Smoking has physical and psychoactive effects, and heavy smoking is associated with depression (original) (raw)

Japanese Journal of Health and Human Ecology

The effects of smoking on physical and mental health were assessed in a cohort of 3,376 middle-aged men by a health questionnaire, the Total Health Index, and by mortality risk ratio. Participants were grouped into the four following smoking classes: never smoked, smoke 1-19, 20-29, and ≥30 cigarettes a day. The Index has 15 physical and mental symptom scales that assess his perceived health of respiratory organs, digestive organs, short temper, depression, aggressiveness, et al. Each scale score was calculated as the sum of the positive number of symptoms, and a higher score indicates more symptoms. Starting from never smoked class, mean respiratory organ scale score increase linearly depending on the heavier smoking classes. Mean digestive organ scale score and the other three scale scores also showed linear dose-response relationship with the three classes of increasing number of cigarettes smoked a day. The other seven scale scores showed not a linear but J-shaped dose-response relationship. The never-smoked, smoke 1-19, and 20-29 cigarettes per day classes showed no increased response; only the heaviest class, smoke ≥30 cigs or more a day, had significantly higher mean scores for vague complaints, short temper, anxiety, depression, mouth, eye, and neurotics. Mortality risk of lung cancer was also high in heavy smokers (RR 3.71). Men of depression included more heavy smokers than the other non-depression men (P 0.0014). Key words：heavy smoking; physical health; mental effect; mortality risk; depression I. Introduction Smoking, a leading cause of lung cancer globally, has psychotropic effects, as well as a detrimental effect on physical health. Over the past 25 years, researchers have uncovered strong evidence for a relationship between smoking and health in many countries, including Japan, the US, Australia, the UK, France, Brazil, and Korea. 1-9) Associations between smoking and physical and mental health have been thoroughly examined in adolescents and people with psychiatric disorders. 10-15) In the present study, a questionnaire, the Total Health Index (THI) was used to assess the relationship of smoking classes and perceived physical and mental health 16,17) in a cohort of middle-aged men. We report smoking-related risks of depression and mortality of all causes of death and