scholarly journals Quitting smoking does not increase the risk of major depressive episodes among users of Internet smoking cessation interventions

2009 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 441-449 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. D. Torres ◽  
A. Z. Barrera ◽  
K. Delucchi ◽  
C. Penilla ◽  
E. J. Pérez-Stable ◽  
...  

BackgroundLimited evidence has suggested that quitting smoking increases the incidence of major depressive episodes (MDEs), particularly for smokers with a history of depression. Further evidence for this increase would have important implications for guiding smoking cessation.MethodSpanish- and English-speaking smokers without a current MDE (n=3056) from an international, online smoking cessation trial were assessed for abstinence 1 month after their initial quit date and followed for a total of 12 months. Incidence of screened MDE was examined as a function of abstinence and depression history.ResultsContinued smoking, not abstinence, predicted MDE screened at 1 month [smoking 11.5% v. abstinence 7.8%, odds ratio (OR) 1.36, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.04–1.78, p=0.02] but not afterwards (smoking 11.1% v. abstinence 9.8%, OR 1.05, 95% CI 0.77–1.45, p=0.74). Depression history predicted MDE screened at 1 month (history 17.1% v. no history 8.6%, OR 1.71, 95% CI 1.29–2.27, p<0.001) and afterwards (history 21.7% v. no history 8.3%, OR 3.87, 95% CI 2.25–6.65, p<0.001), although the interaction between history and abstinence did not.ConclusionsQuitting smoking was not associated with increased MDE, even for smokers with a history of depression, although a history of depression was. Instead, not quitting was associated with increased MDE shortly following a quit attempt. Results from this online, large, international sample of smokers converge with similar findings from smaller, clinic-based samples, suggesting that in general, quitting smoking does not increase the incidence of MDEs.

2002 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 405-419 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jelena Spasojević ◽  
Lauren B. Alloy

Developmental antecedents of ruminative response style were examined in 137 college freshmen, who were followed prospectively for 2.5 years. Reports of mothers’ and fathers’ psychologically overcontrolling parenting as well as a history of childhood sexual (for women only) and emotional maltreatment were all related to ruminative response style. In addition, ruminative response style mediated the relationships between these developmental factors and the number of major depressive episodes experienced by participants during the follow-up period. Potential explanations and important implications of these findings are discussed.


2008 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
John R. Z. Abela ◽  
Randy P. Auerbach ◽  
Sabina Sarin ◽  
Zia Lakdawalla

2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 568-576 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea L Smith ◽  
Stacy M Carter ◽  
Sally M Dunlop ◽  
Becky Freeman ◽  
Simon Chapman

ObjectiveTo explore the quitting histories of Australian ex-smokers in order to develop an understanding of the varied contribution of smoking cessation assistance (either pharmacotherapy or professionally mediated behavioural support) to the process of quitting.DesignQualitative grounded theory study; in-depth interviews.Participants37 Australian adult ex-smokers (24–68 years; 15 men, 22 women) who quit in the past 6–24 months.ResultsAlthough participants’ individual quitting histories and their overall experiences of quitting were unique, when the 37 quitting histories were compared it was clear two experiences were common to almost all participants: almost no one quit at their first quit attempt and almost everyone started out quitting unassisted. Furthermore, distinct patterns existed in the timing and use of assistance, in particular the age at which assistance was first used, how some participants were resolutely uninterested in assistance, and how assistance might have contributed to the process of successful quitting even if not used on the final quit attempt. Importantly, three patterns in use of assistance were identified: (1) only ever tried to quit unassisted (n=13); (2) started unassisted, tried assistance but reverted back to unassisted (n=13); (3) started unassisted, tried assistance and quit with assistance (n=11). For most participants, insight into what quitting would require was only gained through prior quitting experiences with and without assistance. For a number of participants, interest in assistance was at its lowest when the participant was most ready to quit.ConclusionQuitting should be viewed as a process drawing on elements of assisted and unassisted quitting rather than a stand-alone event that can be labelled as strictly assisted or unassisted.


2000 ◽  
Vol 177 (4) ◽  
pp. 331-335 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toshiaki A. Furukawa ◽  
Toshinori Kitamura ◽  
Kiyohisa Takahashi

BackgroundGeneralisability of existing studies on the naturalistic history of major depression is undermined by overrepresentation of in-patients and tertiary care academic centres, inclusion of patients already on treatment and/or incomplete follow-up.AimsTo report the time to recovery of an inception cohort of unipolar major depressive episodes.MethodA multi-centre prospective follow-up study of patients with a mood disorder, who had been selected to be representative of the untreated first-visit patients at 23 psychiatric settings from all over Japan.ResultsThe median time to recovery of the index episode after treatment commencement was 3 months (95% CI 2.5–3.6): 26% of the cohort reached asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic status by I month, 63% by 3 months, 85% by 12 months and 88% by 24 months.ConclusionsOur estimate of the episode length was 25–50% shorter than estimates reported in the literature.


2011 ◽  
Vol 199 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allan H. Young ◽  
Holly MacPherson

SummaryMajor depressive episodes are common in bipolar disorder, which consequently may be misdiagnosed as major depressive disorder. Improved detection of bipolar disorder rests upon better ascertainment of a history of hypomania. Antidepressants are of dubious benefit in bipolar disorder and more accurate diagnosis of depression would promote better treatment.


