Playbl Newsletter

🖐️ Welcome to this month’s Playbl Newsletter, where we provide research-based content to educators and clinicians to support their behavioral health work with youth. This month’s edition focuses on the link between vaping and mental health problems in teens.

The Troubling Connection between Youth Vaping and Mental Health

You may be aware of the rise in vaping among teens. Research suggests a troubling link between vaping and mental health problems. Many young people mistakenly believe vaping can relieve stress, anxiety, and depression. While nicotine can temporarily ease symptoms it doesn’t actually solve these problems. In fact, it can worsen them over time by creating a need to vape to relieve them, creating a vicious cycle.

Here’s the breakdown:

• Vaping nicotine, even without THC, can increase symptoms of anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts. This is especially concerning because teens’ brains are still developing, making them more vulnerable to these effects.
• Studies show a connection between vaping and mental health issues. Teens who vape are more likely to report feeling down, anxious, or having trouble coping.
• The environment may play a role. Some research suggests teens in rural areas might be even more at risk for these negative mental health effects from vaping.

Vaping and the Brain

When students vape, nicotine quickly reaches the brain, leading to immediate and long-term effects that can have lasting impacts on mental health. Let’s talk about real-life changes teachers might see in students.

Short-Term Effects:

Long-Term Effects:

The tobacco industry has cleverly marketed vaping as a way to relax and cope with stress. However, this is a harmful misconception. To truly address these mental health issues, it’s important to break the cycle of nicotine use.

What this means for teachers

• Be aware of the potential link between vaping, brain impact and mental health struggles in your students.
• If you notice changes in mood or behavior in students who vape, encourage them to seek help from a counselor or mental health professional.
• You can be a resource for students by providing information about the dangers of vaping and connecting them with support services.

📢 Announcing Playbl’s New Tier 2 Alternative to Suspension Course 

Let’s work together to support the brain health, mental health and well-being of our students!

We’re excited to announce that we are developing a self-paced Tier 2 Intervention course for youth about vaping. For many schools, this can be used as a restorative, alternative-to-suspension activity to support students who’ve presented with vaping related behaviors. If you’d like to learn more about this new product, please complete the google form linked below.

About Playbl

Playbl is a mission-driven organization focused on improving adolescent behavioral health. As a partner to the play2PREVENT Lab, we leverage the power of evidence-based video games to improve health outcomes for youth aged 10-20. Game topics include smoking & vaping, opioid misuse, mental health, and sexual health.

Click here to learn more about our games and find out how to bring them to your organization.

If you would like to learn more about building a school environment to decrease all substance misuse and addiction, reach out to the team at Playbl about our professional development courses for educators and administrators.