Current Daily Smoking May Be Associated With Increased Risk For Suicidal Thoughts And Attempts

Suicidal thoughts or attempts are associated with daily smoking in current smokers, but not former smokers, according to an article in the Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

“A link between cigarette smoking and suicide has been reported in epidemiological investigations since the 1970s,” according to background information in the article. However, these interpretations have been subject to controversy. It is believed that depression may result in part from smoking and should not be controlled in analysis of this relationship. However, it’s also been reported that symptoms of depression in adolescents predicts their starting smoking and that major depression leads to an increased risk for regular smoking and dependence; therefore, a history of depression must be considered when examining suicide in smokers.

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    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 15 Mar 2005
    Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.