Cessation helps, does not worsen mental health
Taylor GMJ, et al. Smoking cessation for improving mental health. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 9 March 2021 Reviewers included 102 studies representing over 169,500 participants. Taken together, these data provide evidence that mental health does not worsen as a result of quitting smoking, and very low- to moderate-certainty evidence that smoking cessation is associated with small to moderate improvements in mental health. These improvements are seen in both unselected samples and in subpopulations, including people diagnosed with mental health conditions. https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD013522.pub2/full
Note: Studies show that levels of anxiety, depression, and stress can be relieved after smoking cessation and that cessation does not result in a reduction of social quality of life. Stephen Hamann
