Smoking can cause depression in women

The number of women attempting suicide in India is three times more than men, mostly due to depression followed by anxiety and personality disorders like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Many Indian women are dealing with depression on a daily basis and smoking is one of the least discussed causes that has the potential to increase the risk of depression, possibly because nicotine damages certain pathways in the brain that regulate moods.

According to a recent survey by Assocham’s Social Development Foundation, smoking is on the rise among women in cities. Another research confirms that India now has 12.1 million women smokers.

Although studies don’t explain the relationship between smoking and depression, there is a general notion that depressed people smoke to feel better and cope with stress. However, the truth is the other way around, especially for women smokers as they are genetically predisposed to depression. Blame it all on the biological phenomenon like childbirth and menopause, psychological explanations like being more ruminative than men and socio-cultural explanations like taking more stress than men.

Nicotine acts as a receptor for the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, and ultimately stimulates the release of dopamine. Eventually, the brain becomes so used to the presence of the drug that it no longer functions normally without it. After 20-30 minutes of smoking the last cigarette, nicotine withdrawal begins. This leads to anxiety.

Smoking encourages the brain to switch off its own mechanism for creating dopamine, urging people to smoke more. It is important to treat the prevailing depression and focus on preventive care, besides addressing factors like smoking that influence the state of a woman’s mental health.

(The author is head of operations, DocsApp)