DOES SMOKING CESSATION CAUSE RECURRENT DEPRESSION?
Smokers with a history of major depression who stop smoking are at high risk for recurrent depression, and this risk persists for at least six months after they quit. Antidepressant administration does not increase the likelihood that such patients can stop smoking, but it may lower their risk of recurrent depression. Glassman et al enrolled 100 people who smoked one or more packs of cigarettes per day into a two-month smoking cessation trial. All participants had a history of major depression, but none had received an antidepressant medication for at least six months before the study s start. Participants were randomized to receive the antidepressant sertraline or placebo, and were told to stop smoking 21 days after the start of treatment. They were then evaluated three and six months after treatment ended. Of the 76 participants who returned for follow-up, 42 were able to quit; 34 continued to smoke. Depression recurred in 13 of the abstainers and two of the smokers. The risk of recu
