DID YOU KNOW?

In one study, among mentally healthy teens, smokers are nearly four times as likely as non-smokers to develop depression within a year’s time.

Depression is a serious illness that can affect anyone, including teenagers. Recently, experts have been trying to figure out if there is a link between depression and smoking—to find out if people who are depressed are more likely to start smoking, or have more trouble quitting, or if people who smoke are more likely to be depressed.

At this point, it’s hard to say. Some studies have found connections between smoking and depression and others haven’t found much of a connection at all.

You be the judge:

Experts followed a group of depressed teenagers and examined them again at about ten years later in their mid-twenties. They found that depression in early teenage years was associated with heavy cigarette smoking in adulthood (11)
Among mentally healthy teens, smokers are nearly four times as likely as non-smokers to develop depression within a year’s time (4).
In a study of about 2000 teens, experts found that boys who had never smoked, but were more at risk for depression, were more likely to try smoking (5)

A survey of about 1,000 high school freshmen showed a significant association between how receptive teenagers were to tobacco advertising and depression: teens who were very receptive to tobacco advertising and had clinically significant depressive symptoms were more likely to smoke (10).
People who suffer from major medical depression are more likely to have difficulty when they try to stop smoking (12, 13, 14).

Depression is a treatable illness. If you are worried that you or someone you care about might be suffering from depression, please don’t hesitate to ask for help.In the meantime, it may help to read more about symptoms and available treatments for depression found on the National Institute of Mental Health’s Depression Web site.

references | updated: 10.03.2007

references

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Escobedo LG, Reddy M Giovino GA. The relationship between depressive symptoms and cigarette smoking in US adolescents. Addiction (1998. 93(3):433-40
Goodman E, Capitman J. Depressive symptoms and cigarette smoking among teens. Pediatrics. 2000. 106(4):748-55
Killen JD, Robinson TN, Haydel KF et al. Prospective study of risk factors for the initiation of cigarette smoking. J Consult Clin Psychol. 1997 65(6):1011-6
Gritz ER, Prokhovorov AV, Suchanek Hudmon K et al. Cigarette smoking in a multiethnic population of youth: methods and baseline findings. Prev Med. 1998 27: 365-384
Choi WS, Patten CA, Gillin JC et al. Cigarette smoking predicts development of depressive symptoms among U. S. adolescents. Ann Behav Med. 1997 19(1):42-50
Breslau N, Peterson EL, Schultz LR et al. Major depression and stages of smoking. A longitudinal investigation. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1998. 55(2):161-6.
Windle M, Windle RC. Depressive symptoms and cigarette smoking among middle adolescents: prospective associations and intrapersonal and interpersonal influences. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2001 69(2):215-26
Tercyak KP, Goldman P Smith A, Audrain J. Interactive effects of depression and tobacco advertising receptivity on adolescent smoking. J Pediatr Psychol. 2002 27(2):145-54
Kandel DB, Davies M. Adult sequelae of adolescent depressive symptoms. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1986. 43(3):255-62
Covey LS, Glassman AH, Stetner F. Cigarette smoking and major depression. J Addict Dis. 1998. 17(1)35-46
Covey LS, GlassmanAH, Stetner F. Mayor depression following smoking cessation. Am J Psychiatry. 1997. 154(2):263-5.
Glassman AH, Covey LS, Stetner F, Rivelli S. Smoking cessation and the course of mayor depression: a follow-up study. The Lancet. 2001. 357: 1929-32.

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