Mood Management Phone Counseling in Smoking Cessation

Adult smokers with a history of recurrent major depression (MDD) report higher levels of depressive symptoms when presenting for smoking cessation treatment and have poor smoking outcomes relative to other smokers. Carefully conducted clinical trials have supported the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral mood management treatment for depression in improving smoking cessation outcomes in this high-risk group. Although efficacious, these intensive group treatments require significant resources and thus may have limited impact outside of specialized smoking cessation programs. In the present study we will develop and obtain preliminary data on the efficacy of proactive telephone counseling for smoking cessation that integrates cognitive-behavioral mood management skills training for depression (MM). Smokers with a history of recurrent MDD will be randomly assigned to the proactive telephone counseling for smoking cessation with mood management (MM) or a standard proactive telephone counseling (ST) comparison condition. We expect that this program of research will result in the development of a specialized, efficacious treatment with broad reach into a significant subpopulation of smokers at greatest risk for difficulties quitting, and will therefore have important clinical and public health significance in decreasing the overall prevalence of cigarette smoking.

Inclusion criteria

• history of two or more past episodes of depression
• regular cigarette smoker for at least one year
• currently smoking 10 or more cigarettes each day
• want to quit smoking

Exclusion criteria

• Current Depressive Episode
• Current Alcohol of Substance abuse
• Pregnant, planning to become pregnant