The physical benefits of stopping smoking are well known. Giving up smoking can reduce chance of cancers and cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, among other things. But the potential benefits to mental health on a smoke-free lifestyle have been less clear cut.
Indeed, a reason often cited by smokers for not giving up is that they believe smoking has mental health benefits - such as reducing stress and anxiety.
It is reported that even health professionals can be reluctant to advise people with mental health problems to stop smoking, in case quitting makes their mental health worse.
As the researchers explain in their study:
"Both quantitative and qualitative analyses indicate that regular smokers report smoking cigarettes to alleviate emotional problems and feelings of depression and anxiety, to stabilize mood, and for relaxation as well as relieving stress."
"This pattern of behavior occurs in smokers with and without diagnosed mental disorders. Unsurprisingly, views about smoking predict whether or not people attempt to quit and whether or not they are successful."
As smokers experience irritability, anxiety and depression when they have not smoked for a while, the study suggests that people may misinterpret symptoms of nicotine withdrawal for perceived psychological benefits of smoking.
The researchers wanted see to what extent giving up smoking can affect people's mental health and whether the effect quitting had was positive or adverse. They analyzed the results of 26 studies assessing people's mental health before and at least 6 weeks after smoking cessation.
The people in the study - who had an average age of 44 and smoked around 20 cigarettes a day - were drawn both from the general population and from patients who were being treated for clinical (psychiatric or physical) conditions.
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