Anxiety Disorders Make it Harder to Quit Smoking
Quitting smoking can be incredibly difficult for some people, and now researchers are closer to understanding why. Smokers with a history of anxiety disorders are less likely to quit smoking, according to researchers at the University of Wisconsin Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention, who offered free coaching and medications to people trying to quit smoking in Madison and Milwaukee. Overall quit rates were high, but those with anxiety were more likely to relapse and continue smoking.
More than a third of the study participants had been diagnosed with at least one form of anxiety. Of the 1,504 participants, 455 people had experienced a panic attack in the past, 199 had experienced social anxiety disorder, and 99 had experienced generalized anxiety disorder. Other studies have shown that up to 25 percent of more than 50 million smokers in the United States had been diagnosed with at least one anxiety disorder. However, there has been very little research about smoking and anxiety.
Megan Piper, lead author of the study, says she found it surprising that using either or both the nicotine lozenge and patch didn’t help those patients with histories of anxiety, because these two forms of smoking cessation aids have been effective for many other smokers trying to quit. She added that more research needs to be done to help develop better forms of treatment for smokers with anxiety disorders.
Those in the study with anxiety disorders also had higher levels of nicotine dependence and withdrawal symptoms before quitting. Those with a history of panic attacks or social anxiety disorder reported more negative feelings on the day they quit than those who didn’t have anxiety.
The study suggests that clinicians should assess whether patients have anxiety disorders when helping them quit smoking. Anxiety medications alone haven’t been proven to help these individuals quit smoking, but Piper said future research will test other smoking cessation interventions and medications for those with anxiety problems.
Source: Science Daily, Common Anxiety Disorders Make It Tougher to Quit Cigarettes, October 25, 2010
