Related Experiment Videos
Comorbidity, smoking behavior and treatment outcome
N J Keuthen1, R S Niaura, B Borrelli
1Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA. keuthen@psych.mgh.harvard.edu
Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics
|August 31, 2000
Summary
Chronic smokers often have co-occurring psychiatric disorders, impacting nicotine dependence and treatment outcomes. Careful assessment of psychiatric diagnoses and symptoms is crucial for effective smoking cessation treatment matching.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Addiction Medicine
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- A significant portion of the population struggles with cigarette smoking addiction.
- Understanding factors influencing smoking vulnerability and treatment response is essential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the links between lifetime psychiatric comorbidity, psychiatric symptoms, smoking behaviors, and smoking cessation treatment outcomes.
- To identify predictors of smoking cessation success in individuals with a history of psychiatric conditions.
Main Methods:
- A 10-week, double-blind, randomized controlled trial involving 120 smokers receiving fluoxetine and behavioral therapy.
- Utilized the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale for baseline psychiatric assessment.
- Employed self-report measures to track psychiatric symptoms during treatment and a 6-month follow-up.
Main Results:
- 62.3% of participants had a lifetime diagnosis of mood, anxiety, or substance use disorder.
- Lifetime comorbidity correlated with higher smoking rates, nicotine dependence, and increased self-reported anxiety and stress.
- Comorbidity did not predict treatment outcome; however, lower baseline depression scores predicted abstinence in individuals without prior psychiatric or depressive history.
Conclusions:
- Chronic smokers exhibit high rates of lifetime psychiatric and substance use disorders.
- Subsyndromal psychiatric symptoms, alongside diagnosable disorders, may influence smoking behavior.
- Clinicians should comprehensively assess psychiatric diagnoses and symptoms in smokers to personalize treatment strategies.