Smokers with Mental Disorders are More Addicted

Published on June 15, 2009 4:41 AM

Scientists recently found that psychiatrically ill and nicotine-dependent persons consume approximately 70 percent of all cigarettes smoked in the United States. They discover higher smoking rates in persons with psychiatric disorders than those without.

Statistics show that smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States and the single most important cause of disease and premature death worldwide.

For to examine nicotine and other drug use in combination with psychiatric disorders, scientists used data from interviews with 43,093 adults living both in and out of group homes.

Study participants were assessed for nicotine dependence, alcohol and drug use disorders, mood disorders (e.g. depression, mania), anxiety disorders (e.g. social phobia, generalized anxiety), and personality disorders (e.g. obsessive-compulsive).

At the end of the study, researchers found that from all participants 28.4 percent were current users of any tobacco product, 24.9 percent were current cigarette smokers, and 12.8 percent were nicotine dependent. Those who were nicotine-dependent consumed 57.5 percent of all cigarettes smoked in the United States.

Among respondents with nicotine dependence, the prevalence of any alcohol use disorder was 22.8 percent, while 21.1 percent had a mood disorder, 22 percent had an anxiety disorder, and 31.7 percent had a personality disorder. Prevalence of drug use disorder among nicotine-dependent persons was 8.2 percent.

Researchers also observed that nicotine addiction was most prevalent among persons with an alcohol or drug use disorder (34.5 percent and 52.4 percent, respectively). Among individuals with a mood, anxiety, or personality disorder, nicotine dependence was identified in 29.2 percent, 25.3 percent, and 27.3 percent, respectively.

The results of this study feature the importance of focusing smoking cessation efforts on individuals who are nicotine dependent, individuals who have psychiatric disorders, and individuals who have related nicotine dependence and other psychiatric disorders.

This study showed that smoking in schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders is not necessarily high as depicted by studies done before. Socioeconomic and cultural factors in developing countries like India could influence the smoking by persons with psychiatric disorder.

With information available from nicotine research, the mental health professionals, public health personnel and, most importantly, the psychiatric patients themselves should not be misled to believe that smoking is inevitable and purposeful in psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia. Social, cultural and family influences that curb smoking could be utilized to prevent and reduce smoking by psychiatric patients.