Chunk #5 — 3. Results — 3.1. An Overview of Theories and Mechanisms for Associations of Suicide vs. Smoking, Smoking Cessation or Use of Smoking Cessation Medications
These theories/mechanisms can be conceptualized as a 3 × 3 matrix with one factor representing whether one believes a) smoking is not causally related to suicide; i.e., smoking is a marker not a cause, b) smoking causes suicide; i.e., smoking is a psychological or physical toxin, or c) smokers have a pre-existing increased risk for suicide and smoke to reduce this risk; i.e. smoking as self-medication. The other factor is whether one is referring to a) risk during current smoking, b) risk during abstinence or c) risk with use of a medication for cessation (Table 1).
