Scientists from Aarhus University found that smoking is associated with an increased risk of developing depression and bipolar disorder. The results of the research were published at: magazine Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica.
The authors analyzed the health data of 350,000 people. The scientists noted that people usually start smoking before the age of 20, but are admitted to the hospital for mental disorder between the ages of 30 and 60, on average. And most of the time it was the smokers who went to the hospitals.
Moreover, if the parents smoke, the child’s risk of smoking increases. The authors were also able to identify genes that make a person more likely to smoke. The researchers suggested that the same genes may be associated with the risk of mental illness.
“Another explanation for this situation may be that smoking causes inflammation in the brain, which in the long term can damage the brain and lead to various mental disorders. However, we are not yet able to identify the exact causes,” the scientists concluded.
Formerly a doctor said about a new disease caused by electronic cigarettes.