Comorbidity Of Tobacco Use Research Articles

Smoking Cessation as a Priority for Psychiatrists

This Viewpoint argues that psychiatrists should take an active role to address cigarette smoking in patients, due to the high comorbidity of tobacco use and other substance use disorders and the overlap of nicotine withdrawal symptoms with psychiatric symptoms.

Pattern of Tobacco Use among Outdoor Depressed Patients Reported for Private Psychiatric Consultation at Karachi

Objective: To estimate the pattern of tobacco use among outdoor, depressed patients reported for private psychiatric consultation at Karachi. Method: This observational study is based on cases reported at a private psychiatric clinic in Karachi from 1stJanuary, 2012 to 31st December 2012. A total of 178 patients, consecutively diagnosed as Depressive disorder according to ICD-10 were selected. All patients were male and their age range was from 18 years to 70 years. Their mean age with standard deviation was 36.16 ± 12.01 years. Informed consent, in all the patients, was taken. Approval from IRB (Institutional Review Board) Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi was obtained. The approved protocol was used in the study overseeing the ethical and legal aspects of the clinical investigations. Data was tabulated and analysed using SPSS version 20. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the data. Results: Total number of depressed patients screened was1445. Out of these 178 patients was using tobacco. Their average age ± SD were 36.16 ± 12.01 years .The age range was from 18 to 70 years. Out of 178 cases, 139(78.1%) cases were married, 28(15.7%) were unmarried, and 6(3.4%) had second marriages, and the rest were engaged, divorced or separated. Their ethnic languages were Pushto (65.7%); Urdu (12.4%), Punjabi (5.1%), Sindhi (7.3%), Balochi (3.4%), and the rest were from other ethnic languages. The pattern of tobacco use was, smoking only (32.58%), chewing Paan (37.07%), using Naswar (14.60%), while the rest (15.73%) chewed and smoked in combination. Conclusion: This study revealed that depressive disorder has co-morbidity of tobacco use invariably among younger married males. Contrary to the western pattern, majority of the cases were using tobacco in forms other than smoking only.

Mechanisms Underlying the Comorbidity of Tobacco Use in Mental Health and Addictive Disorders

We discuss potential explanations for the high prevalence of tobacco use and tobacco dependence (TD) in people with mental health and addictive (MHA) disorders. The biopsychosocial basis for this comorbidity is presented, integrating evidence from epidemiologic and clinical studies. We also review evidence that suggests a shared vulnerability related to biological, genetic, and environmental factors may be the most parsimonious mechanism to explain the association between TD and MHA disorders. Finally, we review the examples of various MHA disorders that are associated with TD, and suggest avenues for new investigation that could aid in the development of rationale and more effective treatments for tobacco and MHA disorder comorbidities.

Marijuana and tobacco use among young adults in Canada: are they smoking what we think they are smoking?

The authors characterized marijuana smoking among young adult Canadians, examined the co-morbidity of tobacco and marijuana use, and identified correlates associated with different marijuana use consumption patterns. Data were collected from 20,275 individuals as part of the 2004 Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey. Logistic regression models were conducted to examine characteristics associated with marijuana use behaviors among young adults (aged 15-24). Rates of marijuana use were highest among current smokers and lowest among never smokers. Marijuana use was more prevalent among males, young adults living in rural areas, and increased with age. Young adults who were still in school were more likely to have tried marijuana, although among those who had tried, young adults outside of school were more like to be heavy users. Males and those who first tried marijuana at an earlier age also reported more frequent marijuana use. These findings illustrate remarkably high rates of marijuana use and high co-morbidity of tobacco use among young adult Canadians. These findings suggest that future research should consider whether the increasing popularity of marijuana use among young adults represents a threat to the continuing decline in tobacco use among this population.

Association Between Psychiatric Disorders and the Progression of Tobacco Use Behaviors

To examine the progression of tobacco use and the patterns of comorbidity of tobacco use and psychiatric disorders. The authors conducted analyses of prospective and retrospective reports, collected from 1988 to 1998, of a sample of high- and low-risk youths identified on the basis of the presence or absence of a parental history of substance abuse or dependence. A parental history of substance use disorders was associated with regular tobacco use and nicotine dependence, but not with experimentation for all youths. Individual and composite psychiatric diagnoses were strongly associated with nicotine dependence, but not with regular use or experimentation. While the presence of an affective disorder and drug abuse/dependence generally increased the risk for co-occurring nicotine dependence, analyses based on the temporal onset of disorders showed that it was the initiation of alcohol or drug use that predicted the progression to nicotine dependence. For low-risk youths, oppositional defiant disorder was the single psychiatric risk factor that predicted the transition to nicotine dependence. This study adds to the accumulating evidence that has implicated comorbid psychiatric disorders in the etiology and subsequent course of nicotine dependence. In addition, family history may represent an important indicator of an increased risk for nicotine dependence.

Development of substance use and psychiatric comorbidity in an epidemiologic study of white and American Indian young adolescents the Great Smoky Mountains Study

The progression of substance use and the patterns of comorbidity of substance use and psychiatric disorders are explored prospectively in young adolescents enrolled in the Great Smoky Mountains Study. This study is an epidemiologic study of white and American Indian youths living in rural Southern Appalachia. Results from this study indicate that alcohol use without permission predicts subsequent use of illicit drugs and regular tobacco use. Use of tobacco was not associated with either later alcohol or drug use. Patterns of comorbidity showed strong cross-sectional relationships between substance use and behavioral disorders, but not emotional disorders. Use of alcohol was also associated with psychiatric diagnosis at a later interview. There were some differences between white and American Indian youths in the pattern of comorbidity of tobacco use and psychiatric disorder and the relationship between prior psychiatric disorder and later alcohol use. These findings suggest that alcohol use without permission may be an important marker for youths who are at risk for illicit drug use and/or psychiatric diagnoses.