3 min read
Mental Health and Quitting: How Cessation Affects Anxiety, Depression, and Mood Disorders
Contrary to clinical lore, quitting smoking improves mental health—reducing anxiety, depression, and stress over the long term. The short-term exacerbation of mood symptoms during withdrawal is real but temporary.
The clinical belief that quitting smoking worsens mental health has been refuted. Longitudinal studies show that cessation is associated with long-term improvements in anxiety, depression, and overall mental health. **The short-term exacerbation during withdrawal is real—but temporary. The long-term trajectory is improvement. The smoker with mental health conditions who quits is not sacrificing their mental health for their physical health. They're improving both.**
