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Smoking and depression: is smoking cessation effective?Smoking Cessation Center, Pulmonary and Critical Care Department, Evgenidio Hospital, Medical School, University of Athens, Greece, eischaki{at}yahoo.gr
Smoking Cessation Center, Pulmonary and Critical Care Department, Evgenidio Hospital, Medical School, University of Athens, Greece Patients with depression tend to have a higher rate of smoking and an increased severity of nicotine dependence. It seems that common genetic and environmental factors may influence the bimodal relationship between smoking and depression. Nicotine has some positive reinforcing/rewarding effects that may affect people with mood disorders and smoking is also used as a `relief medication' in order to ameliorate symptoms of depression, as it is already known that nicotine, which is the major psychoactive ingredient in tobacco, may act as an antidepressant. To date, the data regarding the difficulty in smoking cessation in depressed smokers are conflicting. Low confidence and self-esteem among this group of smokers are significant predictors of failure during smoking cessation attempt. In the most recently published guidelines for smokers with psychiatric comorbidities the suggestion is for combination treatment (counseling and pharmaceutical treatment) and prolongation of a therapeutic approach.
Key Words: Smoking cessation • depression • therapeutic interventions
Therapeutic Advances in Respiratory Disease, Vol. 3, No. 1,
31-38 (2009) |
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