Vaping Tobacco or Weed Appears Tied to Higher Anxiety in Teens

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by HealthDay.

For decades, people turned to cigarettes in times of stress. Now, a preliminary study hints that young people are using vaping in the same way.

The study, of nearly 2,000 U.S. teenagers and young adults, found that those who vaped nicotine or marijuana were more likely to report anxiety, depression or suicidal thoughts. In fact, a majority of vapers said they’d suffered anxiety or depression symptoms in the past week, while over half had contemplated suicide in the past year.

Many of the young people surveyed explicitly said they’d started vaping to deal with depression — including one-third of those who vaped marijuana.

The new findings are based on an online survey of 1,921 teens and young adults, ages 13 to 24. A majority said they had vaped in the past month, including 830 who said they’d vaped both nicotine and THC.

Overall, 70% of THC-only vapers said they’d had anxiety issues in the past week, as did over 60% of those who vaped nicotine or both drugs. That compared with around 40% of participants who’d never vaped.

Meanwhile, over half of all vapers had struggled with depression symptoms in the past week, versus one-quarter of nonvapers. Some — 20% to one-third — said depression had driven them to try vaping.

The research is to be presented at an American Heart Association meeting in Boston. Studies released at meetings are generally considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Source: HealthDay
https://consumer.healthday.com/vaping-and-mental-health-2659449128.html