Given the higher incidence of depression among women, it may be valuable to routinely incorporate depression assessment measures in evaluations of women interested in quitting.1
Abrupt withdrawal from nicotine may require either nicotine replacement therapy or antidepressants to avoid the risk of exacerbating depression.
Cognitive-behavioral interventions have been shown to enhance cessation outcomes in individuals with histories of major depressive disorders.
Smokers who also have current alcohol/drug problems are unlikely to stop smoking permanently without overcoming the alcohol/drug problems.
Recent clinical trials find that cognitive behavioral therapy for depression and antidepressants improved smoking cessation rates in those with a past history of depression or who had symptoms of depression.
1 Gritz ER, Nielsen IR, Brooks LA. Smoking cessation and gender: the influence of physiological, psychological, and behavioral factors. JAMWA. 1996;51(1,2):35-42. |
