Modern man has long known about the effects of tobacco smoke on the vital systems of the body. Thus, the World Health Organization officially confirms the death of 50 percent of tobacco users. Often, the use of tobacco products causes the main harm to the organs of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, but now scientists have identified another harmful effect of cigarette smoke. It turns out that regular smoking has a noticeable effect on the psychological and mental health of a person.
Smoking causes lung cancer, heart and vascular disease, and also affects mental health.
Is cigarette smoke harmful?
According to official statistics, about 8 million people die annually from regular exposure to tobacco smoke. Unfortunately, not only active smokers are susceptible to the harmful effects of smoking, as the people around them are also at risk. According to an article published on Medicalxpress.com, researchers at the Hebrew University have found a direct link between smoking and human mental health.
To prove this connection, a team of scientists conducted a series of studies in which more than 2,000 students who studied in different socio-political and economic conditions were interviewed. When summing up the results of the experiment, scientists found certain similarities and characteristics of smoking students. It was found that the rates of clinical depression were two to three times higher in smoking students than their non-smoking peers.
People who smoke have been found to have higher rates of depressive disorders.
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The experts also found that, regardless of economic or socio-political status, students who smoke had higher rates of depressive symptoms and significantly lower rates of mental health compared to non-smoking students. Under the indicators of mental health, special attention was paid to the vitality of the individual and the possibility of normal social functioning in society. Despite the fact that at the moment there is still a number of additional studies to be carried out, experts are convinced that smoking and depression are closely related.
Currently, a number of countries have introduced bans and restrictions on the marketing of tobacco products. For example, in Bhutan, a complete ban on tobacco use has been introduced throughout the country, which currently makes this state the only one among all countries restricting tobacco use. Other measures were taken by Japan and Sweden, which encourage non-smokers, and, while in Sweden scholarships are paid to students, in Japan some firms pay bonuses to their non-smoking employees. In Russia, after the adoption of the anti-tobacco law, according to information provided by the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, the number of smokers decreased by 17%.
In your opinion, is a complete ban on smoking in the country effective in order to reduce diseases among the population?
Author: Daria Eletskaya