Link between depression and tendency to smoke.

That is according to a report that was published on April 14 by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and is based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys 2005 - 2008. It indicates that people who are suffering from depression are more likely to smoke that those who are not.

This report do not prove that smoke causes depression or vice versa, it just shows that there is a strong connection between smoking and depression among adults aged 20 and over in the US.

Medical News Today offers these highlights from the studio:

• 43 per cent of adults with depression were current smokers compared to 22 per cent without depression.
• Adults with depression were less likely to quit smoking than those without depression.
• Even adults with mild symptoms of depression were more likely to smoke than adults with no symptoms.
• Smoking rates among women with depression were similar to men with depression, while women without depression smoked less than men.
• For women, the sharpest contrast was among 20 to 39 year olds, where 50 per cent of women with depression were smokers compared to 21 per cent of women with no depression.
• Among men, the sharpest contrast was in the 40 to 54 year old group, where 55 per cent of men with depression were smokers compared to 26 per cent of men with no depression.
• The percentage of smokers went up as depression severity increased.
• Men and women with depression smoked more heavily than those with no depression.
• 28 per cent of those with depression smoked more than one pack a day, compared to 15 per cent of those without depression.
• 51 per cent of people with depression smoked their first cigarette within the first 5 minutes of the day compared to 30 per cent of those with no depression; and people with depression were also more likely to smoke more than one pack a day.

By Patricia Rivero.