Teen and Young Adult Mental Health Is Being Impacted by Vaping and Nicotine
Vaping
In recent years, there has been an increase in the use of nicotine products, especially e-cigarettes, among teens and young adults. Use has increased mainly due to culture, but also due to smart and sneaky marketing and advertising techniques by the big nicotine companies like making their products look fun and trendy, and putting out more desirable flavors that target younger buyers. In the journal article, “Reasons for Vaping Among U.S. 12th Graders”, they discovered that the the two most prominent reasons for starting were, “adolescents who were Vaping to Experiment (29.4%)” and “Vaping for Taste + Entertainment (63.4%)”, (Evans-Polce, Rebecca J). So, because of this market for taste and “fun”, more and more teens and young adults have become hooked on the drug.
Mental Health
The mental health of teens and young adults who vape is extremely concerning. Not much is known about the long term effects of the new chemicals in e-cigarettes, but trends are starting to form in relation to depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. In The journal article, “Systematic Review of Electronic Cigarette Use (Vaping) and Mental Health Comorbidity Among Adolescents and Young Adults”, they highlight the effects of e-cigarette use on mental health by collecting database searches with common vape and mental health key words and terminology. Through a systematic review, they were able to find many articles that studied this issue and collected data showing that there are, “three main categories of focus: internalizing disorders (including depression, anxiety, suicidality, eating disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder), externalizing disorders (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and conduct disorder), and transdiagnostic concepts (impulsivity and perceived stress)” –which are associated with vaping and e-cigarette use, (Becker, Timothy D, par. 3).