Teen Smokers Might Be More Susceptible To Anxiety Disorder
Posted by Sylvia on October 24th, 2007
Researchers are always finding more astonishing facts about anxiety disorder. A new study just released reveals that teen smokers appear to be more susceptible to anxiety disorder as well as other mental health issues.
The study conducted by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University indicates that because the brain of teens is still developing, it is more susceptible to damage.
The damage can lead to alcohol and drug addiction as well as mental illness, including depression, panic and anxiety disorder. The report states that teens who smoke are 13 times more likely to meet the criteria for substance abuse and dependence than teens who don’t smoke.
The study looked at teens between 12 and 17 years of age. Of those, twice as many smokers as non-smokers had symptoms of depression in the previous year. The earlier teens starts smoking, the more likely they were to experience hopelessness, depression and worthlessness.
These conclusions indicate that smoking at a young age can be directly related to panic attacks, general anxiety disorder and post traumatic stress disorder.
What we might determine from this is not that smoking causes these disorders, but that teens who begin to develop these disorders use smoking as a release from their discomfort.
If your teen is smoking, it might be worth taking a closer look at why. The sooner mental disorders are caught and treated, the less damage will be caused and the faster they will recover.
Remember, too, that teens are highly susceptible to their surroundings. If their friends smoke, they will be tempted to join in simply because of the peer pressure. It’s likely, therefore, that they are smoking just to fit in. If someone smokes in the home, consider how it might be affecting your teen.
A teen who smokes might be more tempted to try other chemicals, such as marijuana and cocaine which, as you know, can lead to serious addiction. In fact, it’s well worth keeping in mind that it only takes one use for a teen to become addicted to illegal drugs.
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