How To Quit Smoking When You Suffer From Depression

It can be hard enough to quit smoking at the best of times, but if you want to know how to quit smoking when you also suffer from depression you are going to need to get support on several fronts.

Depression has both organic and emotional components. The emotional can be assisted by professional therapy, such as cognitive behavioural therapy. The organic aspect is usually well managed with specific selective Serotonin reuptake inhibitor medications such as Zoloft, Prozac and Paxil.

A person with depression will need the support of their medical specialist to assist and monitor their medications and their emotional state when they quit cigarettes.

Zyban, also sold as Wellbutrin or Voxra known as Tricyclics, are also antidepressants which are used as quit smoking drugs. Unfortunately many of my clients have found these tricyclics make them feel unwell and usually can't persist with them.

Managing stress will be critical for the depressed smoker, as they are likely to have even more emotional connections to cigarettes than most people.

Using hypnosis is a very gentle way to remove those connections and help to establish new positive habits without the need for nicotine.

But at home support may be required in the interim period until a person truly believes that they no longer need to smoke. Their old routines will be strongly ingrained, and they may need to busy themselves at times. Having support will defiantly help them through this time.

Once a person is free from smoking for a few days to a few weeks they will start to feel an increased sense of wellbeing. By being able to breathe easier will a person will be able to exercise more. Exercise alone will reduce the severity of depression.

Plus as levels of wellbeing increase most people will do more and more to help themselves. Such as improving their diets. Depressed people tend to eat poorly. Junk food diets are known to increase difficult mental behaviour.

Timing is important. It is best to choose a time when life is reasonably good, so that the person has more emotional resilience to cope with any pressure from quitting.

By combining therapies and by seeking multiple points of support a person with depression will be able to quit smoking in most instances. Severe depression will be more of a challenge but with the right management it is still a good chance of success, getting everything lined up is critical.


Article Source: Ian Newton