Stop smoking – antidepressant effects?
Smoking cessation is associated with improved mental health, even among patients with psychiatric conditions, according to a BMJ meta-analysis.
Researchers reviewed 26 longitudinal studies that measured mental health immediately before smoking cessation and at least 6 weeks afterward. Average follow-up periods in these studies ranged from 6 to 12 months.
Compared with those who continued to smoke, those who quit had significant improvements in anxiety, depression, stress, psychological quality of life, and positive affect.
These findings were the same across many different groups studied, including those who were psychiatric patients, those who had a baseline high level of stress, those who were depressed, those who were anxious. See the chart of results to the right.
The researchers wanted to put the magnitude of this beneficial effect into some kind of context. They compared the magnitude of the positive effect of quitting smoking on mood improvement to the improved mood seen in antidepressant studies. The effect size of quitting smoking was as large or greater as the effect of antidepressant treatment on patients with depression.
“Some people say that smoking calms their nerves, but this research shows quite conclusively that quitting smoking reduces anxiety.”
The authors concluded:
“Smokers can be reassured that stopping smoking is associated with mental health benefits.”
For more on this including a very interesting video abstract follow this link –
