There are a great many causes of depression. In some instances depression is cause by an imbalance of chemicals in the brain. These chemicals regulate sleep and mood and any alteration of them can cause symptoms of depression. In other cases depression is caused by an event or by having something introduced to the body. Substances like drugs and alcohol can have detrimental effects on the brain and can lead to depression symptoms. Even cigarettes can be a cause of depression, whether it is due to smoking itself or the cessation of smoking. Some people who decide that cigarettes and cigars are bad for their health and quit may suffer from quit smoking depression.
The Drug
Nicotine is a drug that behaves in the body like any other drug, it gives feelings of pleasure that become addictive over time. Smoking also increases alertness and mental ability in some cases which gives a very light ‘high’ to the smoker and serves to inhibit pain. The effects of smoking are pleasurable overall but they are also detrimental to your health. It is widely known that a number of health problems are associated with nicotine such as high blood pressure and cancer which are two very good reasons to quit. Other good reasons for quitting smoking include the fact that smoking makes your breath and clothes smell bad and make your teeth look horrible. For whatever reason, people tend to quit smoking.
Quit Smoking Depression
People who are addicted to the nicotine in cigarettes experience drug withdrawal when they quit smoking. One of those withdrawal symptoms is known as quit smoking depression and it affects the mind of the smoker in the same way as major depression. You may experience anger, depressed mood, increased appetite, difficulty concentrating and a desire for the drug (nicotine). Most of the symptoms of quit smoking depression go away after about a month, but that month can be incredibly difficult. The only symptom that hangs around is the nicotine craving which can stay for years at a reduced level.
Treating quit Smoking Depression
When looking to treat quit smoking depression, doctors have reported that they often have to treat various types of mental disorders that include depression, ADHD and binge eating. They find that depression drugs help to curb the symptoms of depression and make it easier for people having a difficult time with quit smoking depression to kick the habit for good and get out of depression. So far there is no benefit known of using antidepressants in people who do not have depression when they are trying to quit smoking. Researchers believe that people who suffer from quit smoking depression actually had their depression covered by the light euphoria that smoking provides and would have suffered from depression if they had not been smokers. Smoking has an incredible relapse rate of 80% because the withdrawal symptoms from quitting can be so difficult to manage. When they are coupled with depression you can almost guarantee that the attempt is doomed to fail.
Other Treatments
There are other treatments for quit smoking depression that do not require the use of drugs to combat the symptoms. Psychotherapy can be used to help undo the behaviors associated with quit smoking depression like binge eating and anxiety. An herb known as Kava Kava can help reduce the symptoms of depression as does guided meditation. Another good idea to combat symptoms of quit smoking depression is getting up and moving around: exercise. You can combat the increased appetite and the desire to keep busy by implementing a good exercise routine. There are many herbs, teas and vitamins on the market that help people stop smoking and avoid withdrawal and depression symptoms altogether. Rather than simply relying on drugs and nicotine patches, you can quit using all natural substances and improve your health and mental well being.
