To the Editor: In their article, Robert West, Ph.D., and Peter Hajek, Ph.D. (1), concluded that their results weaken the view that increased anxiety is a central element of the nicotine withdrawal syndrome and suggested that giving up smoking is quite rapidly followed by a reduction in anxiety. Unfortunately, the frequency of assessments chosen by the authors may have confounded their results. Their data included measurements of anxiety 2 weeks and 1 week before smoking cessation, immediately before cessation, 24 hours after cessation, and 1, 2, 3, and 4 weeks after cessation.