British researchers examined 26 published investigations into the mental health of smokers.
They looked at standardised scorecards for symptoms of anxiety, depression, stress and quality of life, derived from questionnaires completed by volunteers.
The smokers with an average age of 44 or more and smoked between 10 and 40 cigarettes a day were questioned before they tried to give up and again after their attempt - an average of six months later.
Those who succeeded in quitting reported reduced depression, anxiety and stress and had a more positive outlook on life compared with those who continued smoking.
"The effects are equal or larger than those of anti-depressant treatment for mood and anxiety disorders," said the study, published by the British Medical Journal. Quitters who had been diagnosed with psychiatric disorders enjoyed a similar improvement.
Lead investigator Gemma Taylor of the University of Birmingham's School of Health and Population Sciences said she hoped the findings would dispel a widespread misconception about smoking.
"It's a common myth that smoking is good for your mental health; that it 'relieves stress', 'helps you relax', 'helps you enjoy things' and that common myth is really hard to overcome," said Taylor, adding that the study showed that when a person stops smoking and breaks the nicotine withdrawal cycle, their mental health improves.
Taylor pointed to a mainstream theory in tobacco addiction research: that a smoker's psychological state fluctuates throughout the day as a result of exposure to nicotine. The sense of calm or wellbeing from a cigarette is followed immediately afterwards by classic withdrawal signs of a depressed mood, anxiety or agitation.
Smokers tend to blame these symptoms on stress or other factors. And because nicotine has a calming effect, they perceive that cigarettes improve their mental health.
Smoking is already blamed for a wide range of diseases and disorders, ranging from cancer, blindness and cardiac problems to diabetes, gum disease and impotence.
The World Health Organisation estimated last July that tobacco kills almost 6m people each year, a toll that will rise to 8m annually in 2030.
Despite a decline in smoking in some nations, in overall terms the number of people smoking today is greater than in 1980, according to a paper published last month in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Source: Sowetan via I-Net Bridge
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