Anxiety and depression are obviously one of the reasons why people smoke, but depression is improved by smoking cessation

It is obvious that smoking cessation is good for the body, but what about mental health? Sometimes many of the smokers are said to use tobacco to control anxiety and depression, so doctors and scientists have been skeptical about the mental health benefits of smoking cessation.

However, following the symptoms of depression in people who are smoking in the latest research, it seems that people have been as happy as ever before while quitting smoking.

Details are as below.Study suggests that quitting smoking improves mood | Brown University Media Relations

Brown UniversityWarren Alpert Medical SchoolProfessor Christopher Kahler and his colleagues, who specialize in community health, studied 236 men and women aiming to quit smoking on the effect of smoking cessation on mental health. Thesis isNicotine & Tobacco ResearchIt is published in the magazine.

236 men and women are smokers and people who drink alcohol habitually to the extent that they are not alcohol-dependent. SubjectsNicotine patchWe received a non-smoking counseling and decided the date "I will quit smoking from this day". Some of the subjects received advice to reduce alcohol consumption at the same time. And, one week before the start of smoking cessation and two weeks, eight weeks, 16 weeks, and 28 weeks of smoking cessationDepressionIt is said that we conducted a standard test to measure the symptoms.

"The anxiolytic effect of cigarettes has been considered to be one of the reasons people smoke, and smokers have also been thought of as having the potential to cause depression by quitting smoking, but surprisingly When you measure the mental state of a smoker, the symptoms of depression are lighter as long as you quit smoking even for a short period of time, "Dr. Kahler says.

99 of the 236 subjects never stopped smoking, 44 could only quit smoking until the second week of evaluation (smoking again by the 8th week), 33 were 8 We were able to quit smoking until the weekly evaluation (smoking again by the 16th week) and 33 people were able to quit smoking (over 28 weeks smoking) throughout the study period. The other 27 people showed their own non-smoking patterns such as smoking cessation and frustration and quitting smoking.

There was a strong correlation between depression improvement and smoking cessation period, and subjects who successfully quit smoking only for a short period of time showed the brightest feeling during the investigation period during the smoking cessation successfully, so that they smoke again In the exam after it turned out, I felt sick again and I saw a case where I became depressed rather than challenging for smoking. This is a practical example showing the relationship between smoking cessation and depression remarkably.

Those who could not quit smoking once during the study period showed the most severe depressive symptoms throughout the period and subjects who were allowed to quit smoking and had not smoked until the end of the study period had already had symptoms of depression It is the lightest and he seems to have been most happy throughout the whole period.

The results of this survey are consistent with the results of a survey conducted by professor Kahler on smokers who have experienced depression in 2002 (including drinkers and non-drinkers). In addition, the improvement of the mood of the subject in this survey was correlated only with the smoking cessation period and did not correlate with the period in which the amount of drinking alcohol was decreased, so it became clear this time that "People will be happy during the period of smoking cessation" Professor Kahler says that trends will apply to most smokers with or without drinking habits.

From this finding that lightening of symptoms of depression when cigarette is stopped and returning to the original when starting sucking again, the effect of cigarette "suppress negative feelings and depression" which is cited as reason why some smokers smoke is Professor Kahler seems to believe it is unbelievable. On the contrary, it is closer to the fact that there is an antidepressant effect on "tobacco-stopping" rather than thinking that tobacco has an anxiolytic / antidepressant action.

From this research it seems that happy people who do not feel anxious or depressed at first tend to succeed smoking cessation and it seems suggested that people with severe symptoms of depression tend to be unable to quit smoking, People who should receive sanitary benefits, those who need to smoke cautiously are more difficult to quit smoking. If we can further clarify the difference in the success rate of smoking cessation due to the mental condition, it may lead to social benefits such as reduction of smoking rate and reduction of medical expenses.