- Causes of Depression -
Smoking Facts About the Effects of Nicotine and the Brain Neurotransmitters

Among the many causes of depression may be the effects of cigarettes. The smoking facts reveal that people who suffer with mental depression are more likely to smoke as compared to people who show no clinical depression symptoms.

This may be because of the mood altering effects of nicotine and the brain neurotransmitters that make you feel good.

Effects of Nicotine and Brain Neurotransmitters

Norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine are words you may not be familiar with but if you want the smoking facts on the symptoms and causes of mental depression you will need to learn more about these chemicals which are called neurotransmitters.

Most research on mood regulation and the causes of drug addiction in humans is centered on examining the effect of these chemicals (called monamines) on your brain and ultimately on your mood.

Is Smoking Among the Causes of Depression

It is not a stretch of logic or rational reasoning to realize that when the levels of these neurotransmitters fall your mood might become low as well. This explains the link between smoking and mental depression but is smoking among the causes of depression or are smokers merely using nicotine to treat their symptoms of depression?

The answer is we don't really know. All mental illness is complex and is likely caused by a complex interaction of many factors including chemical, biological, emotional, and genetic influences.

One thing is certain, without a healthy brain, you are not likely to achieve a good mood. And if you smoke not only is your brain being starved of oxygen but you are seriously tampering with the regulation of many neurotransmitters that affect your mood.

Smoking Facts About the Effects of Nicotine and the Brain Neurotransmitters

Research on the mood altering effects of cigarettes and smoking behaviour among the mentally ill has led to a body of evidence that clearly shows an association between mental depression and cigarette smoking.

• people with depression are more likely to self medicate with any substance including nicotine.


• smokers who suffer from depression have a much more difficult time quitting smoking.


• people with depression are more likely to be smokers than people who have no symptoms of depression.


• ex-smokers are at less risk to have depressive episodes than smokers, but are still at a higher risk than people who have never smoked.


• many studies have also shown that teenagers who experience depression are more likely to take up smoking.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse in the Research Report Series on Tobacco Addiction states that:

"Among adults, the rate of major depressive episodes is highest in nicotine-dependent individuals, lower in nondependent current smokers, and lowest in those who quit or never started smoking."

The report also goes on to say that the rate of tobacco use among psychiatric patients is as high as 80% and may be the reason for the high rates of co-morbidities in this population.

So while it can't be stated that smoking is among the causes of depression it certainly can be stated that nicotine affects brain neurochemistry and that smoking is linked to depression.

Study after study has confirmed this conclusion. The link is so strong in fact that smoking and mental depression are considered to be comorbid conditions. This simply means that the use of nicotine and depression often occur together.

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