Smoking and Depression: What's the Relationship?

Almost 20% of American adults smoke cigarettes. Those diagnosed as having a moderate mental health problem are approximately twice as likely to smoke, whereas for those diagnosed as severely ill the risks are roughly three times greater. For example, currently around 66% of patients with schizophrenia and 50% of patients with bipolar disorder are smokers.

New research published in the Journal of Affective Disorders suggests that daily nicotine intake, primarily from smoking cigarettes, can predict the use of antidepressants in the future. This finding tallies with previous studies that have linked frequent cigarette smoking to psychiatric illnesses later in life. As such it highlights, the authors argue, the need to assess smoking patterns amongst those suffering, or identified as being at risk of developing depressive symptoms.

Click here to read the full report in the Journal of Affective Disorders.