Latest Study Says Smoking Can Increase Depression Risks And Bipolar Disorders

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JAKARTA - Smoking can cause health problems such as lung cancer, heart attacks, and even strokes. But, can smoking also affect mental health? A new study shows that smoking can double the risk of mental health problems such as depression and bipolar disorder.

The latest study published in the journal Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, reported by Medical Daily, Thursday, September 7, researchers from Aarhus University evaluated 337,140 participants from Biobank UK to understand the relationship between smoking and mental illness.

"Although it's not the only cause, cigarettes can increase the risk of hospitalization due to a 250 percent mental illness," Doug Speed, one of the study's authors, said in a news release.

On average, people from data collected start smoking at the age of 17. And usually will be hospitalized due to mental disorders after the age of 30, "added Speed.

Researchers found the chances of a child becoming a smoker would be high if his parents were also smokers. The research team found that a 'gen associated with smoking' inherited from biological parents plays an important role in determining whether a person will become a smoker or not.

When we look at many smokers in the database, we find a number of recurring genetic variants. By looking at research on twins, where twins have the same gene but grow up in different homes, we can see that as many as 43 percent of the possible twins raised in the smoking environment tend to be smokers, "explained Speed.

This study does not evaluate the biological mechanism where smoking causes mental health problems. Researchers believe this problem may be caused by brain damage caused by nicotine.

We still need to find a biological mechanism for the relationship between smoking and mental disorders. One theory is that nicotine inhibits the absorption of serotonin neurotransmitters in the brain, and we know that people with depression do not produce enough serotonin," Speed said.

Another explanation is that smoking causes inflammation in the brain, which in the long term can damage the brain and cause various mental disorders. But as I said: We don't know for sure.