Smoking and Depression

Depression associated with heavy smoking.
The Los Angeles Times (4/14, Roan) "Booster Shots" blog reported, "Despite the now well-known and far-reaching effects of smoking, more than one-fifth of Americans still smoke," and many may find it "hard to quit because they also have depression." In fact, data compiled by the CDC indicate that "43% of adult smokers age 20 and older" are dealing the condition. "Among men ages 40 to 54, a whopping 55% of those who smoke have depression," while "among women ages 20 to 39 who smoke, 50% have depression."
After analyzing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, investigators also noted that "the number of cigarettes people smoke increases as their depression deepens," WebMD (4/14, DeNoon) reported. In fact, "nearly twice as many depressed smokers as non-depressed smokers average more than a pack of cigarettes each day (28% vs. 15%)." What's more, "smokers suffering depression grab for that first cigarette of the day sooner than smokers who aren't depressed."
"Exactly why depressed people tend to smoke more was beyond the scope of the study," HealthDay (4/14, Doheny) reported. But, Dr. Laura Pratt, "an epidemiologist at the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics," pointed out that "some research has suggested they might be self-medicating, with the cigarettes somehow acting as a calming or relaxing mechanism." Stanton A. Glantz, director of the University of California-San Francisco's Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, "agrees that depressed people who smoke may be self-medicating. Part of the problem, he said, is that mental-health professionals have been slow to deal with the tobacco issue."