Work

Cigarette smoking and depression: a question of causation

Year: 2010

Type: article

Abstract: Cigarette smokers frequently describe the anxiolytic and antidepressant effects of smoking, but evidence suggests that cigarette smoking may itself increase negative affect, so that the causal direction of this association remains unclear. Although increasingly sophisticated analyses of epidemiological data may help to answer this question, observational data can never unequivocally provide evidence of causation. Here we discuss the potential utility of genetic information in determining the causal basis of the relationship of cigarette smoking and depression.

Source: The British Journal of Psychiatry

DOI: 10.1192/bjp.bp.109.074880

Authors: Marcus R. Munafò, Ricardo Araya

Institution: University of Bristol

Language: English

Topic: Smoking Behavior and Cessation

Subfield: Physiology

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression, Economic and Social Research Council