Smoking, clinical depression?!


Question: Smoking, clinical depression.?
I have been suffering from depression for 8 years. I am 25 years old boy. I never touch cigs. But today for the first time I smoked a cig I felt really good. I wonder if it helps me to alleviate my depression and that I get this non stop chattering.Health Question & Answer


Answers:
Cigarettes will take years off your life. Don't start. If you have depression, it will be MUCH harder for you to quit than it is for most people, and it is hard enough. Please don't start smoking! People with severe mental illness have an average age of death of age 51 (78 is the average in US for all people). The reason.? (NOT suicide). Cardiovascular disease from smoking and obesity (from the meds plus too depressed to exercise). Don't be a statistic!!


Here are my self help tips for depression and anxiety. Try some of these instead:

If your depression seems to be more of a problem in the winter, try to get more sun. You could have seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, or your depression could have a seasonal component, meaning you can get depressed other times of the year, but you tend to have more trouble in the winter. A light box is really good if you can afford one (about $300 online, don't get it at a local store, they will charge more for a light less than 1/2 as bright). Since I will always have a mood disorder, I have put in extra windows, keep the drapes mounted so they don't cover them, make sure I spend a lot of time in southern exposure rooms, painted the walls peach and yellow, mostly. I even have a skylight, although that was here when I moved in (and I LOVE it, it helps a lot!!!!!)

Try turning the heat up in the house or dressing much more warmly. It is hard to feel anxiety when you are too warm. I was able to cut out ativan use altogether by using this trick. Saved me big $$ too, because pills cost way more than heat. Hot baths work too, and in a pinch, like at work/school, you can try running hot water over your hands.

Avoid caffeine like the plague. also, some cold remedies can cause anxiety. Look for the "agitation in children" warning on the box. Adults can get problems too.

Try meditation tapes like progressive muscle relaxation or guided imagery. They may seem silly at first, but they work!! They help reduce stress, which makes depression worse.

Go out with friends, and if you don't have any, find a club to join and MAKE yourself go until you actually look forward to it. Isolation makes depression worse.

Exercise at least 1/2 hour a day, and anytime you feel really hyper or depressed. Exercise is a great mood stabilizer and cuts down on anxiety a lot.

If your depression makes it hard for you to sleep, here are some good "sleep hygeine" tips so you can sleep better. Like go to bed and get up about the same time each day, even weekends. Don't use your bedroom to watch TV and read and use the computer and all that-just use the room as a bedroom normally would be used. Don't do stuff that pumps you up right before bed, like exercising and using the computer. You want to use that last hour to wind down-Take a bath .? Make the bedroom really dark, cover up the clock radio, even so the light doesn't shine at you. If you live in the rackety city, use a noise generator (makes wave sounds and the like) to cover up the city sounds. Avoid caffeine in the afternoon and evening.

Put a lot of colorful things around the house, happy type things, and keep the blinds open and let the sun in. Get yourself some flowers. Put on some pretty clothes. Make a list of things that make you happy. Here's some things on my list: A basket full of fluffy kittens, bread fresh from the oven, Fireworks popping on a warm summer evening, The first fireflies of the season, the scent of Jergen's cherry almond lotion, The crisp sound of a saltine cracker breaking, fresh sheets on the bed, etc. Use all your senses and read that list when you are breaking down
Work on time management if being overwhelmed and late for things and too much to do is getting to you. Cut back on other responsibilities temporarily so you can spend more restorative time with friends and family.

You got a significant other.? Extra physical touch is very helpful. Most people in the US or UK are touch deprived, so hold hands more, hug more, give shoulder rubs, etc. A pet is good to cuddle with, too, if your home situation allows you to get one & take good care of it. (I'm an animal lover, don't get one if you can't commit to it for 15 years)


I give these suggestions to lots of folks, and hardly anyone ever tries them.. I have really really severe psychiatric symptoms from bipolar disorder and post traumatic stress disorder, I mean, I have one of the most severe cases you can get. And I am able to control my behavior almost 100% even when I am suffering, and able to feel quite a bit better using some of these tricks, because the meds have only been minimally effective for me. If I didn't do stuff like the above, I would be in an institution or group home for sure. So please try some of these things, there is no harm in them, and they may provide some real relief for you. Pills alone or counseling alone are not as effective as pills PLUS counseling, and you have to follow some of those suggestions the counsHealth Question & Answer

My brother stared smoking for similar reasons. The down fall I see it as since he has been doing that he's been slacking on his meds and constantly bickering about lack of money even though he'll take what he has and spend it more and more on cigs everyday which kind of makes him depressed so he'll smoke more. It's gotten to the point where he'll tell us he doesn't have the money to buy any of the family gifts for B-days and holidays yet he keeps paying for those and not his meds. He was a nicer person too before he did this.Health Question & Answer

naw, just the nicotine high. maybe it help you feel better. ive been smoking for 3 years, and i have been diagnosed depression, when i feel real sad i have a few smokes and i usually feel a bit better, dont know why.Health Question & Answer

It's a temporary fix. Don't start. My wife is also depressed. 12 years. Remember. Recognize, reject the thought, and redirect.
The high is temporary and you will be addicted before you know it. Health Question & Answer

Smoking would just worsen things. It makes you 10x more anxious and depressed. Not to mention it messes up your looks, and costs a fortune.Health Question & Answer



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