Smoking and suicide: A brief overview

Hughes, John R.

doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2008.06.003

Cited by 216 publications

(155 citation statements)

References 82 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

132

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…The higher frequency of previous suicide attempts among the smokers evaluated in the present study is in line with the fact that current smoking has been reliably associated with suicide, in case-control and cohort studies. 30 The most plausible but relatively untested explanation for that association is that smokers have pre-existing conditions that increase their risk for suicide.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Depression, alcohol use disorders and nicotine dependence among patients at a general hospital

Botega¹,

Mitsuushi²,

Azevedo³

et al. 2010

Rev. Bras. Psiquiatr.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective: To determine prevalence rates and identify patient characteristics associated with depression, alcohol use disorders and nicotine dependence among individuals admitted to a general teaching hospital. Method: Using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test, we assessed 4,352 consecutive medical and surgical patients admitted over a 13-month period. The patients were also asked to report their daily cigarette smoking habits during the last month. Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed, and odds ratios (ORs) were calculated. Results: The mean age of the sample was 49.3 years, and 56.6% were male. Prevalence rates of depression, alcohol use disorders and nicotine dependence were, respectively, 14%, 9.8% and 16.9%. In the multivariate analysis, depression was associated with previous suicide attempts (OR = 8.7), lower level of education (OR = 3.6), prior use of psychotropic medications (OR = 3.1), cancer (OR = 1.7) and pain (OR = 1.7). Alcohol use disorders were associated with male sex (OR = 6.3), smoking (OR = 3.5), admission for an external cause of injury, such as a traffic accident (OR = 2.4), and previous suicide attempts (OR = 2.3). Nicotine dependence was associated with alcohol use disorders (OR = 3.4), young adulthood (OR = 2.3), widowhood (OR = 2.2) and previous suicide attempts (OR = 1.8). Conclusion: This is the largest sample of medical and surgical patients ever surveyed with standardized screening instruments in a general hospital in Brazil. The high prevalence rates of psychiatric disorders and the profiles of the patients evaluated in this study underscore the need to develop methods that are more effective for detecting and managing such disorders. Hospital admission should be considered a major opportunity for the detection of psychiatric disorders and the subsequent implementation of the appropriate specific treatment strategies. Descriptors

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Depression, alcohol use disorders and nicotine dependence among patients at a general hospital

Botega¹,

Mitsuushi²,

Azevedo³

et al. 2010

Rev. Bras. Psiquiatr.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Prenatal smoking exposure may have a long-term influence on offspring serotonin metabolism. Chronic nicotine exposure reduces serotonin metabolism in animals [16], smokers have reduced serotonin levels in the cerebrospinal fluid [17], and reduced serotonin levels is associated with increased risks of suicidal acts [18]. Using a large population-based data set, we studied the association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and risk of completed suicide and suicidal acts in young offspring after taking family history of psychiatric diseases into account.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Maternal smoking during pregnancy and risks of suicidal acts in young offspring

et al. 2011

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Word count (excluding title page, abstract, references and tables): 2,976. 2 AbstractObstetric and neonatal complications have been associated with completed and attempted suicide (suicidal acts) in young offspring. Maternal smoking is one of the most important risk factors for obstetric complications, but the association between prenatal smoking exposure and offspring risk of suicidal acts is unknown.We performed a population-based study of 1 449,333 single births born in Sweden between 1983 and 1996, derived from linked registry data. Maternal smoking and risks of suicidal acts in offspring were estimated using hazard ratios, derived from proportional-hazard models, controlling for potential confounding of parental socio-demographic factors and psychiatric care in first degree relatives. To control for unmeasured familial confounding, a matched case-control analysis of suicidal acts was performed within sibling pairs discordant for prenatal smoking exposure.In the cohort analysis, the adjusted hazard ratio for completed suicide among offspring to women smoking 1-9 cigarettes and at least 10 cigarettes per day were 1.67, 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.29-2.16, and 1.54, 95% CI, 1.12-2.10. For suicidal acts, corresponding hazard ratios were 1.28, 95% CI 1.21-1.35 and 1.48, 95% CI 1.39-1.57, respectively. However, in sibling pairs discordant for suicidal acts and prenatal smoking exposure, we found no evidence that prenatal smoking exposure increased the risk of suicidal acts. We conclude that the association between prenatal smoking exposure and offspring risk of suicidal acts is probably confounded by unmeasured familial factors.Word count: 230

show abstract

“…1 In addition to its well-known adverse health effects, smoking may also be associated with suicide and suicidal behaviour. 6 The concept of nicotine as a risk factor for suicide is controversial and fuelled by mixed findings across studies. Several studies have found a positive association between smoking and suicide attempts.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It also offers the opportunity to examine the relation between smoking cessation and suicidal behaviour, an area with little information and contrasting findings. 6 The primary objective of our study is to determine whether nicotine dependence is associated with suicide attempts. Secondary objectives include investigating the relation between suicide attempts and nicotine cessation, and exploratory analyses of the association with age of first cigarette use, frequency of use, and amount of use.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Relation between Nicotine Dependence and Suicide Attempts in the General Population

et al. 2011

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective: There has been much debate as to whether nicotine is a risk factor for suicidal behaviour. This study sought to examine the relation between nicotine dependence and suicide attempts in a population-based sample of adults. Method:Our study used the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions Wave 2 (NESARC;, a large (n = 34 653) nationally representative survey of community-dwelling American adults. Multiple logistic regression analyses examined the relation between suicide attempts and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, nicotine dependence, compared with nonusers of nicotine. Associations between suicide attempts and other measures of nicotine use (nicotine cessation, age of first use, frequency, and amount of use) were also examined.Results: Lifetime (AOR 1.78; 95% CI 1.48 to 2.15) and past-year nicotine dependence (AOR 1.77; 95% CI 1.02 to 3.06) were independently associated with lifetime and past-year suicide attempts, respectively, even after adjusting for sociodemographic factors, other mental disorders, and physical disease. Nicotine dependence cessation was associated with a decreased likelihood of suicide attempt compared with people currently dependent on nicotine (AOR 0.15; 95% CI 0.05 to 0.43). Greater amount of daily cigarette use was associated with suicide attempts in the model that adjusted for sociodemographic factors and other mental disorders (AOR 1.53; 95% CI 1.05 to 2.24). Conclusions:Nicotine dependence is associated with suicide attempts, independently of comorbid mental disorders and physical disease. The association attenuates when a person ceases using nicotine, suggesting a state, rather than trait, effect. These findings provide evidence for additional concern regarding the deleterious health effects of tobacco. Clinical Implications• Assessment of suicidal behaviour should include an assessment of nicotine use.• Psychiatrists should encourage smoking cessation in their patients.• Clinicians should recognize that nicotine dependence is associated with suicide attempts independently of the association observed with psychiatric disorders. Limitations• The study was cross-sectional in design and cannot make causal conclusions.• Lethality of suicide attempts was not assessed.• Our study did not assess suicide.

show abstract

Smoking and suicide: A brief overview

Cited by 216 publications

References 82 publications

Depression, alcohol use disorders and nicotine dependence among patients at a general hospital

Depression, alcohol use disorders and nicotine dependence among patients at a general hospital

Maternal smoking during pregnancy and risks of suicidal acts in young offspring

The Relation between Nicotine Dependence and Suicide Attempts in the General Population

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About