1994 ◽  
Vol 164 (3) ◽  
pp. 342-348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen Ries Merikangas ◽  
Werner Wicki ◽  
Jules Angst

This paper describes the application of prospective longitudinal data from an epidemiological sample of young adults to define subtypes of major depression. Depression was classified on a spectrum from subthreshold manifestation of symptoms and duration at one end, to cases with recurrent episodes of depression meeting duration criteria for major depressive episodes at the other. There was a direct relationship between the severity of depression over the longitudinal course and both duration and recurrence of depressive episodes. The subgroup of depression with recurrence of both brief and longer duration episodes could be discriminated on most of the indicators of validity including symptoms, impairment, family history, and suicide attempts. In light of the young age of this cohort, the strong history of suicide attempts and other complications of depression among the subjects with recurrent depression was striking. These findings underscore the importance of employing course as a classification criterion of depression, and the inclusion of subthreshold episodes of depression in the characterisation of course.


2004 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 85-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Benazzi ◽  
A. Koukopoulos ◽  
H.S. Akiskal

AbstractPurposeAs psychotic agitated depression is now a well-described form of mixed state during the course of bipolar I disorder, we sought to investigate the diagnostic validity of a new definition for agitated (mixed) depression in bipolar II (BP-II) and major depressive disorder (MDD).Materials and methodsThree hundred and thirty six consecutive outpatients presenting with major depressive episodes (MDE) but without history of mania were evaluated with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV when presenting for the treatment of MDE. On the basis of history of hypomania they were assigned to BP-II (n = 206) vs. MDD (n = 130). All patients were also examined for hypomania during the current MDE. Mixed depression was operationally defined by the coexistence of a MDE and at least two of the following excitatory signs and symptoms as described by Koukopoulos and Koukopoulos (Koukopoulos A, Koukopoulos A. Agitated depression as a mixed state and the problem of melancholia. In: Akiskal HS, editor. Bipolarity: beyond classic mania. Psychiatr Clin North Am 1999;22:547–64): inner psychic tension (irritability), psychomotor agitation, and racing/crowded thoughts. The validity of mixed depression was investigated by documenting its association with BP-II disorder and with external variables distinguishing it from unipolar MDD (i.e., younger age at onset, greater recurrence, and family history of bipolar disorders). We analyzed the data with multivariate regression (STATA 7).ResultsMDE plus psychic tension (irritability) and agitation accounted for 15.4%, and MDE plus agitation and crowded thoughts for 15.1%. The highest rate of mixed depression (38.6%) was achieved with a definition combining MDE with psychic tension (irritability) and crowded thoughts: 23.0% of these belonged to MDD and 76.9% to BP-II. Moreover, any of these permutations of signs and symptoms defining mixed depression was significantly and strongly associated with external validators for bipolarity. The mixed irritable-agitated syndrome depression with racing-crowded thoughts was further characterized by distractibility (74–82%) and increased talkativeness (25–42%); of expansive behaviors from the criteria B list for hypomania, only risk taking occurred with some frequency (15–17%).ConclusionsThese findings support the inclusion of outpatient-agitated depressions within the bipolar spectrum. Agitated depression is validated herein as a dysphorically excited form of melancholia, which should tip clinicians to think of such a patient belonging to or arising from a bipolar substrate. Our data support the Kraepelinian position on this matter, but regrettably this is contrary to current ICD-10 and DSM-IV conventions. Cross-sectional symptomatologic hints to bipolarity in this mixed/agitated depressive syndrome are virtually absent in that such patients do not appear to display the typical euphoric/expansive characteristics of hypomania—even though history of such behavior may be elicited by skillful interviewing for BP-II. We submit that the application of this diagnostic entity in outpatient practice would be of considerable clinical value, given the frequency with which these patients are encountered in such practice and the extent to which their misdiagnosis as unipolar MDD could lead to antidepressant monotherapy, thereby aggravating it in the absence of more appropriate treatment with mood stabilizers and/or atypical antipsychotics.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Harlev ◽  
Ramit Ravona-Springer ◽  
Yonatan Nuriel ◽  
Eyal Fruchter

Background: Major depressive disorders are strongly correlated with alterations in sleep pattern and architecture, including changes in the Rapid Eye Movement (REM) phase. However, it is still unknown whether sleep alterations precede other depression-related symptoms, particularly in patients with recurrent depressive episodes at relapse risk.Case Presentation: We initiated a study aimed at examining the value of ambulatory sleep monitoring using a WatchPAT device, in predicting recurrence of Major depression. Depression was assessed monthly with the Beck Depression Inventory version II (BDI-II). Here we present the case of a 63 years old woman, with a history of recurrent depressive episodes. AT the time of recruitment, she was asymptomatic, she experienced recurrence of Major depression 3 months into the study. We observed a significant reduction of the Rem Latency parameters 5 weeks prior to BDI-II score increase, reflecting major depressive episode recurrence.Conclusion: Though our results are preliminary, they suggest that ambulatory sleep monitoring can be used as a simple and accessible tool, predicting recurrence of Major Depressive episodes in patients at high risk, thus enabling early treatment intervention.


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