

"Clinically, our research provides information that doctors can consider when counseling patients seeking information about electronic cigarettes, especially those who are depressed," Obisesan said.

He added that the study emphasized the need for doctors and health professionals to routinely collect information about electronic cigarettes from individuals during clinic visits, especially among those with mental health conditions.