Does Smoking Cessation Cause Depression and Anxiety? Findings from the ATTEMPT Cohort

The impact of long-term smoking abstinence upon symptoms of depression and anxiety has not been adequately studied. The ATTEMPT cohort is the largest longitudinal study of smoking cessation currently available with sufficiently frequent follow-up to be able to address this question. A cohort of quitters free from symptoms of depression (n = 1,027) and anxiety (n = 936) at baseline were followed up over 9 months using an established Internet panel. The age- and sex-adjusted odds ratios for incident symptoms of depression or anxiety associated with 6- to 9-month smoking abstinence compared with continued smoking were 1.03 (95% CI 0.41 to 2.56) and 1.05 (95% CI 0.39 to 2.82), respectively. Stopping smoking does not appear to increase the risk of symptoms of depression and anxiety in those free from symptoms when they quit.