Which Came First: Smoking or Depression?
A reader responded to my last post by expressing concern that quitting smoking might trigger a recurrence of his/her major depression.
Man…can I ever relate to this fear. In fact, I spoke with a mental health professional well before I quit. She encouraged me to quit anyway–citing the long list of deadly medical conditions caused by smoking.
Chicken or Egg?
Tobacco and depression have a weird pushmepullyou relationship. People who are depressed are more likely to be smokers. Smokers who quit are at risk of becoming clinically depressed, particularly if they have a history of depression.
Is it possible that smoking has contributed to the reader’s depression?
Consult the Pros
Of course, since I never attended medical school, the best course of action would start with a conversation with the mental health professional who you’re working with to treat the depression. I’ll confess that during an incredibly rocky time in my life my therapist said, “Whatever you do, don’t quit smoking now!” Given the relationship between depression and the inability to quit, it makes sense that addressing the depression would be important to the cessation effort.
Zyban and Therapy
I take two medications for my depression–one is Wellbutrin, which is the same drug as Zyban, and is widely used as a smoking cessation aid. I don’t know if it helped me quit, but it seemed to diminish my urge to smoke when it was first prescribed for me a few years ago.
Reading I’ve done suggests that taking Zyban for smoking cessation, in addition to the antidepressant you already take, can be helpful in alleviating depression. And some studies show that cognitive therapy, often used to treat depression, can be successful in helping people–including those with no history of depression–quit smoking.
Although I’m struggling with these issues now too, I’ll have to say that quitting has given me a real sense of success and control–following several years of being extremely frustrated (even angry with myself) because I hadn’t quit. It feels darned good that I’ve done something so positive for my health.
