Studying the relationship between tobacco use and depression between Egyptian patients

Abstract

Background Although much attention has been drawn to trends in smoking and smoking related diseases in the general population, increasing evidence suggests that patients with mental illness are at a high risk for tobacco use and nicotine addiction. Cigarette smokers usually state the antidepressant and anxiolytic effects of smoking, but evidence reports that cigarette smoking may promote negative effect, so that the causal direction of this association still mysterious. It was reported that there is a cause effect relationship between cigarette smoking and depression as multiple studies mentioned that tobacco use increases the risk of symptoms of depression. The relationship between smoking and depression was attributed to genetic predisposition, low level of dopamine, low self-esteem, and coping styles. Aim of the Work The current study aimed to study the pattern of tobacco use among patients with depression, to study the degree of motivation to quit in patients with depression, and to assess severity of suicidal behavior among patients with depression using tobacco. Patients and Methods This is a case control study conducted in patients with the diagnosis of depression attending the outpatient clinic or inpatient of the institute of psychiatry Ain Shams University Hospitals during the academic year 2018-2019. The sample size was consisted of 100 patients and the patients were selected randomly. The relationship between tobacco use and depression between Egyptian patients was assessed using Socioeconomic status scale (SES), Hamilton Rating scale for Depression (HRSD), FagerströmTest for Nicotine Dependence (FTND), Lebanon Waterpipe Dependence Scale-11 (LWDS-11), Reason for quitting scale (RFQ), Columbia–Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS), and ICD-10 symptom checklist for mental disorders. Results The present study showed a statistical significant association between the following scales; Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) and Hamilton depression rating scale (HDRS), Difference score of Reason for quitting scale (RFQ) and Hamilton depression rating scale (HDRS), and Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) and Columbia–Suicide Severity Rating Scale (CSSRS). Conclusion Compared to non-depressive persons, the results showed that depressive groups were less desired for quitting smoking.