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15 - Smoking and depression

from Part 3 - Biological and behavioural processes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 September 2009

Jon D. Kassel
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
Benjamin L. Hankin
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Barnwell College, Columbia, SC, USA
Andrew Steptoe
Affiliation:
University College London
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Summary

Introduction

Cigarette smoking remains the most preventable cause of illness and death in society today. Upwards of 440 000 smokers die in the USA each year [1, 2], and worldwide over 1 200 000 deaths a year are attributable to smoking-related causes [3]. Despite these staggering statistics, smokers and non-smokers alike often do not appreciate fully the health risks of tobacco use, particularly cigarette smoking. The latest epidemiological studies indicate that death rates for smokers are two to three times higher than for non-smokers at all ages. This means that half of all smokers will eventually die as a result of their smoking. If current smoking trends persist, then about 500 million people currently alive – nearly 9% of the world's population – will die as a result of tobacco use [3].

Moreover, tobacco is arguably the most addictive substance known to humankind. Whereas approximately 32% of people who initiate cigarette smoking become nicotine-dependent, only 23%, 17% and 15% of individuals who experiment with heroin, cocaine and alcohol, respectively, become dependent on these drugs [4]. Interestingly, unlike with harder drugs, the subjective effects of smoking are subtle. Rarely does a smoker describe that smoking provides them with anything approaching the euphoria or high often attributed to other drugs. And yet, as Shiffman [5] observes, ‘the addictive potential of nicotine is all the more impressive for its ability to engender such compulsive use without impressive subjective effects’ (p. 15).

The pathways to becoming a smoker are no doubt complex [6, 7].

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  • Smoking and depression
    • By Jon D. Kassel, Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA, Benjamin L. Hankin, Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Barnwell College, Columbia, SC, USA
  • Edited by Andrew Steptoe, University College London
  • Book: Depression and Physical Illness
  • Online publication: 17 September 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511544293.016
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  • Smoking and depression
    • By Jon D. Kassel, Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA, Benjamin L. Hankin, Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Barnwell College, Columbia, SC, USA
  • Edited by Andrew Steptoe, University College London
  • Book: Depression and Physical Illness
  • Online publication: 17 September 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511544293.016
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Smoking and depression
    • By Jon D. Kassel, Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA, Benjamin L. Hankin, Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Barnwell College, Columbia, SC, USA
  • Edited by Andrew Steptoe, University College London
  • Book: Depression and Physical Illness
  • Online publication: 17 September 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511544293.016
Available formats
×